| PENNY ANTE Year(s): 1980-2002 RULES: The contestant was given two oversized pennies. Two grocery items were shown and four choices for each item's price. The contestant guessed which price was right, and Bob hit its button. If the word "yes" was revealed, they moved to product two. If "no" was revealed, the contestant forefit a penny and tried again. The game continued until they made a wrong guess without a penny, or guessed both items right, earning a bonus prize. WHY WAS IT RETIRED: Technical issues. Bob went from merely tapping the buttons, to pounding them with his first to get them to activate. The flip cards at the end of the light trail also flipped inconsistently. MY THOUGHTS: A fun technological wonder and a great look. Sad to see it go, but once we saw the buttons becoming hard to press, it was only a matter of time. NOTES: The sound the accompanied the lights saw its day on many other game shows. "The Joker's Wild" used it when the lever was pulled in the bonus round. "Double Dare" with Alex Trebek used it as a sound effect to open the board. The game went from a lighter color scheme to the bolder one seen here. The original prop seen here was also left out in the rain after its retirement. Interest in building a new board was shortlived, and the game remains retired. |
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