Revival EP: The Papier-Mâché Figure of Akabeko

[Legends Explorer Alec]

This is one of the episodes of my L.o.t.H.T. revival prediction. For more info, click here.

Episode 4: The Papier-Mâché Figure of Akabeko

(Camera moves through a thick jungle taking two wrong turns and finally revealing King Olmec)

Olmec: Legends of the Hidden Temple!

(Title card forms)

Olmec: With your guide, Kirk Fogg!

(Title card shatters)

Olmec: And here he is now! With…my good son, Zuma!

(Kirk and Zuma swing on ropes into the new Legends set)

Kirk: Thank you! Thank you very much! Nice to see you! Thank you Olmec!

Zuma: Thank you very much father!

Kirk: Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple. The rooms are filled with lost treasures that are protected by mysterious Mayan temple guards. Only Olmec knows the legend behind each of the treasures in his temple. Which one are we gonna hear about today?

Olmec: The legend of the papier-mâché figure of Akabeko.

Kirk: Oh, the papier-mâché figure of Akabeko. Well, the legend is set and one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the papier-mâché figure.

Zuma: Will it be:

(Camera shows each team cheering)

The Red Jaguars?

The Blue Barracudas?

The Green Monkeys?

The Orange Iguanas?

The Purple Parrots?

Or the Silver Snakes?

Kirk: They'll have to pass some pretty tough physical and mental tests, and in the end, only one team will earn the right to enter Olmec's temple. But first, the must cross the moat, and Olmec will tell them how they'll have to do it today.

Olmec: Before each of you is a wooden raft with an oar. When Zuma gives the signal, stand on the raft and paddle yourself to the other side. Then it will be your partner's turn to do the same. If you fall off, go back and start again. When both players have crossed the moat, run over and hit the gong. (Kirk and Zuma hit the Red Jaguars and Silver Snakes' gongs) The first four teams to hit their gongs will go on to the next round.

Zuma: Are you ready teams?

Teams: YEAH!

Kirk: Are you ready Olmec?

Olmec: I was born ready!

Zuma: On your mark, get set, GO!

Silver Snakes - 0:26
Green Monkeys - 0:36
Red Jaguars - 0:44
Purple Parrots - 0:51

Kirk: We've got our four teams right here! They are: The Red Jaguars, the Green Monkeys, the Purple Parrots, and the Silver Snakes!

Zuma: The Blue Barracudas and Orange Iguanas will not go home empty-handed and we happen to have something for them.

(Marshalls prize plug is shown)

[Legends Explorer Alec]

Kirk: As the quest continues, it's now time for Olmec to tell us about the papier-mâché figure of Akabeko. Pay attention teams, because your knowledge of the legend will bring you one step closer to Olmec's temple.

Olmec: One of the most traditional toys from Japan is the Akabeko; two pieces of red papier-mâché originating from the Aizu region, shaped and painted to look like a cow or ox. When moved, the head bobs up and down and side to side. These toys are based on a real ox that lived in 807 AD. Legend has it that a monk named Tokuichi was supervising the construction of Enzo-ji, a temple in Yanaizu. Upon the temple's completion, a red ox named Akabeko had been used to haul timber to the site. But after the construction of the site was complete, it refused to leave the temple grounds, and became a permanent fixture there. Akabeko became a symbol of zealous devotion to the Buddha. Furthermore, these toys became popular as charms to ward off sickness such as smallpox. One of these Akabeko toys were brought to the Temple. Your quest is to find the papier-mâché figure, and bring it back here.

Zuma: Thank you father, now tell us, where is this papier-mâché figure?

Olmec: The papier-mâché figure of Akabeko can be found in the Throne Room.

Kirk: Teams, you're now standing on the Steps of Knowledge. In a minute, Olmec will ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, stomp down on the ancient marking in front of you. If you're right, you'll move down to the next level. But if you're wrong or ran out of time, I'll give the other teams a chance to answer. The first two teams to make it to the bottom level will be one step closer to Olmec's temple. Olmec, we're now ready for your first question.

Olmec: How many pieces make up an Akabeko?

