The Whammy

The Whammy is a fictional character from the 1980s game show Press Your Luck and its 2002 GSN remake Whammy!: The All-New Press Your Luck that would usually steal cash and prizes from unlucky contestants after landing on a wrong square. Contestants who hit four Whammies will be eliminated for the rest of the game. Contestants who would hit a Double Whammy in round 3 of Whammy! not only lose their money and prizes, but said Whammy does real things to you. If you hit a Whammy while taking the spins passed by somebody else (but did not hit a fourth Whammy), those spins end up in your earned column.

When a player lands on a Whammy, a foghorn-like sound will play on Press Your Luck (during the pilot, a “BOING!” sounded when a contestant landed on a Whammy); a timpani boom would be heard on Whammy!, with a more ominous downward note when hitting a Double Whammy. An animation will play in front of the contestant. In the pilot, there was only one where the Whammy came in laughing and jumping, using his hammer to wipe out the contestant's money. After the animation, a Whammy marker will pop up in front of the player with a "BOING!" sound (during the Whammy! pilot, it instead had light up indicators on the side of their scoreboard rather than the Whammy marker popping up).

During the 1980s series, on some occasions, a Whammy animation would be played as a "callback" to a question about a specific person or thing asked in the most recent question round (i.e. the Bicycle Whammy being played in response to a question about bicycles; the Ben Franklin Whammy being played in response to a question about Benjamin Franklin; and the Beatles Whammy in response to a question about The Beatles or the Volkswagen Beetle) - this was most likely intentional on the show's part.

During most of the 1980s series, the Whammy was known for having a high-pitched voice, but in June 1986, the final set of new Whammy animations that were launched had the Whammy speaking in a lower-pitched voice. Some speculated that the lower-pitched voice may be due to the Whammy's voice actor, Bill Carruthers, getting up there in age (he was 55 years old at that time). The same lower-pitched voice was heard in the Whammy board meeting skit seen after some episodes in Republic Pictures' syndication package of 1985 episodes in the late-1980s.

Quick Whammy Animations
These Whammy animations are usually used when a player hits a Whammy with a very low score or $0.

Ali Baba Whammy: This Whammy was only seen for some months in 1984. A whammy comes in on a flying carpet, saying "1,001 pardons for taking your money", then falls off and the carpet flies away. At least the Whammy apologized.

Pogo Stick Whammy: The first Whammy animation shown on CBS  he bounces up and down on a pogo stick many times, laughing evilly, then disappearing in a puff of smoke accompanied by the word WHAM!

Jackhammer Whammy: One of the most commonly seen animations in the series, he has a heart tattoo on his shoulder as he operates a jackhammer moving from left to right, eliminating the player's total digit by digit, uttering "Yes! Yes! Yes!" then laughing multiple times as he heads off screen.

Roller Skating Whammy: The Whammy loses control on his roller skates, saying "Look out! LOOK OUT!!!", then falls and lands on his back, seeing stars, and the score is wiped out completely as he thuds.

Jumping Whammy: Whammy appears out of nowhere in a WHAM! cloud, jumps up and down multiple times, then pulls a disappearing act, along with the player's score.

Whammy in UFO: The Whammy comes flying in, then gets zapped and rises out of sight. This Whammy animation was shown when Michael Larson hit his only Whammy during his run on his very first spin.

Credit Card Whammy: A Whammy, donned in a grey business suit, holds an "American Excess" credit card, using the slogan "Hello, do you know me?" WHAMMY is typed onto the card.
 * NOTE: In late-1985, American Express company filed a lawsuit against the show for using the company's likeliness with their consent, thus prompting the animation to be dropped, and the flashback intros with said animation be edited out for future first-run broadcasts.  The animation was last shown sometime in January 1986.

Basketball Player Whammy: A slim Whammy moves across the screen dribbling a basketball, saying "Look out", name-dropping Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and one other NBA legend, then makes a crashing sound off-screen.

Whammy on Skis: A buggy-eyed Whammy skis downhill while saying "woo hoo" multiple times, then crashes into a snowman.

Whammy operating Snowblower: Whammy pushes a snowblower coming in, then slips and causing the snowblower to be set free, and a pile of snow falls on him.

Tarzan Whammy: The Whammy, dressed in loincloth, swings on a vine as the score is erased digit by digit, then slams into an elephant coming forward.

Dollar Bill Whammy: Whammy, impersonating George Washington, is seen on a "One Whammy" bill, coming in on a cash register sound, and when stopped midway, he tells the contestant "Hee hee hee, I cannot tell a lie! You lose!" Then the bill moves off-screen to the same cash register sound.

