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Yes, The Price Is Right Actually Used To Give Away Live Elephants As Prizes
The beloved game show gave winning contestants some unusual prizes in the earliest days of the pop culture phenomenon
The Price is Right is one of the most beloved game shows in television history. Still airing more than 65 years after it first debuted, it has been entertaining audiences for years with their fun games, product pricing and lavish array of what contestants can win. Although those prizes have encompassed incredible variety, it’s a near certainty that the most unusual thing they have awarded is a live elephant.
The version of The Price Is Right that so many of us know today has been famously hosted by Bob Barker and then Drew Carey. It has been a staple of daytime television since 1972. However, it had an even earlier iteration, which was hosted by Bill Cullen, and was on air from 1956 to 1965.
When it first went into production, Cullen was skeptical that a show centered around people guessing the retail prices of everyday consumer goods would titillate audiences. However, his doubts quickly evaporated after it became an instant hit. Viewers actually loved the guessing game, which was only enhanced by the prizes to be won by those who came closest to the actual prices without…
