Golden-Gallery.net

SEE NEW EPS
SEE CLASSIC EPS
GET TICKETS

Professor Price

The shortest-lived pricing game ever played on The Price is Right, featuring an animatronic “professor” and general knowledge trivia questions. Played for a car.

The goal was to get three correct answers before getting three incorrect answers, as tallied on the fingers of Professor Price. Bob alternated between asking the contestant a general knowledge trivia question, with the answer being a digit 1-9, and asking whether that digit belonged in the price of the car.

The idea seems to have been to expand the types of gameplay elements a pricing game could include as Hole in One, Card Game, and others had done. Bob performed a Truth or Consequences style bit by asking the puppet questions before the game began, who “emoted” in response to Bob’s questions.

In any event, Professor Price was flunked after two playings, general knowledge trivia questions never reappeared on TPIR, and the experiment has gone down as one of the most bizarre pricing games in history.

A scene from The Price is Right featuring the Professor Price game, with an animatronic professor at a colorful game setup and a contestant standing beside the host.
36th pricing game to debut
S6, November 14 1977 – S6, November 21 1977
Likely created by Frank Wayne
FAQ
S6, Nov 14 1977
A contestant smiling while participating in a game show, with a colorful background.

James has made the mistake of giving Bob material to work with! A girl in the audience shouted “I hope James wins a car!” during the commercial break. Trouble is, it wasn’t his wife…

A silver car displayed on a stage with art deco backdrop and a model standing beside it, promoting a pricing game on a television show.

Well, play for a car he shall! A 1977 Camaro Malibu!

A scene from The Price is Right featuring the Professor Price game. A contestant and the host are standing next to an animatronic figure of Professor Price, who is behind a colorful game podium. The podium has books and a clock on top, while the background displays the show's logo.

Cue “Pomp and Circumstance!” James will be tested by Professor Price, and Bob will test the puppet. You can see the stagehand’s arm behind the prop!

The Professor Price puppet nods in response to a question posed by Bob Barker.

“Professor, you will agree that a young man who has a wife and a girlfriend needs all the help he can get, right?”

A puppet character resembling a professor in formal attire, complete with glasses and a mustache, is situated in a classroom setting with a clock and a chalkboard behind him.

The professor will keep James’ score. Correct answers on the right hand, incorrect on the left.

A contestant named James stands next to Bob Barker, who holds a card and gestures with a pointing stick, set against a colorful game show backdrop.

Question one. How many ounces in a half pint?

A contestant named James standing on stage during a game on The Price is Right, while the host is holding a microphone and pointing at him.

The audience begins to shout help, but Bob shushes them, saying James must figure it out on his own. James says eight…

Close-up of an animatronic hand pointing, part of the Professor Price game setup on The Price is Right, with a decorative clock in the background.

And he’s right! The puppet only had four fingers, to prevent flipping the bird.

Colorful books arranged on a shelf, with a '15' prominently displayed in the center.

Question two. Here are the last two digits of the car, does that eight belong among the first two digits?

An animatronic character named Professor Price with a suit and mustache, gesturing with a finger while standing in a classroom-like setting with a clock and a chalkboard in the background.

James says no, and the professor’s eyebrows shoot up in anger. Turns out eight was the second digit.

A contestant named James stands on stage during a game show, listening intently to the host, who is holding a pointer and discussing the game details. The stage background features colorful panels.

Let’s try again. How many runs in a grand slam home run? James says four…

A puppet character named Professor Price stands in a classroom setting, wearing a suit and having a mustache. He's gesturing with one hand while holding a pointer in the other. A wall clock and a chalkboard with scientific notes can be seen in the background.

…and he’s right! Two right, one wrong.

Display of numbers 4815 on a pricing game set, with colorful books in the background.

Uh oh! James says that four was NOT the first digit in the car, and he was wrong.

A contestant named James looks thoughtfully at a card while Bob Barker holds a microphone and reads from it, set against a colorful game show background.

All that matters now is whether James knows how many face cards are in each suit of a deck of cards…

The clock on the Professor Price set begins spinning, and the owl begins waving its wings as James celebrates a win.

…and he’s a winner! The set goes haywire!

Contestant James celebrates enthusiastically on The Price is Right, while host Bob adjusts his microphone beside him.

Before they leave, Bob asks James whether he will be driving home with his wife or his new girlfriend. “My wife!”, cheers James.

S6, Nov 21 1977
Scene from 'The Price is Right' featuring Professor Price, an animatronic character, with a host and a contestant on stage.

Here’s Professor Price a week later on his second (and final) playing. The crew member has done a better job hiding, but now the extension cord is visible.

A woman named Deborah smiles alongside host Bob Barker on stage during a game segment of The Price is Right.

“Deborah is a very sweet girl, wouldn’t you agree, professor?” The puppet nods. “So you’ll help all you can, won’t you, professor?”

The Professor Price puppet begins by angrily shaking his head, before changing to a nod.

The stagehand misinterpreted the question, and the puppet begins angrily shaking his head before switching back to a nod. Bob covers for the flub with “No, you see, he can’t help you, you’ll have to win on your own.”

A contestant interacts with a host on stage during a game show, with a colorful backdrop and a microphone in hand.

For this playing, Deborah will draw her questions at random. “Don’t look at it, the answer’s on it!”

Close-up of the animatronic Professor Price's hand counting answers during a trivia game.

How many stars indicate the rank of a lieutenant general? Deborah incorrectly guesses four, but the answer is three.

A colorful display of books with the numbers '3' prominently featured on two black book spines, set against a brightly lit background.

But she correctly guesses that the three does not belong in the first two digits of the car’s price.

A close-up of the animatronic Professor Price's hand displaying two fingers, indicating a score, with a clock and decorative background visible.

Peace, man! Deborah knows Abraham Lincoln appears on the $5 bill…

A game show scoreboard displaying the numbers 5, 1, 3, 3 on bright black panels, surrounded by colorful book spines in the background.

…and she wins when she correctly guesses the five appears in the price of the car!

A woman in a blue patterned shirt expresses intense emotion, with her hands on her head and mouth open, possibly in shock or joy.

Deborah can’t believe it!

An animatronic owl puppet with large eyes and outspread wings, used in a pricing game on a television show.

The owl is about to fly away!

Bob Barker introduces the Professor Price game on The Price is Right, with a colorful set and a puppet behind him.

Bob throws to break with “I have a hunch that Professor Price will become a very popular fellow!” The game was immediately pulled and never seen again.

The Price is Right Decades (2011), PS3
A scene from a video game depicting a character in sunglasses and a shirt standing next to an animatronic professor at the 'Professor Price' game corner, with a banner reading 'the new Price is Right' in the background.

After years of being an internet punchline, “Professor Price” became one of six retired games added to Ludia’s “The Price is Right Decades” video game for Wii/Xbox 360/PS3.

A digital representation of the Professor Price game from The Price is Right, featuring a puppet professor, a grid with numbers 1-9, and a question prompt about baseball.

The video game puppet looks no less creepy than the actual one!