Longer Whammy animations
Usually shown when a player loses a higher amount.

Whammy as Football Quarterback: Whammy runs down a field, eager to receive a football, uttering "I'm open! Throw me the bomb! Throw me the..." And literally he gets thrown a bomb, which blows up as he can only mutter an "Oh no......" Talk about a flag on the play!
 * NOTE: This Whammy animation was used when a contestant hit his fourth Whammy in a January 1986 episode, instead of the usual Whammy-out animation.  This marked the only post-September 14, 1984 episode this anamoly occurred.

Airplane Pilot Whammy: The Whammy takes a nose dive, then crashes off-screen with a Wham! smoke cloud, wiping out the player's score. This animation was usually played when a contestant utters the words "One more time!"
 * NOTE: A one-time only second version was used in early in May 1984, only instead of the nose dive, the plane is seen traveling from left to right, bobbing up and down, positioned horizontally, then crashing off-screen.

Doctor Whammy: One of the final set of new Whammy animations of the series. The Whammy asked the player to read what's on the eye chart. It says "U LOSE". Then the Whammy pulls the string and gets caught in the chart and rolled up with it.

Sherlock Holmes Whammy: The detective, accompanied by Fang, holds a magnifying glass to his eye, saying "elementary, my dear Fang" and declares "it was greed that got 'em", as if the player wanted more money and lost it all.

Whammy with Big Buck: A whammy is apparently tired of players chanting "Big Bucks", and claims "All I hear is big bucks, big bucks!" and confirmed "I got your big buck!", which is actually a buck deer on a leash, which snorted as the Whammy laughed, then walked off screen.

Whammy with Firecracker: One of the final four new Whammy animations of the series, the Whammy is seen driving a funny but small car to circus music while holding a firecracker. The Whammy then places the firecracker on the ground, uttering the four words "Fire in the hole!". The car stalls, and in a matter of seconds, the firecracker is detonated and the Whammy is killed along with the car.

Whammy Cat Chase: A cat runs across screen while trying to escape from an aggressive Fang, and Whammy is holding Fang on his leash telling the dog "Hold it, Fang, hold it! Don't forget the money!"

Whammy Riding Bicycle: The Whammy was showing off with his hands in the air while pedaling a bicycle, saying "Look, ma! No hands and no bucks!" then does a wheelie and crashes off-screen.

Whammy operating Lawn Mower: The Whammy pushes his lawnmower, erasing the player's total digit by digit (though the total was reset to $0 during the first few episodes).

Magician Whammy: The Whammy, wearing a top hat and magician's jacket, appears with a 'WHAM!' smoke cloud, and places a cover over the contestant's score. When the cloth is pulled away, the contestant's score has disappeared. Then the Whammy himself disappears in a 'WHAM!' smoke cloud. Although this animation was mostly seen in 1983, the animation disappeared from the show before January 17, 1984, and made one rare appearance in December 1985, though the Whammy's skin looked to be a darker red in color. Since GSN only aired episodes up to and including May 29, 1986 at this point, there is no certainty if this was the official last time this Whammy animation appeared on the show, though six episodes were skipped and it is known that it wasn't seen on at least one of those skipped episodes, since it exists on YouTube.

Human Cannonball Whammy: As the announcer (believed to be voiced by Rick Stern, one of the staffers on the show) introduces this Whammy, saying "Now appearing in the center ring, the Great Whamini" while the Whammy is waving to the audience, the Whammy then ducks inside the cannon, and then the cannon blows up, and the Whammy says "Holy smokes, guys, no..."

Fortune Teller Whammy: A female Whammy predicts the player's future and tells the player "It's coming to me now, I see financial disaster in the future." Then the Whammy and the crystal ball explode out of sight.

Window-washer Whammy: The Whammy's platform is lowered  and then wipes away the player's score digit by digit, while singing, and then yells "okay, take it away!" and as the platform is being raised, the Whammy loses his balance and crashes off screen.

Whammy Court Judge: The Whammy, dressed in his black robe, pounds his gavel twice, saying "Order! Order! I sentence you to poverty!" Then on his ultimate pound of the gavel, the judge's podium collapses, revealing that the Whammy is in polka dot underwear.

Whammy as Aerobics Instructor: A female Whammy (not known if it's Tammy Whammette) informs the girls "I want to see sweat" then does a few exercise moves to familiar exercise music, then slips and falls to the ground in a pretzel-like formation.

