The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: GSRebich on February 08, 2023, 01:12:30 AM
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I'm looking for any catalog images of the following unreleased game show home games according to the Game Show Wiki:
American Publishing Corp./Great Games Pty., Ltd.
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Name That Tune (1984)
Press Your Luck
Gamut of Games
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The Big Showdown*
The New Treasure Hunt
Ideal
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The Rebus Game
Whew!
Lakeside
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Runaround
Lowell
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Dotto
Haggis Baggis
Mattel
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Twenty-One (2000)
Milton Bradley
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Body Language
Bullseye
Child's Play
Double Dare
Gambit (1973 and 1981)*
Mindreaders
Second Chance
Shoot for the Stars
Super Password
Who Do You Trust?
Parker Brothers
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Million Dollar Money Drop
Power of 10
Pressman
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Greed
*The game got canceled before it got manufactured, so my best hope is any blue prints of those games to be found.
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Are any of these supposed “unreleased games” cited anywhere? Knowing the incredible amount of cruft on that particular Wiki, I’d not be surprised if some were simply fan fiction.
The Big Showdown I can buy. Second Chance? A 13-week wonder involving an electronic board?
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Are any of these supposed “unreleased games” cited anywhere? Knowing the incredible amount of cruft on that particular Wiki, I’d not be surprised if some were simply fan fiction.
Of the ones listed, Runaround is the only one I've definitely heard of being announced but not released.
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I remember Chuck Woolery announcing on Greed that a home game was coming out.
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IIRC, "Body Language" was a game that came out well before the game show and unrelated.
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Gracious, there's a lot of imagination in that list.
And it doesn't even include Tattletales, for which I DO have a catalog page.
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I'm certain a lot of that list is made up.
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It would not surprise me if the sources providing that information may have been able to confirm the manufacturers held licenses to those titles, but the home games didn't get prototype copies designed at all.
I went to eBay, looking for Gamut of Games products and only found a board game called Cartel. The bottom of the box showed other GoG products, including "Place Your Bets!," and "The Diamond Head Game," but no other game show games. https://www.ebay.com/itm/334719467063
The Runaround game I'd seen a prototype box promoted on the show week after week, but I haven't be able to find any catalog (1971-1973) showing such a product.
Here is a link to an old article and Toy Fair video for a proposed full-size board game version of Hollywood Game Night: https://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/new_product.asp?id=36549
You could sometimes catch a glimpse of that box on the show the first couple of seasons.
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With the same producers as Seven Keys, The Rebus Game also had large prize packages, and in them was the home version of The Rebus Game by Ideal. As at Toy Fair, it could very well have been a prototype displayed, but it burned in my brain as it would have been on my Christmas list. As far as another possibility, unless I'm over the hill mentally, one of the major department store toy catalogs had a Queen For A Day game by Standard Toykraft, right about the time the show finally left the ABC airwaves.
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IIRC, Sierra planned on coming out with a Match Game CD ROM as a follow up to the $100k Pyramid one
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I don't believe Bullseye would have ever received a home game release. That one has to be fan fiction.
-Dan
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How could Dotto have been around long enough to have a home game, and who would have wanted to do it considering the circumstances?
And besides the point, how in the hell could you adapt that for at-home play? There’s elements of the game that really couldn’t be duplicated without some sort of miracles of modern technology, at least by 1958 standards.
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I can see a connect the numbered dots element, or maybe consecutive overlays, but golly it’s so much work for what amounts to a flash in the pan.
Maybe the picture is tossed and you race to peg fifty points by answering questions, or the points are worth clues to a mystery subject.
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There IS a home version of Dotto, released in the UK.
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Despite the short scandal-ending run, Dotto was a major ratings success, leading to Lowell obtaining the license. If not for the scandal, the show would have lasted a good while. They must have had an approved design, because when the UK version was released by Bell Games (which adapted Lowell's games in the UK), it used the same category draw-tab system in Lowell's Twenty-One home game. It followed the show's format as well as possible - only the game did not always use famous faces. There were connect the dots puzzles of animals and objects to allow younger players to participate. The UK's version managed to run long enough to make a home version marketable. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/xggAAOSwO0VeIy2P/s-l300.jpg
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I don't doubt that it got far enough into the planning stages for Chuck to mention it on-air, but Greed seems like another show that would be problematic to adapt to home play--needing 5 other friends (or 4; I suppose the captain could double as the host in a pinch) who just happen to available and willing to play seems like a tough sell. Plus with the Terminator, you have the Monopoly problem of "eliminated players just sit and watch/make snarky comments for the rest of the game."