(Female Silver Snake rings in)

Zuma: Silver Snakes

Female Silver Snake: Two.

Olmec: That is correct!

Kirk: Nice job! Come on down!

(Silver Snakes move down)

Kirk: Next question, Olmec.

Olmec: The color of Akabeko toys are usually…Red, Blue, or Yellow?

(Male Red Jaguar rings in)

Zuma: Red Jaguars

Male Red Jaguar: Red.

Olmec: That is correct!

Kirk: Now you're on the board Red Jaguars! Step down!

(Red Jaguars move down)

Kirk: Next question, Olmec.

Olmec: What material is used to make an Akabeko toy?

(Female Red Jaguar rings in)

Zuma: Red Jaguars

Female Red Jaguar: Papier-mâché.

Olmec: That is correct!

Kirk: There you go! Step down!

(Red Jaguars move down)

Kirk: Now you two are one step away from the temple games. Next question.

Olmec: Which region in Japan did the Akabeko toy originate in? Aizu–

(Female Purple Parrot rings in)

Zuma: Purple Parrots

Female Purple Parrot: Aizu.

Olmec: That is correct!

Kirk: Now you two are on the board! Step down!

(Purple Parrots move down)

Kirk: Next question, Olmec.

Olmec: What kind of animal is the Akabeko supposed to look like? A moose–

(Male Purple Parrot rings in)

Zuma: Purple Parrots

Male Purple Parrot: A cow or an ox.

Olmec: The correct answer was a cow, but I'll take it.

Kirk: I can't believe you accepted his answer Olmec!

(Purple Parrots move down)

Kirk: It’s a two-way tie on the second-to-last step, but who’ll make it down first? Next question.

Olmec: What is the toy supposed to do when moved? Talk, crawl, or bob its head?

(Female Red Jaguar rings in)

Zuma: Red Jaguars

Female Red Jaguar: Bob its head.

Olmec: That is correct!

(Red Jaguars move down, high ten, and hug)

Kirk: We've got our first team! It's the Red Jaguars! We still need one more team. Next question.

Olmec: According to legend, the temple being constructed was in…Yugawa, Yanaizu, or Aizubange?

(Male Purple Parrot rings in)

Kirk: Purple Parrots

Male Purple Parrot: Yanaizu.

Olmec: That is correct!

(Purple Parrots move down, high ten, and hug each other and the Red Jaguars)

Kirk: We've got our two teams that are going head to head in the Temple Games! They are: The Red Jaguars! And the Purple Parrots!

Zuma: Green Monkeys, Silver Snakes, none of you will go home empty-handed either. Here are your gifts for playing.

(New Laguna Sportswear prize plug is shown)

Kirk: These two teams will play for the right to enter Olmec’s Temple!

Zuma: They will do it right after these messages!

(Pendant forms and “Legends of the Hidden Temple” comes out from behind it)

[Legends Explorer Alec]

(Pendant splits and “Legends of the Hidden Temple” zooms out)

Kirk: Welcome back to Legends. Now the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest. But before we get started, Zuma and I will have a talk with the team players. On the Red Jaguars we have:

James: James Sharrow.

Kirk: How old are you James?

James: 12.

Kirk: It says here that you enjoy golfing. Can you tell me about that?

James: Well my dad would sometimes take me golfing and it’s fun. I’d like to be a professional golfer.

Kirk: Hoping for a hole in one?

James: Oh yeah.

Kirk: I’m sure you’ll get one. Now who are you?

Michelle: Michelle Fitzrichard and I’m 14 years old.

Kirk: It says here that you’re too scared to go into the woods. Why might that be?

Michelle: Well once we were out hiking, a killer clown came out from out of nowhere and started chasing us.

Kirk: So it was basically one of those dumb killer clown pranks that started before we got the Legends of the Hidden Temple movie.

Michelle: Yes it was.

Kirk: Let’s hope nothing like that ever happens again and let’s hear it for the Red Jaguars!

Zuma: And over here on the Purple Parrots, we have:

Tessara: Tessara and I’m 14 years old.

Zuma: It says here that you would like to be a famous singer. Please tell me about that.

Tessara: Well I sing in my school chorus and I sing karaoke.