Astronaut Whammy: A rocket bearing "PYL83" (the year the series debuted), moves towards the center of the screen, as the Whammy counts down "3-2-1-Big Bucks!" Then the rocket blasts off, leaving the Whammy behind. There were three versions of this animation:
 * Version 1.0 had the Whammy saying "...but I thought I had the right stuff" (in reference to the movie "The Right Stuff" released two days after the debut of this Whammy animation).
 * Version 2.0 had complete silence at the end.
 * Version 3.0 had the line with the movie reference replaced with "Hey, you were supposed to wait for me!" The animation was not seen after June 14, 1984 (three days after Michael Larson's run).

Whammy Jazz Band: The last Whammy animation seen in the series. A band of Whammies play a Dixieland melody, and at the end, the head of one of the Whammies gets crashed by cymbals used by another Whammy.

Whammy Orchestra: A conductor was leading an orchestra of Whammies to the 1812 Overture, then a cannon rolled in, and was fired at the group, destroying them in a BLAMO cloud of smoke. This was the longest Whammy animation in the series, with a total running time of greater than ten seconds.

Hula Dancer Whammy: The Whammy wears a grass skirt and dance the hula across the screen then ends up in the water off-screen. The original version had longer audio, and an abbreviated version was used in 1985. This Whammy animation was commonly used when a contestant lost a Hawaiian holiday or a Polynesian holiday (Fiji Islands, Tahiti, etc.) to a Whammy.

Tap-Dancing Whammy: A Whammy is seen tap-dancing while the audience is jeering. He later gets the hook by getting a cane.

Whammy Bowler: Preparing to roll a bowling ball down the lane, in hopes of getting a strike, the Whammy says "I'm bowling for bucks, and it's a strike!" Then the Whammy says "Uh oh..." as he turns his head around and notices a much bigger ball rolling towards him, and then gets a strike he obviously doesn't want - he gets struck by the giant bowling ball, taking the Whammy with it.

Whammy Riding Shark: To the familiar "Jaws" style music, the Whammy is seen riding a shark, and the shark chops away the score digit by digit.

Photographer Whammy: A Whammy is standing adjacent to a camera with a black cloth over his face, ready to take a picture, and telling the contestant "I want to take a picture of you losing your money. Say cheese!" Then the flash bulb explodes, and the Whammy appears to be dizzy, seeing stars. It was rumored that this animation was shown when Trish lost $35,000 - the largest total lost to a Whammy.

Bulldozer Whammy: The Whammy operates a bulldozer to wipe the player's score away digit by digit, then loses control and crashes off-screen.

Hammer Whammy: A Whammy comes out of nowhere with a "WHAM!" cloud. Then he starts jumping up and down, runs, and uses his hammer to get rid of the contestant's stash. This was the only animation used in the pilot.

Picnic Whammy: Whammy and his love, Tammy Whammette, are outside having a picnic, but just as were they about to eat, Fang comes up and starts eating all the food, leaving Whammy and Tammy sobbing. There were two scripts for this Whammy animation:


 * Version 1.0, used in 1984, had the following script:


 * Tammy: Isn't this romantic?  Our first picnic!


 * Whammy: A lovely day, a beautiful girl, and...


 * Both: FANG?!


 * Version 2.0, used in 1985, used this modified script:


 * Tammy: Springtime is so romantic!


 * Whammy: Spring! When a young Whammy's fancy turns to...


 * Both: FANG?!

Rock Star Whammy: A Whammy with a rock hairdo, plays the electric guitar while singing, then gets electrocuted as the score is wiped out, then dies with his remains in a pile of dust.

Pizza Maker Whammy: The Whammy is trying to twirl pizza dough, saying "Bring out the cheese... pepperoni... tomatoes... sau...", then the pizza dough lands on his head and then makes an alternate offer, "How 'bout some spaghetti?"

Water-Skiing Whammy: The Whammy is on water skis while his love, Tammy Whammette, is driving a motorboat. The Whammy says, "Hit it, Tammy! I'm up, I'm up, I'm up!" Then out of nowhere, a shark swallows everything in one-fell swoop. The last part is not shown in the Randy/Lori/Cathy spin battle of 1984, where Cathy lost a whopping $31,408 in one passed spin.

Celebrity Whammies
There are times when the Whammy impersonates celebrities, dead or alive. Most of these animations were used when a contestant loses a larger total.

Boy George Whammy: The Whammy does his parody of Culture Club's big hit song "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" and sings "Who would ever hurt a Whammy?" Then when singing said line a second time, he gets hit in the head with a giant hammer, and flattening him.

