Jelle's Marble Runs
Jelle's Marble Runs is a YouTube channel based in the Netherlands, run by Jelle and Dion Bakker. It is based around marbles, marble runs, and marble races. Content on the channel includes spoofing the Olympic Games, Formula One, and other sporting events. Additionally, they create stand-alone competitions around holidays, with the marble names in the style of the holiday. These videos treat the cast of marbles as though they were athletes.[1][2] Acting as though the inanimate marbles use actual tactics, training, and psychology to compete, fans participate in an elaborate kayfabe to create engaging marble sports.
Jelle's Marble Runs | ||||||||||
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| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Born | Jelle Bakker 1983 Wervershoof, Netherlands | |||||||||
| Nationality | Dutch | |||||||||
| Occupation | YouTuber | |||||||||
| Website | https://jellesmarbleruns.com/ | |||||||||
| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2013–present | |||||||||
| Genre | Sports | |||||||||
| Subscribers | 1,230,000 (31 July 2020) | |||||||||
| Total views | 92,042,560 views (31 July 2020) | |||||||||
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The Marble League (formerly MarbleLympics and previously Marble Olympics), portrayed as the "Games", has a choreographed Opening and Closing Ceremony, often created using stop motion. Many of the sports are designed to resemble Olympic sports.[3] Each year, the channel uploads a new series of the Marble League, with different events and teams each year, which are introduced in the Qualifying round. As of 24 July 2020, the current channel has over 1.2 million subscribers with more than 90.7 million views, a number that has steadily increased, likely as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports.[4][5]
Overview
Jelle's Marble Runs has built a following personifying marbles throughout a variety of competitions. Each video is produced in the form of a sporting event with commentary provided by Greg Woods. The channel features annual series such as the Marble League, the Marble Rally, Marbula One, and the Hubelino Tournament. Additionally, Jelle produces seasonal Halloween and Christmas content, as well as one-off events such as the A-Maze-ing Maze Race. Interspersed between the competition videos, Jelle releases a wide variety of marble runs without commentary exhibiting his marble course constructions (some of which are on display in museums).
History
Jelle Bakker was born in 1983 in Wervershoof, Netherlands. He has stated that he has a form of autism, and said that because he has no occupation, making marble machines was one of his biggest hobbies.[6] He currently lives in Nijmegen.
In 2006, Bakker created the first version of the Jelle's Marble Runs YouTube channel. He received the Guinness World Record for the world's longest marble run on May 21, 2009, a record that he held until 2011.[7] Greg Woods, an early fan of the channel, produced a commentary on his own for one of the marble race videos. Bakker liked the video so much that he ended up partnering with Woods, who became the English-language commentator for the entire series.[8][9]
The channel soon started gaining attention and a fanbase in 2015, and started the MarbleLympics in 2016 as a mock version of the Olympic games.[10] Originally, Bakker planned to end the MarbleLympics series after the 2017 MarbleLympics. "The MarbleLympics will end in early August with an ending ceremony," he said in an interview by The Irish News, "but I will still continue in making great marbles-related videos." However, he continued the series due to popularity.