Zuma: What do people think about your singing voice?

Tessara: They think it sounds fabulous.

Zuma: I am pleased to hear that. Now who are you?

Ed: Ed.

Zuma: Is your full first name Edward?

Ed: Yes.

Zuma: How old are you?

Ed: 13.

Zuma: It says here that you would like to be a novelist. Please tell me about that.

Ed: Well I really enjoy reading novels and I’d like to be able to write one.

Zuma: I suggest you write one about your own life experience. Let us hear it for the Purple Parrots!

Kirk: Why don't you guys get set up for the next temple game and girls get set up for the first one here. In the temple games, teams are competing to win Pendants of Life. The winning team will need those pendants to protect them from the dreaded temple guards as they make their way through the temple. There are three temple games, and Olmec will tell us about the first one.

Olmec: There are two pieces that make up an Akabeko toy. You are holding the toy's head, and before you is the entrance of a tunnel, with the toy's body on the other side. When Zuma gives the signal, make your way through the tunnel, swimming through the debris and rubble inside, and place the head on the body. Then, come back to the entrance. The first player to finish the task, OR the player furthest along in 60 seconds wins!

Kirk: Alright, players get in position, let's put 60 seconds on the clock!

Zuma: On your mark, get set, GO!

Michelle - Back (0:20 remaining)
Tessara - ¾ the way

Kirk: That’s it!

Zuma: Michelle made it back while Tessara was very close.

Kirk: That means that the Red Jaguars get a half a Pendant of Life! The Purple Parrots don't have a pendant, but they can catch up in the next game. Olmec, tell us about it.

Olmec: According to our legend, Akabeko the ox helped with the construction of the Enzo-ji temple. Before you is wall with steps sticking out. When Zuma gives the signal, grab a brick and climb up the wall's steps, placing the brick on a vacant spot at the top, then come back down and start again. The player with all four bricks placed, OR the player furthest along in 60 seconds wins!

Kirk: They're gonna be buildin' a temple! But who will go to the temple? Let's put 60 seconds on the clock!

Zuma: On your mark, get set, GO!

James - 2
Ed - 4 (0:17 remaining)

Kirk: He’s got four! That’s it!

Zuma: We have Edward with four bricks and James with two.

Kirk: That means that the Purple Parrots get a half a Pendant of Life! It's tied up so far, but the next temple game is worth a full Pendant of Life. Olmec, tell us about it.

Olmec: Because they were also used as charms to ward off sickness, these toys were in high demand in Japan. You are all strapped to bungee cords. One player has Akabeko toys. When Zuma gives the signal, grab a toy and meet your partner in the middle, who will take and place it in their basket on the other side. Then go back and start again. The team with all six toys transferred OR the team with the most in 60 seconds wins!

Kirk: OK, teams get in position. Let's put 60 seconds on the clock!

Zuma: On your mark, get set, GO!

Red Jaguars - 6 (0:04 remaining)
Purple Parrots - 2

Kirk: That’s it!

Zuma: The Red Jaguars have all six of theirs while the Purple Parrots have two.

Kirk: That means that the Red Jaguars get a full pendant, giving them 1½; the Purple Parrots only have a half. The Red Jaguars are going to the temple!

Zuma: Purple Parrots, nice try. Did you have fun?

Tessara and Ed: Yes.

Zuma: Of course, neither of you will go home empty-handed. Here are your gifts for playing.

(Armitron Watches prize plug is shown)

Kirk: We’ll see if the Red Jaguars will make it through Olmec’s Temple and retrieve the papier-mâché figure!

Zuma: They will do it right after these messages!

(Pendant forms and “Legends of the Hidden Temple” comes out from behind it)

[Legends Explorer Alec]

(Pendant splits and “Legends of the Hidden Temple” zooms out)

Kirk: Welcome back to Legends! James and Michelle have proven themselves worthy and have earned the right to enter Olmec’s temple.

Zuma: But first, my father will give them some information to help them retrieve the papier-mâché figure of Akabeko.

