| Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Humongous Entertainment Nimbus Games (Android & iOS) |
| Publisher(s) | Humongous Entertainment Atari Akella (Russia) |
| Release Date(s) | Early 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Point-and-Click, Adventure |
| Platform(s) | Windows 3.1 - Windows XP System 7 - Mac OS 9.2.2 Android iOS |
| Engine | SCUMM |
| Input device(s) | Keyboard and Mouse |
Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Humongous Entertainment in 1995. It is the third game in the Putt-Putt series. It was also released in Canada in December of 2006 and a Russian version was released in January of the next year. The game would be re-released in the United States in 2007 with an Australian reissue being released in November of the same year. Although the original Australian reissue was released in the same year as the United States. On November 15, 2011, the game was released on iOS, and was released multiple times on the same platform since then.
The game follows Putt-Putt in his quest to find the six missing baby animals at the Cartown Zoo. Along the way, he meets many of the Zoo's creatures including artistic apes, joke-telling birds and singing decorative bushes.
Plot
It's the day of the grand opening of the Cartown Zoo. Putt-Putt and his dog Pep drive into Cartown to visit Mr. Baldini before attending the ceremonies. After saying hello, Mr. Baldini asks Putt-Putt if he can take some Zoo Chow to Outback Al, the new zookeeper. Putt-Putt agrees and makes his way to the Cartown Zoo. The zoo is still closed and Putt-Putt enters after the front gates are opened by Outback Al.
After Putt-Putt delivers the bag of Zoo Chow, Outback Al mentions that the zoo is in quite a mess and is not ready to be opened. He explains how many of the exhibits still need fixing. On top of that, six baby zoo animals have gone missing. Putt-Putt offers to help by finding the missing animals. Outback Al is relieved and gives Putt-Putt a list of the missing animals: Baby Jambo the elephant, Masai the giraffe, Kenya the lion cub, Zanzibar the hippo, Sammy Seal, and Little Skeeter the snake. Putt-Putt must find these six baby animals and save the zoo.
After all six baby animals are rescued, Outback Al announces the opening of the Cartown Zoo to all the other cars. He even gives Putt-Putt the Junior zookeeper award and allowing him to cut the ribbon. The zoo is offically open and everyone can enjoy the zoo.
Gameplay
Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo, like other Humongous Entertainment games, is a point-and-click adventure game. The player takes control of Putt-Putt with the goal of rescuing six missing baby animals and having fun along the way. The game is played by using the mouse to interact with the environment. By clicking on various areas called click points, the player can collect items, talk with other characters, and watch funny animations. Items are collected to help the player solve puzzles. The game contains four different areas to explore: the Zoo Lobby, Arcticland, Grasslands, and Jungleland. These areas are joined in the middle by the Zoo Hub.
Characters
Main Characters
- Putt-Putt
- Pep
- Outback Al
- Baby Jambo the Elephant
- Kenya the Lion Cub
- Masai the Giraffe
- Sammy Seal
- Little Skeeter the Snake
- Zanzibar the Hippo
Other Characters
- Mr. Baldini
- Mrs. Boa
- Bobby Seal
- Chuck Wagon
- Mrs. Giraffe
- Mr. Hippo
- King Leo
- Mama Mombassa
- Patty Wagon
- Queen Leona
- Squidgy Seal
- Freddi Fish and Luther (cameos when Putt-Putt goes through the rapids or when he listens to Welcome to the Zoo)
Items
- Camera
- Cheese Squigglies
- Cotton Candy
- Hot Cocoa
- Log
- Missing Zoo Animal List
- Rope
- Shovel
- Toolbox
- Zoo Chow
Mini-Games
- Animal Tag
- Ice Hockey
- Paint Shack
- Photographing
- Rapids
Credits
Awards
- [1]
- Kid's Choice Award, Couldn't Peel Me Away, Children's Multimedia Expo 1995
- Best Kids Game of 1995, The Computer Show Online
- Winner, 1995 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
- 1995 Hot Holiday 100, Family Software #4, Computer Gaming World
- Top 10, The Computer Museum Guide to the Best Software for Kids
- The Best of 1995, Mac Home Journal
- The Best of 1995, Editor's Choice, PC World
- 1996 Family PC Tested, Recommended
- 100 Best Discs Ever, CD-ROM Today
- 1996 Rommie Awards, Best Game for Kids, CD-ROM Today
- 1996 Parenting Magazine Software Magic Award
- Medallion Award, Anders 1997 CD-ROM Guide
- Most Popular Character Ever, Home PC Kids' Lab
- All Star Software, Children's Software Revue
- C/NET Top 100 CD-ROMs Award; Buy It! Award
- 1996 Kids First Award, Coalition for Quality Children's Media
Packaging Artwork
Photo Album Gallery
Trivia
- This is the only Putt-Putt game to have any photos of any of the voice actors, as it has all seven child actors shown on each page: Jason Ellefson (Putt-Putt) and those who voiced the lost baby animals.
- The original box art mistakenly didn't have Putt-Putt's eyebrows on the front cover, the 1999 re-release added them in.
Goofs/Bloopers
- Continuity: In one shot, Baby Jambo is in his front view while being blocked by a giant mouse on a cliff when Putt-Putt sees him but in the next shot he is in his side view. This is because the animators couldn't fit him into it. 3 shots later as a result, Baby Jambo stands on his hind legs position during his close-up but in the next shot (looking almost anthropomorphic), he reverts back to his front view while standing on his regular front legs position.
- It's not likely that Putt-Putt would have sneezed in Arcticland because he doesn't have a nose and the surrounding terrain seemed fine, so he would have survived it no matter what.
- In real life, a shovel would not have properly structured a tunnel in the soft snow.
- After Putt-Putt accidentally paints Pep's head at the Paint Shack in the ending photos, Pep would have been poisoned.
- In real life, snakes usually don't drink hot cocoa because cocoa is a plant product, and snakes are carnivores.
References
- ↑ Awards for Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo. Humongous Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-03-19.