Blockbusters (Australian game show)
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television entertainment |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Defunct | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Children's quiz show, board game |
| Parent | Seven Network |
Blockbusters was an Australian children's quiz program broadcast on the Seven Network from 1991 until 1994. The show, hosted by Michael Pope, involved two school teams competing throughout a week in a continuous format, allowing matches to begin partway through an episode and extend over multiple installments. The school accumulating the highest score—gained through correct responses during the main competition—received a significant prize, such as an encyclopedia.
The game featured a board composed of 20 connected hexagons arranged in five columns of four, each displaying a letter. Players chose a letter and answered a general knowledge question with an answer starting with that letter. Each team consisted of two students, and scoring mirrored the 1987 American version: five points per accurate answer were added to the school's weekly tally; however, no points were given during tie-break rounds or the Gold Run segment.
Winners of the main game proceeded to the Gold Run bonus round, which used a hexagonal board containing hexagons labeled with two to five-letter abbreviations representing two-word answers. Correct responses turned hexagons gold, while incorrect or skipped answers turned them black, obstructing routes. The objective was to create an unblocked path from left to right within 60 seconds. Successfully completing the Gold Run awarded small prizes to both participants and their teammates. If all pathways became blocked, the round concluded prematurely.
Board game
During the 1990s, Croner released a board game inspired by the television series.