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TPIR was not interested in reinventing the wheel for the 80’s. They knew they had a formula that worked, and could refresh itself every day without getting stale.

New games kept the show fresh pushed into new directions. But eight years in, TPIR’s identity was much better defined, and producers had a much better idea of was and was not likely work as a pricing game than they did even a few short years ago. While exciting props that looked good on TV helped, games needed a solid core, and visual gimmicks could only go so far to could cover an underwhelming game.

TPIR had the atmosphere of a live carnival, led by a literal Barker walking the viewer through different attractions. One new game brought a Skee-Ball ramp to the stage, and another was inspired by Las Vegas.

The 10th season began with a special weeklong 10th Year Celebration.

Of the dozens and dozens of game shows and game show revivals attempted in the history of television, only four daytime and five nighttime shows³ had, to this point, managed an uninterrupted run lasting a decade… and by fall 1981, all were off the air.

In contrast, TPIR was hitting its highest ratings ever in its 10th year! With this milestone, this version surpassed Bill Cullen’s original version as the longest-running version of TPIR to grace the airwaves. There truly seemed as though there was no end in sight as to what TPIR could accomplish in the ’80s.

Bob did win TPIR its first-ever Daytime Emmy this season. In June he beat out Blockbusters‘ Bill Cullen and Feud‘s Richard Dawson for Outstanding Game Show Host. (Bob had been nominated three years before, but was disqualified due to an eligibility snafu.)

Bob had also spent the past few years becoming more publicly involved in animal rights, and at some point during this season or shortly before the next, lobbied the staff to stop offering furs as prizes. His lobbying was successful; The Price is Right became one of the first game shows to intentionally cease offering furs. Other programs would eventually follow their lead, and by the end of the decade, furs were no longer offered on most game shows.

In January, NBC also made an ambitious attempt at dipping its toe back into the game show genre, premiering three new game shows at the start of the new year. On that day, January 3 1983, The Price is Right counterprogramed this move by introducing their most ambitious new game yet: Plinko.

Plinko was very different from every other pricing game that had come before it. At the time, CBS imposed a winnings limit of $25,000 on its game shows, and Plinko’s top prize equaled the limit. Most pricing games had a simple win condition that could clearly be “won” or “lost”, but Plinko could award nearly any amount up to the winnings limit.

The randomization and unpredictability proved to be part of the game’s charm, and Plinko quickly became one of the most popular games on the show.

In the 1983 Daytime Emmy awards, Marc Breslow won TPIR’s second-ever daytime Emmy for “Outstanding Directing in a Game Show”. He would go on to win the Emmy three more times over the next four years.

Decades later, streaming channel “The Barker Era” would use Season 11 as its beginning point for digitizing episodes of its free official classic TPIR streaming service. As of this writing, nearly all episodes from Season 11 can be viewed on-demand at PlutoTV’s “On Demand” service.

TPIR’s ratings continued to climb. By this point it had been several years since the second half-hour of TPIR had usurped Family Feud as the #1 half-hour of game show programming in daytime television. The new morning game show block had proved (mostly) successful, although Child’s Play was axed in favor of a flashy new show called Press Your Luck.

In November, TPIR posted its highest sweeps rating ever, with the second half being viewed by an estimated an estimated 8,800,000 American households, or 10.5% of American households owning a TV. As far as is known, this remains the single highest sweeps rating this version of TPIR ever achieved in daytime.

In an effort to protect the ratings of the first half of the show, a new much-hyped game featuring a home viewer tie-in was added, encouraging contestants to submit postcards and watch the first half for a special chance to win cash and prizes from their own home. The Phone Home Game was highly promoted, even on episodes that it didn’t air, and a special week of shows was even commissioned to ramp up interest.

TPIR’s everyday staff did not rest on its laurels eleven years into its run, either; each day, the cast and crew worked hard to convince viewers to tune in and invite the glitz and glamour of Hollywood into their own home. These efforts earned director Marc Breslow a second Emmy for directing… and Bob a second Emmy for hosting.

Barbara’s role as producer would be filled by 39-year-old Roger Dobkowitz. Roger had been one of the staff members with TPIR since day one, hired out of college for his first job in television after presenting Mark Goodson with his master’s thesis he had written on game shows. After 12 years at TPIR, Roger had managed to create games, become experienced with most positions, and mesh well with the staff.

Roger and Phil Wayne Rossi would serve as the two head producers for over two decades following.

As had happened every few years, TPIR got another minor set refresh. This new wave of changes brought new showcase podiums, pink borders on Contestant’s Row, a new light border, various lighting changes, and a new display on the Big Wheel.

The 1984 Summer Olympic Games were also held in Los Angeles this year. Although CBS did not have the rights to Olympic coverage, a new game based on feats of physical skill debuted. The feats were simple carnival games, but Bob’s presentation treated it as if it were a formal athletic event.

CBS raised their winnings cap to $50,000 this season, which allowed for more variance in what prizes could be offered. Showcases were particularly affected by the expanded range; a typical showcase could offer as little as $5,000 or as much as $20,000.