I can remember from kindergarten to the 3rd grade this one show that would give me profound joy and wonder. It was between my sister, brother, and myself that we would shout and call for each other when one would find it airing on HBO Family. We three would be all excited and would frantically run to the living room as soon as we heard the opening title sequence of the show.
A broadcast opens with an all-static screen in which the HBO logo appears, the beginning of the intro of the show depicts a blueish cloudy background with a marble pillar and at the center of the screen floating directly above this pillar is a brain. Music of a lullaby song is playing and the sound of snoring is coming from the brain, a quick cut above shows a plummeting computer which then crashlands onto the pillar absorbing the snoozing brain. The screen of the computer turns on and then shows an untouched and undamaged brain that is now awake! The computer screen then physically opens up and reveals inside an industrial factory of working robots that are crafting these little tiny green squares which represent the different variety of game segments of the show.
Do you remember HBO Family’s Crashbox? I certainly do. As obscure as it is, I can say that it had such an emotionally positive and nostalgic impact on me. Crashbox was an educational children’s television series that was co-created by Eamon Harrington and John Watkin of Planet Grande Pictures. The series ran from 1999 to 2000 in the United States and would have 52 episodes split into 2 seasons. The type of content Crashbox had was a variety of 18 different segments of mini-games that challenged, engaged, entertained, and importantly educated audiences. (Shoutout to Distraction News, Think Tank, Haunted House Party, and Eddie Bull!)
Make what you will about the visual symbolism of the opening introduction but to me, Crashbox was a show that was unlike anything I have ever seen on television at the time. In a video by Youtuber William Schwartz, he interviewed Adam Shaheen the president of Canadian production company Cuppa Coffee Studios and lead animator of the show. Shaheen when asked about the challenges he came across in designing the show, he said to Schwartz that “kids are the adaptable ones… not the adults programming the shows. Quickly it became very evident that kids loved the different games being presented in a mixed-design format. They found it way more engaging visually and that drew them into playing along and ultimately learning.” From that being said and to paraphrase from Shaheen in the video, HBO at the time was a brand that was new to this “untapped” market of the kid's tv world. This is why Crashbox set itself apart from its competition and why this mixed multi-media and multi-artform format resonated with the audience. This edition of The Digital Fireplace can attest to that, Shaheen even revealed that they get letters twenty years later which show the profound love and impact the show had on viewers like myself.
Being able to look back upon and reflect on Crashbox was a sort of rejuvenation of my inner child. It was a show that I bonded over with my sister and brother. It’s funny to think about how after I grew up during middle school and high school I always wondered what became of the show and always wondered who else had seen and enjoyed it.
I want to open this to you!
Have you seen or heard of Crashbox? Do you think if the show (or a reboot of the show) was made or emulated today could have a similar impact as it did before?
