Hugo (game show) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hugo |
|
|---|---|
One of many logos for the Hugo shows, this one used by Kabel 1 in 1996.
|
|
| Created by | Ivan Sølvason and Niels Krogh Mortensen |
| Presented by | Nina Klinker Jørgensen, various |
| Country of origin | Denmark |
| Production company(s) | Interactive Television Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | TV2 |
| Picture format | 480i |
| Original release | September 1990 – May 1995 |
Hugo (Danish: Skærmtrolden Hugo) is a fun children's TV show from Denmark. It's an interactive television game where viewers at home could play along! The show was created by a Danish company called Interactive Television Entertainment (ITE).
Hugo first aired on TV2 in 1990. It became super popular and has been shown in more than 40 countries around the world. Because it was so loved, Hugo also became a huge franchise with many video games, toys, and other cool stuff.
Contents
About the Hugo TV Show
The Hugo TV show was first shown in Denmark in September 1990. It was created by a company called Silverrock Productions, which later became Interactive Television Entertainment (ITE).
The show was special because it let people at home play a video game live on TV! A viewer would call into the show using their phone. They would then control a cartoon character on the TV screen by pressing numbers on their phone's keypad. For example, pressing 1, 2, or 3 might make the character move left, jump, or right.
This idea was a big hit! The show ran for five years straight in Denmark. After that, Hugo became famous worldwide. It was licensed to over 40 TV shows in different countries, starting with Spain and France in 1992. Many people thought Hugo was from their own country because he spoke different languages in each version!
Meet Hugo and His Family
In the very first season of the show, it was all about Hugo. Hugo is a small, friendly troll who is 220 years old. That might sound old, but for a troll, it's still quite young! In the game, Hugo would explore a dangerous old mine looking for treasure. He would even talk to the player, giving tips and comments as they played.
The show got even bigger in the next season. They added Hugo's wife, Hugolina (who is 180 years old), and their three kids: Rit, Rat, and Rut. The kids are between 20 and 50 years old.
They also introduced Hugo's main enemy, the evil witch named Scylla. She has many different names around the world, like Hexana in Germany or Maldicia in Spain. Scylla's favorite thing to do is kidnap Hugo's family! In the original show, Scylla looked very old and ugly, but she would appear young and beautiful when Hugolina and the kids were trapped near her.
The main goal of the game became guiding Hugo through many tricky levels to rescue his family. Players had three "lives" to complete the game. After playing, the score was calculated based on how much gold Hugo collected. Losing lives would lower the score.
At the end of a successful level, Hugo would enter Scylla's Skull Cave. Three ropes would hang there, and the player had to choose one to pull.
- If they picked the right rope, Hugo's family would be freed, and Scylla would be tied up and sent flying out a window! This would double the player's score.
- If they picked another rope, the family would be freed, but the witch would escape. The score would stay the same.
- If they picked the wrong rope, Hugo himself would get tied up and sent flying! This would cut the player's score in half.
Many people would try to win the prize during each half-hour show. While Hugo gave helpful messages, Scylla would also tease Hugo and the player during the game!
Over the years, more characters were added, including talking animals. The game also got new environments and different ways to play. These new adventures were also featured in the Hugo video games.
More Hugo Adventures
- Jungle Island: A new show called Hugo: Jungle Island started in 1999. It was also made into a video game.
- The Evil Mirror: Another game scenario was created later, based on the 2002 video game Hugo: The Evil Mirror. This version aired in some countries, like Poland.
How Hugo Was Made
The voice of Hugo was first done by Michael Brockdorf. Many others have voiced Hugo since then, including Amin Jensen. Hugolina's first voice was Louise Engell, and Scylla's first voice was Winnie Engell.
To make Hugo work, the company ITE created special computer systems. The first one was called the ITE 3000. It could turn phone signals into commands for the characters in the game. This allowed viewers to play live on TV! This system used two Amiga 3000 computers and other special parts.
Later, the ITE 3000 was replaced by the ITE 4000, which used a PC. This new system had something called an Animation Mask System (AMS). It could capture an actor's body, head, eye movements, and even facial expressions and transfer them to Hugo on the screen! The actor voicing Hugo wore a special helmet with sensors. However, Hugo's body movements were already made beforehand.
In 1996, ITE started using 3D graphics for Hugo. They used a powerful computer system called Onyx Reality Engine. In 2005, a new technology for real-time 3D animation of Hugo was shown, mainly for countries in Asia.