In late 2018, Bakker accidentally deleted his original channel of 620,000 subscribers while attempting to delete his Google+ account and was subsequently forced to relaunch.[11] By March 2020 the channel had regained all subscribers and surpassed its former peak.[12]
On May 17th, 2020, British-American comedian and late-night show host John Oliver announced on his show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver that the show will be the head sponsor for the 2020 Marble League.[13]
Marble Athletes
Teams
| Team | Athletes | Events |
|---|---|---|
| Balls of Chaos | Anarchy (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Tumult | ||
| Clutter | ||
| Snarl | ||
| Disarray (R) | ||
| Bumblebees | Bumble (C) | Marble League |
| Bea | ||
| Swax | ||
| Honey | ||
| Bomble (R) | ||
| Chocolatiers | Choc (C) | Marble League |
| Cocoa | ||
| Mocha | ||
| Bonbon | ||
| Fudge (R) | ||
| Crazy Cat's Eyes | Red Eye (C) | Marble League |
| Blue Eye | ||
| Yellow Eye | ||
| Green Eye | ||
| Cyan Eye (R) | ||
| Green Ducks | Mallard (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Billy | ||
| Quacky | ||
| Ducky | ||
| Goose (R) | ||
| Hazers | Hazy (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Smoggy | ||
| Foggy | ||
| Misty | ||
| Cloudy (R) | ||
| Hornets | Stinger (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Wasp | ||
| Vespa | ||
| Hive | ||
| Yellowjacket (R) | ||
| Indigo Stars | Indie (C) | Marble League |
| Gogo | ||
| Diego | ||
| Bingo | ||
| Montoya (R) | ||
| Jawbreakers | Candy (C) | Marble League |
| Taffy | ||
| Sugar | ||
| Sweet | ||
| Tidbit (R) | ||
| Jungle Jumpers | Jump (C) | Marble League |
| Hop | ||
| Leap | ||
| Skip | ||
| Bounce (R) | ||
| Kobalts | Azure (C) | Marble League |
| Meepo | ||
| Gnome | ||
| Cerulean | ||
| Royal (R) | ||
| Limers | Sublime (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Lemonlime | ||
| Goolime | ||
| Slimelime | ||
| Limelime (R) | ||
| Mellow Yellow | Yellow (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Yelley | ||
| Yellah | ||
| Yellup | ||
| Yellim (R) | ||
| Midnight Wisps | Wispy (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Wespy | ||
| Wospy | ||
| Wuspy | ||
| Waspy (R) | ||
| Minty Maniacs | Minty Flav (C) | Marble League |
| Minty Drizzel | ||
| Minty Fresh | ||
| Minty Swirl | ||
| Minty Mint (R) | ||
| O'rangers | Kinnowin (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Clementin | ||
| Mandarin | ||
| Tangerin | ||
| Orangin (R) | ||
| Oceanics | Ocean (C) | Marble League |
| Aqua | ||
| Sea | ||
| Shore | ||
| Bay (R) | ||
| Pinkies | Pinky Rosa (C) | Marble League |
| Pinky Winky | ||
| Pinkydink | ||
| Pinky Toe | ||
| Pinky Panther (R) | ||
| Raspberry Racers | Razzy (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Rezzy | ||
| Rizzy | ||
| Rozzy | ||
| Ruzzy (R) | ||
| Rojo Rollers | Rojo Uno (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Rojo Dos | ||
| Rojo Tres | ||
| Rojo Cuatro | ||
| Rojo Cinco (R) | ||
| Savage Speeders | Speedy (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Rapidly | ||
| Swifty | ||
| Velocity | ||
| Whizzy (R) | ||
| Shining Swarm | Sparkle (C) | Marble League |
| Shiny | ||
| Shimmer | ||
| Sterling | ||
| Glimmer (R) | ||
| Snowballs | Snowflake (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Snow | ||
| Snowy | ||
| Snowstorm | ||
| Snowblast (R) | ||
| Team Galactic | Cosmo (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Starry | ||
| Astron | ||
| Pulsar | ||
| Quasar (R) | ||
| Team Momo | Momomomo (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Mo | ||
| Momo | ||
| Momomo | ||
| Mimo (R) | ||
| Team Primary | Imar (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Prim | ||
| Rima | ||
| Mary | ||
| Aryp (R) | ||
| Thunderbolts | Thunder (C) | Marble League Marbula One |
| Lightning | ||
| Bolt | ||
| Shock | ||
| Zap (R) | ||
| Turtle Sliders | Crush (C) | Marble League |
| Squirt | ||
| Shelly | ||
| Dash | ||
| Frank (R) | ||
Popular series
Marble League
The Marble League (formerly the MarbleLympics) is an annual series featuring marbles competing in Olympic-inspired events. At its inception in 2016, 16 teams were invited to compete in 12 events which included the 10 meter sprint, hurdles, and the long jump among others. Each team consisted of four marbles of matching colors and patterns. The champion of the Marble League is crowned based on the aggregate points in all events. Starting in 2017, the qualifiers were held in advance of each Marble League season with the top four teams from the previous year automatically qualifying for the subsequent season. Beginning in 2018, the Marble League featured a host team that took one of the four automatic qualification spots alongside the top three teams from the last year.
