ON TV CONTEST : Contest has critters’ names written all over it
Posted on Monday, June 16, 2008
Where would television be without animals ?
Timmy would still be stuck in some well. All those horse-less cowboys and Wild West lawmen would still be trying to walk across the prairie. And poor Inspector Gadget would have died 20 times over without canine pal Brain there to save him.
For the On TV Contest, the judge wants you to think back over all those nonhuman characters through the years. How many TV animals can you name ?
To enter, all you have to do is make a list of TV animals. Simple, right ?
Naturally, there are certain rules you’ll need to keep in mind.
To include an animal on the list, you must know his name. You may remember that Laura had a horse on Little House on the Prairie but unless you can give the judge her name, it won’t count. If you have trouble remembering names, ask friends and family, look on the Internet, or start watching TV with a pad and pen.
Also, this list is restricted to scripted series only. The judge doesn’t want to see six-page lists full of wild lions, tigers and bears from documentaries. All those hours spent watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom won’t help you here. Sorry.
Other than that, there are no restrictions. Puppets, cartoons and one-shot creatures are all acceptable.
The judge also decrees that for the sake of clarity, you must include the series title when you list an animal. Otherwise, this could get rather confusing.
Send the entry (one list per contestant ), including your mailing address and daytime phone number, to Jennifer Nixon at Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P. O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; or jnixon@arkansasonline. com. Entries must be received no later than 3 p. m. June 23.
The reader with the longest list of eligible animals will win the chance to choose from Judge Nixon’s Fabulous Prize Pile of TV DVD sets.
Who can enter: Anyone except the winner of the last contest, Donald J. Uitvlugt of Little Rock. And no Democrat-Gazette employees.
What about sci-fi creatures ? That’s a tricky one, so let’s say this: If the creature was played by a human being in a suit or with makeup on to make him look like another life form, you cannot include it. So, no, you may not list Mr. Spock or any of the Klingons.
Note to privacy-conscious readers: We do not compile lists of mail or e-mail addresses for evil plots or marketing purposes. All entries are destroyed after the judge has selected her winner.
Note to sticklers for the truth: TV Judge Nixon is not a government official. “TV judge” is a made-up title.
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