Hugo Around the World
Hugo was a huge success in many countries. Here's a look at some of them:
| Country | Date | Channel | Broadcasting Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
 Denmark (I) (Original) |
September 1990 – May 1995 | TV2 | Friday |
 Spain (Version) |
27 June 1992 – June 1994 | Tele5 | |
 France (Version) |
September 1992 – August 1994 | France3 | Monday–Saturday (season 1) Wednesday (season 2) |
 Turkey (I) (Version) |
March 1993 – October 1996 | Kanal 6 | Monday–Friday |
 Sweden (I) (Version) |
March 1993 – December 1993 | Sverige 1 | Monday–Friday |
 Finland (Version) |
17 March 1993 – 12 December 1995 | TV2 | Tuesday / Thursday |
 United States (Puerto Rico) (Version) |
April 1993 – April 1994 | Telemundo | |
 Norway (Version) |
September 1993 – May 1995 | TV2 | Friday |
 Israel (Version) |
July 1994 – August 1997 | Arutz HaYeladim | |
 United Kingdom (I) (Version) |
January 1994 – January 1995 | ITV | Saturday |
 Germany (Version) |
18 April 1994 – December 1996 | Der Kabelkanal / Kabel-1 | Monday–Saturday |
 Austria Switzerland (Version) |
December 1994 – December 1996 | Kabel-1 | Monday–Saturday |
| United Kingdom (II) (Version) |
January 1995 – October 1995 | ITV | Saturday |
 Slovenia (Version) |
January 1995 – December 1997 | TV Slovenija | Saturday / Sunday |
 Chile (Version) |
June 1995 – December 1997 | Televisión Nacional de Chile | Monday–Friday |
 Brazil (Version) |
9 October 1995 - 1998 | CNT Gazeta | Monday-Friday |
 Thailand (Version) |
March 1996 – May 1998 | Channel 7 | Monday–Friday |
 Croatia (Version) |
January 1995 – 15 June 2004 | HRT | Monday–Friday |
 Argentina (Version) |
4 November 1996 – 31 December 2005 | Magic Kids | Monday–Friday |
 Ireland (I) (Version) |
November 1996 - November 1997 | TnG / TG4 | Saturday |
| Austria Germany Switzerland (Version) |
18 December 1996 – 13 December 1997 | Kabel-1 | Saturday |
| Sweden (II) (Version) |
January 1997 – December 1998 | TV4 | Monday–Friday |
| Denmark (II) (Another) |
February 1997 – May 1997 | TV2 | Friday |
 Portugal (I) (Version) |
November 1997 – June 2000 | RTP1, RTP2 | Saturday / Sunday, Monday–Friday |
 Russia (I) (Version) |
31 December 1997 – 30 October 1998 | RTR2 | Saturday / Sunday |
| Ireland (II) (Version) |
1998 – ? | TG4 | Monday–Sunday |
| Switzerland (Version) |
January 1998 – July 1998 | SF / DSR | |
| Germany (Version) |
May 1998 – 5 June 1998 | Nickelodeon | Monday–Friday |
 Colombia (Version) |
February 1999 – January 2001 | Canal Capital | Monday–Friday |
| Denmark (III) (Another) |
February 1999 – December 2000 | TV2 | Monday–Friday |
| Austria (Version) |
March 1999 – ? | ORT | |
| Russia (II) (Version) |
18 June 1999 – 25 August 1999 | RTR2 | Monday–Friday |
 Singapore (Version) |
13 January – 9 April 2000 | Vasantham Central | |
 Serbia (Version) |
28 February 2000 – 5 March 2004 | BK TV | Monday–Friday |
 Malaysia (Version) |
May 2000 – April 2001 | ntv7 | Saturday / Sunday |
 Poland (Version) |
3 September 2000 – 28 February 2009 | Polsat | Saturday |
| Singapore (II) (Version) |
December – January 2003 | TV12 | |
| Denmark (IV) (Another) |
January 2001 – 31 December 2002 | TV2 | Monday–Friday |
| Middle East (Version) | January 2001 – December 2003 | ART | Monday–Saturday |
| Portugal (II) (Version) |
April 2001 – July 2001 | RTP2 | Monday–Friday |
| Turkey (II) (Version) |
May 2001 – 30 September 2002 | Show TV | Monday–Saturday |
 Venezuela (I) (Version) |
November 2001 – June 2002 | Venevision | Monday–Friday |
 Bosnia & Herzegovina (Version) |
27 March 2002 – 19 September 2008 | Federalna TV | Monday–Friday |
| Denmark (V) (Another) |
June 2003 – December 2004 | TV2 | Monday–Sunday |
 Bermuda (Version) |
June 2003 – 2006 | Fresh TV | |
| Turkey (III) (Version) |
November 2003 – October 2004 | Cine5 | Monday–Saturday |
 Vietnam (I) (Version) |
17 May 2004 – 30 June 2006 | HTV7 | Monday / Wednesday / Friday / Sunday |
 China (Version) |
July 2004 – ? | Guangdong TV | Monday–Sunday |
| Turkey (IV) (Version) |
September 2004 – June 2005 | ATV | Monday–Saturday |
| Venezuela (II) (Version) |
March 2005 – February 2006 | Venevision | Monday–Friday |
 Romania (Version) |
October 2005 – December 2007 | Prima TV | Friday–Sunday |
| China (Version) |
26 January 2006 – | Hubei Province TV | Once a week |
| Vietnam (II) (Version) |
2005 – 2008 | Ha Noi TV | Wednesday evening / Sunday afternoon |
| Argentina (II) (Version) |
October 2016 – | Magic Kids (YouTube channel) |
Hugo in Different Countries
Argentina
In Argentina, the show was called A Jugar Con Hugo (Let's Play with Hugo). It won an award for "Best Kids Show" in 2003! The host was Gabriela "Gaby" Royfe. In 2016, Gaby Royfe brought the show back, but this time using the internet and a mobile app instead of TV and landline phones.