The 2018 Marble League was the first and only winter edition featuring events such as speed skating, ice hockey, and snowboard cross. Other changes included the addition of a fifth team member. In 2019, the MarbleLympics changed its name to Marble League due to trademark issues, increased the number of events to 16, and added a coach marble for each team. The 2020 Marble League had faced cancellation due to lack of funding, but a fully paid sponsorship from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was announced on May 17, 2020 for all 16 events, with $5,000 going to food bank charities in the winning team’s name and $20,000 donated to the National Rescue Committee by the overall winner, allowed for the 2020 league to continue as scheduled.[14][15][16]
| Year | Originally broadcast | Events | Host | Location | Champion | Runner-Up | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 August 2016 | 9 September 2016 | 12 | n/a | Bakker Bowl | Savage Speeders | Mellow Yellow | Thunderbolts |
| 2017 | 1 July 2017 | 19 August 2017 | O'rangers | Savage Speeders | Mellow Yellow | |||
| 2018 | 9 February 2018 | 28 April 2018 | Snowballs | Arctic Circle | Midnight Wisps | Savage Speeders | Oceanics | |
| 2019 | 19 April 2019 | 11 June 2019 | 16 | Oceanics | Seven Seas Stadium | Raspberry Racers | Green Ducks | Hazers |
| 2020 | 21 June 2020 | 16 August 2020 | Team Galactic | Andromedome | Savage Speeders | O'rangers | Minty Maniacs | |
| 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | Crazy Cat's Eyes | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
The 2021 Marble League will be hosted by the Crazy Cats Eyes.
Marble League 2020
The 2020 Marble League, sponsored by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, was hosted by Team Galactic and began on 21 June 2020.
| Date | No. | Event | Duration | Winner | Runner-Up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21, 2020 | 1 | Balancing + Opening Ceremony | 10:43 | Minty Maniacs | Raspberry Racers | Midnight Wisps |
| June 28, 2020 | 2 | Halfpipe | 11:08 | O'rangers | Crazy Cats Eyes | Minty Maniacs |
| July 3, 2020 | 3 | Funnel Endurance | 9:55 | Minty Maniacs | O'rangers | Savage Speeders |
| July 9, 2020 | 4 | Newton's Cradle | 9:53 | O'rangers | Team Galactic | Raspberry Racers |
| July 12, 2020 | 5 | Long Jump | 7:23 | Crazy Cats Eyes | Balls of Chaos | Mellow Yellow |
| July 16, 2020 | 6 | 5 Meter Hurdles | 6:40 | Raspberry Racers | Midnight Wisps | Savage Speeders |
| July 19, 2020 | 7 | Block Pushing | 9:34 | Midnight Wisps | Team Momo | O'rangers |
| July 23, 2020 | 8 | Triathlon | 8:46 | Hazers | Team Momo | O'rangers |
| July 26, 2020 | 9 | Sand Mogul Race | 6:24 | Oceanics | Hazers | Minty Maniacs |
| July 31, 2020 | 10 | 5 Meter Sprint | 6:22 | Minty Maniacs | Oceanics | Savage Speeders |
| August 2, 2020 | 11 | Black Hole Funnel | 9:58 | Savage Speeders | Midnight Wisps | Crazy Cats Eyes |
| August 6, 2020 | 12 | Relay Race | 6:54 | Savage Speeders | O'rangers | Oceanics |
| August 9, 2020 | 13 | High Jump | 20:21 | O'rangers | Bumblebees | Mellow Yellow |
| August 11, 2020 | 14 | Team Aquathlon | 12:39 | Midnight Wisps | Savage Speeders | Hazers |
| August 13, 2020 | 15 | Collision | 22:47 | Savage Speeders | Thunderbolts | Minty Maniacs |
| August 16, 2020 | 16 | Marble Marathon | 20:28 | Minty Maniacs | Mellow Yellow | Crazy Cat's Eyes |
Marble League Showdown
The Marble League Showdown was introduced in 2019 as the lower division series of games for teams who did not qualify for the year's Marble League championship games. The Showdown effectively serves as the preliminary round for the next year's Marble League championship games. Each year, top-ranked teams in the Showdown will be given a chance to compete in the next year's championship qualifiers.