Ben Franklin Whammy: Whammy flies kite telling the contestant "The chances of you winning this game are about as good as my being hit by..." then gets zapped and the player's total is erased all at once.

Paul Revere Whammy: Riding Fang, holding a lantern, the Whammy says "One if by check, two if by cash, the Whammies are coming to steal your stash!" then laughs evilly as they head off screen.

Cyndi Lauper Whammy: Whammy, dressed like Cyndi, comes dancing in, parodying a line from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", singing "I want money! I want money!" twice, then as she dances in es off screen she sings "Cash! W00t! W00t!"

Liberace Whammy: The second-last Whammy animation shown in the series. With a candelabra hovering above his head, the Whammy plays a tune, then after a few seconds, the candelabra crashes on his head. The real-life Liberace passed away just over a year after this animation debuted.

Elvis Presley Whammy: The Whammy juke and jive across screen, wearing the singer's trademark suit, then struts his stuff mid-screen, and throwing his back out.

Whammy Four Tops: A vocal quartet of Whammies come dancing in across the screen, saying "ooooooooh waaaaaaah" then the quartet point their fingers in the air, and the contestant's score is erased at once.
 * NOTE: This Whammy animation was seen during the tail end of a question round leading into commercials in the summer of 1986, as a possible callback to a trivia question where a Motown group was one of the possible answers.

Michael Jackson Whammy: A Whammy comes out dancing and dressing like Michael Jackson, to Billie Jean.

Tina Turner Whammy: The Whammy dressed like Tina Turner, walks across screen singing "I.... I like money! It's everything!  Aaaahhhh..."

Whammy Supremes: A threesome of dark-haired female Whammies start singing a parody of one of the Supremes' hits "All I need is cash, gimme all your money" then the audience (not in the studio) sings "give back your money" as the trio slowly dances off-screen. In one of the last flashback intros of the series in May 1986, Kurt, from a November 1985 episode, made a fool out of himself by dancing along to this Whammy animation.

Willie Nelson Whammy: This was the shortest-lived Whammy animation of the series, known to be shown on at least two occasions. There were two versions:
 * Version 1.0, first seen on January 6, 1986 (first show in 4:00 p,m. E.T. slot), had the animation come in faster, while singing on a horse a parody of "On The Road Again", then riding off screen in slower motion.  Version 1.0 was only shown once.
 * Version 2.0, seen in early-July 1986, had a different audio track, and the Whammy on the horse came in slower, and the Whammy asked "How do you like that, Peter?" as they rode off screen.

Special Occasion Whammies
These Whammy animations were shown during a holiday, or during a major event.

Politician Whammy: Debuted in March 1984 and used in the months leading up to the 1984 presidential election. The politician vowed he'd raise the player's taxes if elected, then he gets a pie thrown in his face. Wonder if anyone voted for him? No recount needed here.

Pilgrim Whammy: Used during the pre-Thanksgiving episodes. The Whammy is trying to shoot a turkey with his musket, saying "Sweet potatoes, cranberries and..." then when the musket is set off, it blows the Whammy away as he says "...the turkey." The turkey grins and laughs evilly. Two versions of this animation were used:
 * Version 1.0 had the dialogue "Better luck next time, pilgrim" then laughing briefly. This was used in 1983.
 * Version 2.0 had the dialogue from Version 1.0 edited out, and was used during 1984 and 1985. This editing may be done due to time constraints, likely caused by a lot of spins being earned for a round, and/or a lot of spaces on the Round 2 board that awarded money plus a spin that would prolong the gameplay in Round 2 if contestants kept hitting them.

Halloween Whammy: Tammy Whammette sees someone in a ghost costume approaching her, saying "Trick-or-treat" multiple times, then Tammy conceals the face and reveals the Whammy, causing Tammy to scream. This animation was only used in game play from October 29 to 31, 1984; and on October 31, 1985, the animation was seen during the intro without its audio, as Rod Roddy was giving his opening spiel, and no Halloween references were mentioned on that episode due to being the ninth day of Home Player Sweepstakes III.

Whammy holding Olympic Torch: Used during the 1984 Summer Olympics. Holding a torch, the Whammy runs across screen, and the torch gets extinguished by a bucket of water, causing the Whammy to ask "Anybody got a match?"

Pole Vaulting Whammy: The second of two Whammy animations used during the 1984 Summer Olympics. This Whammy runs holding a pole, then jumps and flies up in the air, out of sight, claiming "This is it! A new world record!"

