Gaming is home to many fascinating mysteries, thanks (in part) to a poor history of documentation. Some, like the wild tale of Yeah Yeah Beebiss I, will never be solved simply because the origin of the mystery is so unclear. But that doesn’t mean we can’t interrogate the facts.
Welcome to the story of Yeah Yeah Beebiss I, an unreleased game that may have never existed in the first place.
The mystery began in 1989 when a listing for a oddly-titled game known as Yeah Yeah Beebiss I appeared as an order option in an advertisement for ‘Play It Again’, a mail-in game service. This ad appeared in multiple print issues of the Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine, as well as other magazines.
Mail order lists were designed for customers to purchase games for their consoles and highlighted upcoming titles people could purchase. The existence of Yeah Yeah Beebiss I on the list indicates it was once scheduled for a release of some kind.
But Yeah Yeah Beebiss I was an anomaly, because nobody was quite sure which game it referred to (or if it was real at all). There are no screenshots of Yeah Yeah Beebiss I. No interviews or coverage of any kind can be found. In fact, no game with that name has ever existed, so its appearance in the mail-in listings has baffled gaming historians.
Yeah Yeah Beebiss I continued to appear in advertisements for the ‘Play It Again’ mail-in service for months and also appeared in similar ads from The Fun Company — but no release ever surfaced.
There’s many theories about the existence of Yeah Yeah Beebiss I, with some speculating the listing was a ‘copyright trap’ designed to catch rival companies out for plagiarism.
A second theory is Yeah Yeah Beebiss I is a poor translation of a Japanese game, with the likely culprit being Rai Rai Kyonshi’s – Baby Kyonshi no Amida Daibouken, which released earlier in 1989.
According to the Lost Media Wiki (a treasure trove of lost media facts), a translation error could have occurred when translating “Rai Rai” (a word with no meaning) and “Baby”, leading to the Yeah Yeah Beebiss of the title. This theory is the most likely, but it’s never been officially confirmed. The other theory, that Yeah Yeah Beebiss I was a codename for a rumoured Super Pitfall sequel, has likewise never been proven.
Yeah Yeah Bebiss I is an anomaly from an internetless era and unfortunately, it appears the fascinating mystery behind it is lost forever. Still multiple internet forums and threads are still puzzling through the game’s existence to this day. It’s a weird little story that’s captured people’s hearts and there’s still a chance it could one day be solved.
Gaming history is filled with stories like Yeah Yeah Bebiss I, and the internet is an absolute treasure trove for weird and wonderful tales. To find out more about Yeah Yeah Bebiss I and other intriguing tales like it, YouTube channels like LSuperSonicQ, DidYouKnowGaming?, blameitonjorge and oddheader are great places to start. You never know what gems you’ll uncover on your journey.
If you find anything fun, we want to hear about it, too!
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