Animal Crack-Ups
ABC, 1987 - 1990
Premiere: August 8, 1987

Vin Di Bona added his own signature style to another Japanese format, and the result was Animal Crack-Ups, a show that was part nature documentary, part quiz show, and all comedy. In the words of Vin himself, the show was "Wild Kingdom meets Hollywood Squares."

Alan Thicke hosted, and also sang and co-wrote the theme song. Each week, a panel of celebrity contestants, including such names as Betty White, Harvey Korman,Tina Yothers and Zsa Zsa Gabor, answered questions about the behavior of animals. What do elephants eat for breakfast? Do giraffes make sounds? The kind of off-the-wall subjects that the average person isn't likely to know. The answers were supplied with video clips of the animals in question. The celebrity contestant with the most correct answers received $2,500 for their favorite charity.

Animal Crack-Ups debuted in August, 1987 on Saturday evenings, but soon moved to a spot better suited to its kid-friendly programs - Saturday mornings.