Bamzooki facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bamzooki
Genre	Children's Game show
Presented by	Jake Humphrey (2004–06) Barney Harwood (2009–10) Gemma Hunt (2009–10)
Voices of	Richie Webb
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	43
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Release
Original network	CBBC (2004–05, 2009–10) BBC One (2006)
Original release	8 March 2004 (2004-03-08) – 3 February 2006 (2006-26-03)

| revived = 11 November 2009 (2009-11-11) | last_aired = 3 February 2010 (2010-02-03) }}

Bamzooki was a fun British children's TV game show. It used special computer tools to create digital creatures called "Zooks". Kids could design these Zooks, and then they would compete in different computer games.

The show used something called "augmented reality". This made it look like the digital Zooks were playing on a real table! The show was set up like a tournament, with a champion crowned at the end of each series. The first series started in March 2004 on CBBC. Jake Humphrey was the presenter. The original show ran until 2006.

In 2008, it was announced that Bamzooki would return! The new series, called "Bamzooki: Street Rules", began in November 2009. Barney Harwood and Gemma Hunt hosted this version. The show looked very different, taking place on streets and inside a tower. The Zook-making tools were also updated with better graphics.

What are Zooks?

A Zook is a special creature that players design for the game show. You create them using simple 3D shapes, like building blocks. Then, you add special points that tell the Zook how to move on its own.

Kids get ideas from nature to design their Zooks. These Zooks then compete against each other in many different challenges. You could even download the Zook-making software from the show's website! Later, new features were added. These let you try out the TV contests and watch your Zooks perform from different camera angles.

The people who made the Zooks' movements used clever computer programming. This made the Zooks move and behave on their own. This technology also worked with the BBC's virtual studio system. This meant you could see the Zooks on screen in real-time during the show!

How the Game Works

The special software, called the Bamzooki Zook Kit, lets you build virtual creatures. You can then test them in a computer world that acts like the real world. Kids used this software to make Zooks and send them to the BBC. Teams were then chosen to come to the studio. They entered their Zooks into various contests.

The newer series, 'Bamzooki: Street Rules', which started in November 2009, had exciting new contests. Players could even direct their Zooks by shouting instructions! Some games took place on streets and rooftops. A total of 36 teams competed in the championships. There were 9 heats, a semi-final, and a grand final.

The Zook Kit software was free to download from the BBC website. It was made to be easy for kids to use, but it was also very flexible. You built Zooks from the ground up, using small parts that you shaped and stuck together. You weren't limited to certain body designs.

The BBC used special "Virtual Studio" technology. This allowed them to mix the computer-generated Zooks with live camera footage. Each studio camera had its own computer. This computer would create the virtual scene from that camera's view. To know where the camera was, each camera had a second camera. This second camera looked at special reflective codes on the ceiling. A computer system then used this data to figure out the camera's exact position and direction, 50 times a second!

The contests happened live on a network of computers. All the computers received information about the game scene. They then showed the scene from their camera's viewpoint. Then, special screens (called "chromakey boxes") combined the virtual Zooks with the live video. This created the final picture in real-time. This combined video was sent to the camera monitors. This way, camera operators could see everything and follow the action live.

The Story of the 2009 Series

In the 2009 series, the show had a fun, fictional storyline. The government supposedly thought Zook battles were an illegal sport! They were trying to shut down the secret organisation. This organisation was led by the new presenters, Barney and Gemma.

In each episode, there were four teams, each with one Zook. They started with a street race. The winning team got to choose their opponent for the next game. This next game was a one-on-one battle, best of three rounds. The two losing Zooks then faced another challenge called "Pressure Pusher". The Zook that lost this challenge was "destroyed" (shown with funny computer-edited clips).

The final three Zooks then did a time-trial challenge. Again, the slowest Zook was "destroyed". The last two Zooks competed in a rooftop assault course. The winner of this challenge moved on to the next stage. The three fastest losers from the first street race also got to move on. The rest of the Zooks were "destroyed".

There were also nine special "house Zooks" in this series. These included Mimi (who was also the symbol for the series), The Beast, Peachy, Derek, Predator, Centi, Punka and Punkalicious, and Mean Green. The new series finished on 3 February 2010. It was shown at 5:15pm on the CBBC Channel.

Zook Galleries and Leagues

A popular goal in Bamzooki was to get your Zook featured on the show's galleries or leagues. These were often the most viewed and downloaded Zooks!

To get onto the leagues, you had to create a Zook that was amazing at a specific event. These events included:

• Sprint
• Block Push
• Hurdles
• High Jump
• Lap

Every month, the CBBC Bamzooki website would release a new gallery. Each gallery had a different theme, like "space Zooks" or "spooky Zooks". There were 16 spots in each gallery. The Zook moderators would choose the best-looking Zooks to fill these spots.

There was also a newer "Ultimate Zook leaderboard". This combined scores from all the different trials into one big score. Zooks were then ranked based on this total score.

Show Dates