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I don't doubt that it got far enough into the planning stages for Chuck to mention it on-air, but Greed seems like another show that would be problematic to adapt to home play--needing 5 other friends (or 4; I suppose the captain could double as the host in a pinch) who just happen to available and willing to play seems like a tough sell. Plus with the Terminator, you have the Monopoly problem of "eliminated players just sit and watch/make snarky comments for the rest of the game."
I suppose you could have the players climb the Tower of Greed regardless of success, with the caveat that if the team ever flops on a question, everyone resets back to zero, and all players are back in the game with equal shares.
Either way, this is one of those home games that would require some modification to make it work.
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I don't doubt that it got far enough into the planning stages for Chuck to mention it on-air, but Greed seems like another show that would be problematic to adapt to home play--needing 5 other friends (or 4; I suppose the captain could double as the host in a pinch) who just happen to available and willing to play seems like a tough sell. Plus with the Terminator, you have the Monopoly problem of "eliminated players just sit and watch/make snarky comments for the rest of the game."
I suppose you could have the players climb the Tower of Greed regardless of success, with the caveat that if the team ever flops on a question, everyone resets back to zero, and all players are back in the game with equal shares.
Either way, this is one of those home games that would require some modification to make it work.
They did make a home game for the German version of Greed:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29519/cah-das-eine-million-mark-quiz
Looks like they did do modifications on it somewhat (at least based on the description, looks like the object is to remain the captain as long as possible since they get more points when the team gets right answers, and the Terminator is just a chance to steal the captaincy away)...
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Despite the short scandal-ending run, Dotto was a major ratings success, leading to Lowell obtaining the license. If not for the scandal, the show would have lasted a good while. They must have had an approved design, because when the UK version was released by Bell Games (which adapted Lowell's games in the UK), it used the same category draw-tab system in Lowell's Twenty-One home game. It followed the show's format as well as possible - only the game did not always use famous faces. There were connect the dots puzzles of animals and objects to allow younger players to participate. The UK's version managed to run long enough to make a home version marketable. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/xggAAOSwO0VeIy2P/s-l300.jpg
As a follow-up to this image, here is a view of the contents. The "category rack" is similar to the one in Lowell's "Twenty One" home game.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/TZ0AAOSwlupfus5I/s-l500.jpg
Sometimes home game versions have come out shortly before or after the show's premiere. IIRC, the Win, Lose or Draw home game, popped up in stores before the show premiered (of course, it was played differently at home.) The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime had only been on TV for about six months, before the box game was released.
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With broadcasting magazines and other sources tipping toy & game firms about upcoming projects, it's not unusual for producers and game makers to open roads to negotiations early to be ready in case the show becomes a success. Dan Enright had mentioned that Parker Bros. had an initial interest in Play The Percentages. Would liked to have seen any models. Parker would have a problem if they built the game based on the first format, only to have the gameplay changed by the time it was released.
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There IS a home version of Dotto, released in the UK.
Anyone know how it was played? None of the eBay offerings had a shot of the rules. With the dots numbered, I think if you studied it, you could figure it out far faster.
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There IS a home version of Dotto, released in the UK.
Anyone know how it was played? None of the eBay offerings had a shot of the rules. With the dots numbered, I think if you studied it, you could figure it out far faster.
There's some info on its Board Game Geek page. (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155753/dotto)
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Um, was Parker Brothers even a thing by the time Money Drop and Power of 10 were on the air?
Moreover (and I know I'm probably forgetting a million obvious ones), I can't think of a home game that released under the PB imprint.
/Matt O., if you would, please
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/Matt O., if you would, please
Wink Martindale's High Rollers from 1988
There might be others (I'm sure we'll hear), but that's the only one that immediately comes to mind.
