game designer for Namco. The game was themed around cake and pastries to help attract women. It was the first arcade game to use an LCD monitor to display the player's score. Sweet Licks became popular in Japan and was subsequently released in North America in April 1982, then in Europe, where it became popular in the 1980s. Variations The original Whac-A-Mole game inspired the first genre of games with a violent aspect as central to their user experience. Researchers have used Whac-A-Mole and its variations to study the violent aspects of these games. The Whac-A-Mole game trademark was originally owned by Bob's Space Racers but since 2008 has been owned by Mattel. Machines with similar gameplay are sold under other names. Whac-A-Mole has also been the basis for a number of internet games and mobile games that are similar in play and strategy. Engineer Tim Hunkin built and installed a "Whack a Banker" machine at Southwold Pier in England in 2009 made from parts of a previous "Whack a Warden" machine. Mattel Television currently is partnered with Fremantle to develop a game show inspired by the game, which has yet to debut. The show will be an elimination-style, unscripted series to determine the "Whac-a-Mole Champion." The competition will involve a life-size version of the game, as well as obstacle courses and other "surprising twist[s]." Design The moles are mounted on rods and raised by a lever and crank system. When the user strikes the mole, a microswitch is activated by a pin housed within the mole and the system lowers the mole. The timing of the moles was originally controlled by tones from an audio tape which then drove an air cylinder system. Colloquial usage The term "whac-a-mole" (or "whack-a-mole") is used colloquially to depict a situation characterized by a series of repetitious and futile tasks, where the successful completion of one just yields another popping up elsewhere. In computer programming/debugging it refers to the prospect of fixing a bug causing a new one to appear as a result. In an Internet context, it refers to the challenge of fending off recurring spammers, vandals, pop-up ads, malware, ransomware, and other distractions, annoyances, and harm. In law enforcement it refers to criminal activity popping up in another part of an area after increased enforcement in one district reduces it there. In a military context it refers to ostensibly inferior opposing