Legends of the Hidden Temple: Popularity of a 1990s Game Show Remains

I grew up in the era of '90s Nickelodeon. One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much is because of the game shows. So of course, I was thrilled when I happened upon the Nick Games and Sports (GAS) network and could watch reruns of one of my favorites, Legends of the Hidden Temple.

In the past few months, I have discovered I'm not the only one who grabs a seat in front of the TV as soon as a rerun comes on. Thanks to Facebook, I discovered numerous people who still love watching the show. Outside of the social networking site, there are other fan websites that discuss temple layouts, the intelligence or lack thereof in contestants, and what the show would be like if fans brought it back to life.

That's not even all of it. Websites such as pastblastin.com and HiddenTempleTees.com are selling team shirts from the show. Now while the shirts aren't exact replicas, I have ordered two of them myself from pastblastin.com and I must say the designs and colors come pretty close. I once wore my Red Jaguars shirt to work and got a lot of compliments and even some conversation going. Other people at my school sport shirts from the Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, and Green Monkeys.

People who are in college or beyond today are always discussing how they loved the show growing up and would even like to bring it back for a college edition. On the Facebook group, "I HATE When Kids Suck at Putting Together the Shrine of the Silver Monkey", one poster writes: "Legends of the Hidden Temple would be awesome to bring back with a new edge, our generation loved it and almost everyone wanted to be on it at some point. Why not let the next generation get a shot at the dream of running into the Temple!"

Over on a Legends message board, Phantom's Temple, you will find more hardcore fans. One thread has a daily log of which episodes the Nick Gas network and Nickelodeon are airing that day. Some of the members have even taped episodes and those who have seen all 120 showings earn special bragging rights. In one sub forum, the Jesters' Court (named for a room in the temple), there are elimination threads where posters can select favorite episodes, favorite female temple run, and favorite male temple run.

These threads sparked debate about the reasons for eliminating certain contestants; common reasons given were being too slow in the temple or for having trouble in one of the easier rooms. One member wrote about a female contestant: "When you don't get the hit the actuator objective, you are officially doomed."

Another sub forum, the Treasure Room, is named for a season one temple room. In the Treasure Room, posters make up their own moat crossings, rooms, and temple games. They also post fan fiction about versions of the show they created as well as stories about what future seasons would have been like (Legends aired for three years from 1993-1995). In one topic, someone told a story of how they played a Legends game at their summer camp. This brought up another story from someone who used to act out the game when they were younger.

There are numerous other fan sites out there such as The Shrine of the Silver Monkey and LotHT 2001. You will find trivia about the show, interviews with former contestants, a guide to temple layouts, and an interactive quiz that tells you which team you would be on if you were on the show.

These sites attract thousands of fans who are always looking to learn more about one of their favorite childhood game shows. Even if you look on Wikipedia, you can find an entry about it. Although the last episode of Legends aired 12 years ago, there seems to be no shortage of information and fan obsession on the Internet today.

Even when our favorite shows go off the air, there seems to always be people who are still devoted to the show. This has surely been the rule with "Legends of the Hidden Temple." There are still places to buy show merchandise, plenty of fan sites and discussion boards, and fans now grown up who still love to reminisce about the show. The syndication of Legends promises there will be chances for younger kids to discover Olmec's temple and hopefully love it just as much as kids of the 90s did.