| Year | Originally broadcast | Events | Champion | Runner-Up | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 16 August 2019 | 13 September 2019 | 4 | Snowballs | Hornets | Rojo Rollers |
| 2020 | 15 August 2020 | Kobalts | Jungle Jumpers | Chocolatiers | ||
Marble Rally
The Marble Rally (formerly the Sand Marble Rally) is a series of offroad marble races, where individual marbles race against each other down a sand or dirt course that has been constructed. The courses feature a variety of obstacles that will impede competing marbles on their way to the finish line. It is worth noting that marbles used for the Marble Rally are larger than marbles used for the Marble League, with a diameter of 25mm compared to the Marble League's 16mm marbles. The Marble Rally Showdown was introduced in 2018 as a series of races for marbles who did not qualify for the championship, giving those marbles a chance to qualify for the next year's championship. Red Number 3 is the most succcessful marble in the Marble Rally, finishing runner-up in the 2017 edition and winning the next two tournaments.
| Year | Originally broadcast | Events | Champion | Runner-Up | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 18 June 2016 | 12 November 2016 | 12 | Ghost Plasma | Big Pearl | Dragon's Egg |
| 2017 | 1 April 2017 | 8 December 2017 | 12 | Dragon's Egg | Red Number 3 | Slimer |
| 2018 | 18 August 2018 | 2 December 2018 | 8 | Red Number 3 | Phoenix | Superball |
| 2019 | 20 September 2019 | 28 December 2019 | 8 | Red Number 3 | Ghost Plasma | Superball |
Marbula One
The first season of Marbula One premiered in early 2020. Marbles race multiple laps around a track with a conveyor belt returning them back to the top. As its name suggests, this series is directly inspired by the Formula One racing series. Sixteen teams from the Marble League were invited to compete in the first two seasons.
Team Championships
| Season | Year | Started | Finished | Races | Champion | Runner-Up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020 | 17 February 2020 | 5 April 2020 | 8 | Savage Speeders | Hazers | O'rangers |
Individual Championships
| Season | Year | Started | Finished | Races | Champion | Runner-Up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020 | 17 February 2020 | 5 April 2020 | 8 | Speedy (Savage Speeders) |
Snowy (Snowballs) |
Smoggy (Hazers) |
Marbula E
Marbula E is inspired by the Formula E racing championship and is sponsored by Envision Virgin Racing. It features marble teams named after real FE teams (unlike previous series where fictional teams competed) and racetracks closely based on real-life Grands Prix.[17][18][19] The first episode premiered on 18 April 2020, consisting of a race in a recreation of the Paris Street Circuit, and is narrated by British professional Formula E commentator Jack Nicholls. After some negative feedback from marble racing fans, mainly over popular announcer Greg Woods’ absence, Woods joined Nicholls on commentary for the second race in a circuit based on the Seoul ePrix.
