Donated to the Strong Museum

[Bob Zager]

More game show related props arrived at the Strong this week:

https://www.aol.com/iconic-game-show-set-pieces-132927613.html

[Nick]

This was the Big Wheel used on The Price Is Right Live, correct?  The show still lives, though, right?  Just trying to figure out how this wheel became surplus.

Last I also heard, Magic # was retired as the prop broke.  Do the new owners intend to fix it?

[JasonA1]

This was the Big Wheel used on The Price Is Right Live, correct?  The show still lives, though, right?

That's my understanding, despite contrary opinions around the Expo. The "off-model" numbers that were only seen in the stage show, and slightly shorter stature, are the biggest giveaways. The current Live wheel mimics the post-purple wheel design, with an awkward space to the right of the numbers in "100".

A correctly-scaled duplicate wheel was made for the Adam Sandler movie "Jack & Jill". For the movie's intended gag(s), it didn't have the same braking system inside that the real wheel has. I also recall they moved the real scoreboard onto that wheel for the movie only, and later fitted this duplicate wheel with a different scoreboard for appearances elsewhere. The confusion at the Expo arose around other wheels that show up at FYC events and the like. Those could have been the "Jack & Jill" wheel, or something else entirely.

-Jason

[Adam Nedeff]

This was the Big Wheel used on The Price Is Right Live, correct?  The show still lives, though, right?  Just trying to figure out how this wheel became surplus.

Last I also heard, Magic # was retired as the prop broke.  Do the new owners intend to fix it?

Price is Right Live is done in venues of various sizes and the Showcase Showdown wheel is scaled accordingly. As a result, Fremantle has a surprising number of Showcase Showdown wheels in storage. It's worth noting that the museum CAN say with a straight face that this is a show-used wheel. To our understanding, this is the one they used for the sixth episode of the whole Purple Wheel fiasco back in 2008.

Can't tell you anything about the plans for the Magic # set piece, but would like to take the opportunity to say that all of us were SHOCKED at how damn big that thing actually is.

[JasonA1]

Here was the one day they used the Vegas wheel on the daytime show:



-Jason

[Joe Mello]

Price is Right Live is done in venues of various sizes and the Showcase Showdown wheel is scaled accordingly. As a result, Fremantle has a surprising number of Showcase Showdown wheels in storage. It's worth noting that the museum CAN say with a straight face that this is a show-used wheel. To our understanding, this is the one they used for the sixth episode of the whole Purple Wheel fiasco back in 2008.

I had also briefly wondered if this was the wheel LMAD used during one of its crossover weeks, assuming it was stored in the same place as the Mobile Phone.

[ClockGameJohn]

Can someone help me solve the mystery of how the Plinko Sign sold for $21,250 at auction in June last year, and is now destined to be donated to the museum?

[Adam Nedeff]

Can someone help me solve the mystery of how the Plinko Sign sold for $21,250 at auction in June last year, and is now destined to be donated to the museum?

Occam's razor. The same reason that the museum also got the Jeopardy! contestant lectern sold at that auction.

[Nick]

It's worth noting that the museum CAN say with a straight face that this is a show-used wheel. To our understanding, this is the one they used for the sixth episode of the whole Purple Wheel fiasco back in 2008.

I recognized it as such (Still wondering what Syd was smoking when he thought repainting the wheel purple and green was a good idea, and how he got away with it).

Can't tell you anything about the plans for the Magic # set piece, but would like to take the opportunity to say that all of us were SHOCKED at how damn big that thing actually is.

If memory serves, the Davidson version used an even bigger version of the prop.  Wonder if that's still out there somewhere.

Can someone help me solve the mystery of how the Plinko Sign sold for $21,250 at auction in June last year, and is now destined to be donated to the museum?

What, you mean you weren't the one who bought it?

Occam's razor. The same reason that the museum also got the Jeopardy! contestant lectern sold at that auction.

So, that wasn't a misprint.  I had wondered if Roger Dobkowitz had bought the Plinko sign, as this was right around the time he netted around $20k for selling the sealed iPhone Drew had gifted him.

[JasonA1]

If memory serves, the Davidson version used an even bigger version of the prop.  Wonder if that's still out there somewhere.

That show just set and shot the game at a different angle, which highlighted the depth of it.

-Jason

[Nick]

That show just set and shot the game at a different angle, which highlighted the depth of it.

Thanks for confirming what I suspected, though I seem to remember that being said years ago, as it was said that the Davidson version had a real love for Magic # for some reason.

The idea of a second prop also seemed suspicious given that it was, for many years, the most expensive prop ever built for the show.

[ClockGameJohn]

Can someone help me solve the mystery of how the Plinko Sign sold for $21,250 at auction in June last year, and is now destined to be donated to the museum?

What, you mean you weren't the one who bought it?

Although I probably should not admit it, I was apparently in a bidding war; and was the second-highest bidder on such item. I’ve since learned who/what I was against. I, nor my bank account, currently regret my decision to cease bidding when I did.

I’m glad to see the sign will be forever preserved for public display.

[Nick]

Although I probably should not admit it, I was apparently in a bidding war; and was the second-highest bidder on such item.

I had said that as a joke based on something Steve Gavazzi had written over at Golden-Road.net. I didn't know he had actually been serious.

Sorry that you were not as successful at the bidding as you were in Contestants' Row.

[nowhammies10]

I think I was, at one point, the high bidder on the champion's J! lectern. Maybe also the Plinko sign.

The reason only two of the J! lecterns were up for bid, incidentally, is because the third is still in Pam Mueller's parents' basement. She won it when the set pieces were originally auctioned off some 20-odd years ago now.

[Steve Gavazzi]

I didn't know he had actually been serious.

He hadn't!

John bidding on it is news to me, too.