Brazil
In Brazil, the Hugo show was super popular. It got 1.8 million phone calls in just one day! Hugo was seen as a duende (a type of magical creature) and was voiced by Orlando Viggiani.
Chile
In Chile, Hugo was a big hit. It started as a 15-minute show and quickly grew to an hour long! It was called La Hora de Hugo ("Hugo Hour"). A "Hugo van" even traveled around the country to meet fans.
China
In China, Hugo was known as a "European troll." The show couldn't be fully interactive because there was a 30-second delay. This delay allowed authorities to cut the broadcast if anyone said anything inappropriate.
Croatia
In Croatia, Hugo was very popular and ran for eight years! The witch Scylla (called Mordana there) had a famous line: Hajde, izaberi jedan broj, sigurno ćeš pogriješiti! which means "Go on, choose a number, you will surely fail!"
Finland
In Finland, two different Hugo shows aired at the same time: one for kids and one for adults! They were very popular, reaching 18% of the TV audience by 1996. There was even a music CD called DJ Hugo with dance hits.
France
In France, the show was called Hugo Délire ("Hugo Madness"). It became a cult classic for French kids in the 1990s.
Germany
In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, Die Hugo-Show was a huge success. It got up to 200,000 phone calls every day at its peak! It was especially popular with kids aged 3-13, reaching 700,000 viewers in Germany. The show even won an award for "Best Children's Program" in 1995. There was also a spin-off show called Hexana-Schloss ("Hexana's Castle") about the witch.
Ireland
In Ireland, the show was called Hiúdaí. It won awards for "TV Presenter of the Year" in 2001 and "Personality of the Year" in 2004!
Israel
In Israel, Hugo (הוגו) quickly became the most popular show on the Children's Channel. It even led to a three-hour spin-off called Hugo's World. From 1997 to 2001, Hugo was part of a campaign to teach children about electricity safety. The show also had comic books and a musical stage show!
Poland
In Poland, the main Hugo show and two spin-offs aired on the Polsat network. They were the most popular children's programs for several years. One spin-off, Hugo Family, had whole families competing! There was also a monthly Hugo magazine.
Portugal
In Portugal, Hugo won an award in 1999. The show was later brought back as a daily program called Hora H ("H Hour").
Russia
In Russia, the show was called Позвоните Кузе ("Call Kuzya"). It was the first interactive TV program in Russian history! Hugo was renamed Max and then Kuzya.
Slovenia
In Slovenia, Hugo became the number one entertainment show by 1996, reaching 38% of its target audience.
South Africa
Hugo never aired in South Africa. The local TV station asked ITE to remove Hugo's horns in all animations. This was because some viewers believed the horns made Hugo look like a demon from local stories. Hugo's horns also caused some issues in the Middle East.
Spain
In Spain, 25% of the population watched Hugo! This viewing figure has not been beaten since 1994. The show's success led to a spin-off called Hugolandia.
Sweden
In Sweden, the Hugo show on TV4 became the highest-rated children's show of all time in 1996. There was even a Hugo board game!
Turkey
In Turkey, Hugo was the top children's show and was incredibly popular, especially in 1993. Millions of children watched it, and thousands competed to play. In the Turkish version, Scylla (called Sila) kidnapped Hugo's family because she wanted to drink troll sweat to become young and beautiful forever.
United Kingdom
In the UK, Hugo was part of shows like What's Up Doc? and The Shiny Show. It reached up to 38% of the audience on The Shiny Show.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, the show was first called Vui cùng Hugo ("Fun with Hugo") in 2004. Later, a Northern version called Hugo và các bạn ("Hugo and friends") aired. By 2008, it was one of the highest-rated shows, getting 20,000 phone calls per episode! It became a household name.
Other Hugo Games and Products
There are many video games and other products based on Hugo. Some later games changed the story. For example, Scylla might be looking for ultimate power instead of kidnapping Hugolina. In some games, like the Agent Hugo series, Scylla isn't even a character! There have also been ideas to make Hugo into an animated movie.
Images for kids
-
One of many logos for the Hugo shows, this one used by Kabel 1 in 1996.
See also
In Spanish: Hugo (programa de televisión) para niños