| Year | Originally broadcast | Location | Champion | Runner-Up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 18 April 2020 | Paris | Mercedes-Benz EQ | ROKiT Venturi Racing | BMW i Andretti Motorsport |
| 2 May 2020 | Seoul | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | TAG Heuer Porsche | Mercedes-Benz EQ | |
| 6 June 2020 | Jakarta | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | Mercedes-Benz EQ | DS Techeetah | |
| 7 August 2020 | Berlin | TAG Heuer Porsche | Mahindra Racing | NIO 333 | |
| TBD | New York City | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| TBD | London | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| Overall | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||
Last Marble Standing
Last Marble Standing was announced on 21 May 2020 to celebrate the channel's 1,111,111 subscribers milestone. This tournament, sponsored by Arla UK's Cravendale, featured six brand new, dairy-themed teams, and included six endurance-based events.[20][21]
| Year | Started | Ended | Events | Champion | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 June 2020 | 20 June 2020 | 6 | Graze of Glory | Team Purity | Semi-Skimmers |
Hubelino Tournament
The Hubelino Tournament was a series contested on a course constructed with Hubelino marble tracks and using 20mm marbles. The tournament series is confirmed to be discontinued as of 2020.
| Year | Originally broadcast | Events | Champion | Runner-Up | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 November 2016 | 11 November 2017 | 12 | Green Gang | Ruby Rollers | Golden Wisps |
| 2018 | 5 October 2018 | 2 November 2018 | 8 | Bumblebees | Minty Maniacs | Black Jacks |
References
- BondeNews Editors. "Youtube channel promotes marbles 'olympiad', BondeNews, Netherlands, 24 July 2017. Retrieved on 4 April 2019.
- Bishop, Rollin. "This MarbleLympics Event Pits Marbles Against Fidget Spinners", Vice, Canada, 9 July 2017. Retrieved on 4 February 2019.
- Spiegel.de Editors. "Web phenomenon Marbles Olympiad", Spiegel.de, Germany, 17 December 2017. Retrieved on 9 February 2019.
- "Jelle's Marble Runs". YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- Independent.ie Editors. "This marble version of the Winter Olympics is the best alternative to the real thing", Independent.ie, Ireland, 4 February 2019. Retrieved on 4 February 2019.
- Themadmuseum.co.uk Editors. "Jelle Bakker", The Mad Museum, United Kingdom. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.
- Bakker, Jelle. "JELLE’S PASSION" Archived April 23, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Knikkerbaan.nl, Netherlands. Retrieved on 27 March 2019.
- Capelle, Romain. "The balls also have their Olympic games", Télérama, France. 9 September 2016. Retrieved on 4 April 2019.
- Meany, Marty (May 21, 2020). "Jelle's Marble Runs: MarbleLympics 2020 Gets John Oliver Sponsorship". goosed.ie. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- Matsakis, Louise. "Inside the Hypnotic World of YouTube Marble Racers", Vice, Canada, 5 May 2016. Retrieved on 27 March 2019.
- Li, Grace. "Miss the Olympics? Try Marble Racing.", The Harvard Crimson, United States, 27 March 2018. Retrieved on 27 March 2019.
- "Jelle's Marble Runs". YouTube. March 2020.
- Oliver, John. "Coronavirus VII: Sports: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)". YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- Coronavirus VII: Sports: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), retrieved June 29, 2020
- Roskopp, Jack (May 21, 2020). "Longing for the Summer Olympics? This virtual Marble League might be the next best thing". KSAT. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- Dicker, Ron (May 18, 2020). "John Oliver Offers Well-Rounded Solution To Coronavirus Sports Void". HuffPost. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- "ENVISION VIRGIN RACING GET THE BALL ROLLING WITH LAUNCH OF WORLD'S FIRST 'MARBULA-E' SERIES". Envision Virgin Racing. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- Mogg, Trevor (April 20, 2020). "Formula E team rolls with marble racing during pandemic postponement". Digital Trends. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- "Formula E team fills the sports void with online marble races". Engadget. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- "Last Marble Standing". www.arlafoods.co.uk. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- McGuire, Pauly (June 21, 2020). "Last Marble Standing: Graze of Glory Dominates Cravendale Cup". OnlineGambling.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
External links
- YouTube Channel
- Fan presence: JMR subreddit, JMR wiki.