Olmec: You could start by running up the stairs to the Room of the Three Gargoyles. Push in the correct tongue, and pass into the Pit of Despair. Here, you must choose your next path. You could race up to the Observatory, spin the sundial, and climb down into the Heart Room. Open up one of the doors and you could enter the Treasure Room. You might open the treasure chest and climb down through it, or open the door to the SHRIIIIIIINE of the Silver Monkey. Assemble the statue and you may be headed toward the Pirate’s Cove. Spin the ship’s wheel and you can descend into the Dungeon. You can plow through the Stone Wall into the Dark Forest. But beware of the Temple Guards that may inhabit the trees. Find the key in the tree, and you’ll enter the Swamp. If you escape, you could gain entry to the Throne Room. Sit on the Throne of the Pretender, then race through the pit, come out the Cave of Sighs and back through the temple gate. The choices are yours and yours alone. You won 1½ pendants in the temple games. Who's going first?

James: I am!

Olmec: Very well, James. When Zuma gives the signal, you'll race through the gates into the temple and make your way towards the papier-mâché figure. Hidden inside the temple are Temple Guards assigned to protect three specific rooms. You can trade your pendant for an extra life and go on. BUT if you're caught without a pendant, you will be taken out of the temple, and it'll be Michelle's turn to enter and try her luck. Hidden somewhere in the temple is the other half of your pendant. If you can find it and you're carrying the other half, you will get an extra life. If you can reach the papier-mâché figure, all of the doors of the temple will instantly unlock and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the gates with the papier-mâché figure in three minutes and you will both be handsomely rewarded and here's how:

Dee Bradley Baker:

First, you're both going to get…Apple Watches Series 2! The second generation of Apple's smartwatches. Water resistant up to 50 meters and uses a speaker for expelling residual water after a swim or after substantial immersion in water. From Apple Incorporated.

If you can grab the papier-mâché figure before three minutes is up, you'll also receive…an EA Sports 72-inch 4-in-1 Swivel Table! Swivel design allows for quick and easy game changes. Features table tennis, hover hockey, finger shoot basketball and billiards. From EA Sports.

And if you get the papier-mâché figure out of the temple before three minutes is up, then you'll both be going to the Cayman Islands! With the vibrant Caribbean as the backdrop, guests of Treasure Island Resort have direct access to pristine beaches and a plethora of outdoor sports while a staggering array of alluring sites are situated nearby; namely, National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, Galleria Plaza, Camana Bay, Fort George, and Camana Bay Shopping Center.

Kirk: Can we get these two to the Cayman Islands? Well there’s only one way to find out. So let's get started here.

Zuma: Father, will you lower gate, please?

(Olmec moans gutturally while the gate lowers)

Kirk: Get in position. Mouthpieces in. Put three minutes on the clock!

(Timer bangs down)

Zuma: On your mark, get set, GO!

(Temple run music cues and HUD moves in on screen)

James starts by heading into the Cave of Sighs and heads for the lower crawl tube which opens (2:53) and enters the Pit of Despair. He tries to open the Throne Room to no avail (2:44) and the Observatory which opens (2:32). Once up, he spins the sundial and out came the first Temple Guard (2:21)! Freaked out for a moment, Kirk and Zuma told him to give the Temple Guard his pendant which he did and continues into the Treasure Room. Instead of opening the chest, he heads straight for the Shrine of the Silver Monkey which opens and enters the room only to be caught by the second Temple Guard (1:52)! Michelle impressively follows James’s path from the cave to the shrine in 26 seconds and assembles the monkey in 12 seconds. After noticing that both downward doors are locked, she had no choice but to enter the Pirate’s Cove where she spins the wheel and finds the other half of her pendant on one of the handles when the weight was lifted. She climbs down into the Dungeon and out came the third Temple Guard (0:47)! Though as frightened as James was, she gives up both halves of her pendant and busts through the Stone Wall into the Dark Forest (0:37). She tries both trees with the camera-right bearing the key which she uses to open the Swamp (0:30). She swiftly makes her way across the Swamp, hits the actuator to the Throne Room (0:25), and enters the room grabbing the papier-mâché figure off the throne seat (0:21). She then makes her way back across the Pit of Despair, through the Cave of Sighs, and out (0:09)!