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/Matt O., if you would, please
Wink Martindale's High Rollers from 1988
There might be others (I'm sure we'll hear), but that's the only one that immediately comes to mind.
Also Wink's Top Secret but we all know what happened to that.
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Do NES games count? We were supposed to get NES versions of TPIR, Password, Super Password, and Card Sharks but they never came to be. The former two I found out on the WOF instruction booklet.
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Say When was Parker Brothers, IIRC (and possibly their first game show tie-in).
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/Matt O., if you would, please
Wink Martindale's High Rollers from 1988
There might be others (I'm sure we'll hear), but that's the only one that immediately comes to mind.
Bergeron-era HS
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I can't think of a home game that released under the PB imprint.
Both J! (https://www.ebay.com/itm/374470618690?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=374470618690&targetid=1263104805766&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=9005924&poi=&campaignid=14859008593&mkgroupid=130497710760&rlsatarget=pla-1263104805766&abcId=9300678&merchantid=603884943&gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQC7lyMjhf0DdxTKuw4zMfAKKJ7mW-fCmJD01EyesQ9WWC0t5gl7vYhoCyg0QAvD_BwE) and WoF (https://www.ebay.com/itm/313852560792?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1IKiYg4WHR6GgvraR3qVmYQ73&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=313852560792&targetid=1584571731043&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=9005924&poi=&campaignid=15275224983&mkgroupid=131097072938&rlsatarget=pla-1584571731043&abcId=9300697&merchantid=508428412&gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQHGyy-dTM9XK3Xoj47wcu3il7NmA2261S-KTABNIKXmFlJOhk7QnqRoCv7gQAvD_BwE) in 1999, rather oddly as PB became an imprint of Hasbro 8 years prior.
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Say When was Parker Brothers, IIRC (and possibly their first game show tie-in).
As was "Number Please," which came out around the same time.
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I can't think of a home game that released under the PB imprint.
Both J! (https://www.ebay.com/itm/374470618690?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=374470618690&targetid=1263104805766&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=9005924&poi=&campaignid=14859008593&mkgroupid=130497710760&rlsatarget=pla-1263104805766&abcId=9300678&merchantid=603884943&gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQC7lyMjhf0DdxTKuw4zMfAKKJ7mW-fCmJD01EyesQ9WWC0t5gl7vYhoCyg0QAvD_BwE) and WoF (https://www.ebay.com/itm/313852560792?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1IKiYg4WHR6GgvraR3qVmYQ73&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=313852560792&targetid=1584571731043&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=9005924&poi=&campaignid=15275224983&mkgroupid=131097072938&rlsatarget=pla-1584571731043&abcId=9300697&merchantid=508428412&gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQHGyy-dTM9XK3Xoj47wcu3il7NmA2261S-KTABNIKXmFlJOhk7QnqRoCv7gQAvD_BwE) in 1999, rather oddly as PB became an imprint of Hasbro 8 years prior.
I think the Hollywood Squares game that came out around the same time was also under Parker Bros.
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Well, I definitely feel better because that's not a long list and it's pretty obscure. And I did know (and didn't remember) that Hasbro did still use the PB imprint for some time because I have stuff from as late as 2006 under that imprint. I think it was during the window where Hasbro was gonna make PB their "party / trivia game" brand.
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I think Greed could work as a cooperative roll and move—sometimes you answer a single question and a captain can agree or disagree, others have all of the players contributing answer for bigger points, and sometimes you land on a Terminator Showdown that isn’t a knockout, but points accrue to you or the partner you challenge. If the group “climbs the tower of Greed” they win, if not better luck next time.
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Good catches on the Parker games. Wink's Trivial Pursuit Game Show was also one of theirs. Parker released a Quiz Kids game box to tie in with the radio show. (And we're not counting the Hasbro editions with the Parker label on the front - Are You Smarter, Griffin's Crosswords, and Don't Forget The Lyrics - right?) And the UK version of Strike It Lucky also has the Parker imprint. https://cf.geekdo-images.com/opengraph/img/2OZke5gjtUFNN8IpLX-41BmAJ1k=/fit-in/1200x630/pic1779971.jpg