Baby New Year Whammy.  Used during the start of the 1985 and 1986, and during the week leading up to 1984, this Whammy is donned in a diaper and wearing a sash bearing the new year, and blows his noisemaker. In 1985 and beyond, the animation would continue with the baby still blowing, but with complete silence. For 1986, the outside border on the "6" in 1986 appears to be thinner, while the "4" in 1984 has a consistently thick border.

Whammy with Champagne: Another New Year's Whammy, where the Whammy attempts to open a champagne bottle, and when successful, the Whammy says "Whoopee!" then the pressure from the bubbles causes the Whammy and champagne bottle to fly off screen horizontally like a rocket.

Santa Claus Whammy: The Whammy is operating a sleigh pulled by Fang, saying "On Donder, on Blitzen, on Fang, get the money, get the money!" then laughs evilly as the ride off-screen.

Scrooge Whammy: Tapping a cane repeatedly as he moves across screen, the Whammy says "Bah! Humbug! Give me your money! There'll be no presents this year!"

Whammy at Christmas Tree: The Whammy sings as he approaches the Christmas tree, places a present under the tree, and the tree falls on him.
 * NOTE: There are two versions of this Whammy, and this is the only Whammy animation where both versions can be heard on a single episode.


 * Version 1.0: The audio goes "I wish me a Merry Christmas" twice (to show his selfishness), and gets crushed on his third verse.
 * Version 2.0: The Whammy is singing "My Christmas Tree" (a parody of "O Christmas Tree"). It is hard to understand what he was saying just before he got crushed.

Whammy-Out Animations
Beginning on September 17, 1984, when a contestant lands on his/her fourth and final Whammy, a special animation would play signifying the elimination of the player. There were only three.

Umpire Whammy: Here's the pitch! Then the Whammy tells you "You're out!" (this is the quickest Whammy animation of them all)

Cruise Liner Whammy: First appeared during College Week 1985. While waving a handkerchief on a cruise, the Whammy says "Hasta luego, Arrivederci, bon voyage, that means goodbye!" to the contestant. And four whammies did indeed mean goodbye...from the game, that is!

Barbershop Quarter Whammy: First appeared in late-December 1985. Three Whammies and Fang sing "You're out" one at a time in harmony, then all shout "You're out!"

First and Last Whammy Appearances
Here is a table showing the Whammy animations in order by when they first appeared in the CBS run, and their corresponding final appearances:

Whammies
Supermodel Whammy: A Whammy cross-dressing as a supermodel is seen walking down a stage while the announcer says, "Work it, Super Whammy, come on, work it honey!" But then the Whammy says, "I'm so hungry, I could eat all your money!" And he eats the contestant's cash. Then he burps. Rude, huh?

Rappin' Whammy: A Whammy dressed as a rapper proceeds to pull a sweet rapping phrase: "GO WHAMMY! WELL, I'M THE RAPPER WHAMMY AND IT AIN'T NO JOKE/I'M CLEANING YOU OUT AND LEAVING YOU BROKE!﻿" and then takes a dollar bill out of the contestant's bank and poses with it.

Drill Sergeant Whammy: A Whammy dressed as a drill sergeant blows his whistle at Bill (a stack of money) to "drop and give me 20!" Then he yells to "give me everything!" To that we say, "SIR, NO SIR! Sergeant Whammy, YOU ARE HEREBY DISCHARGED AND DECOMMISSIONED, SIR!"

Basketball Whammy: A throwback to the classic series, this Whammy comes in dribbling a basketball, then does a slam dunk so hard he ends up hanging on the net!

Whammy Court Judge: Similar to the one from the classic shows, but very different. An off-screen voice says: "All rise for Judge Whammy." Then a pink Whammy dressed up like Judge Judy comes up and says: "I don't wanna hear about your money problems. DISMISSED!" as she pounds her gavel on the player's score. FYI, the real Judge Judy never uses a gavel in her courtroom; though her husband Jerry, a former People's Court judge and the last predecessor to Marilyn Milian, does/

Spelling Bee Whammy: A skirt wearing Whammy participates in a spelling bee. An off-screen voice says: "Spell: LOSER." The Whammy then says, "Loser, Y-O-U, LOSER!" There is no certainty if this was inspired by the Doctor Whammy skit from the final three months of the 1980s series.

Anne Robinson Whammy: A Whammy posing as Weakest Link host Anne Robinson says to the contestant: "Who's one spin short of a winner? Bye-Bye." At least they didn't think of one with George Gray.

Double Whammies
Attic Double Whammy: A Whammy sees a ladder coming down. Then the Whammy climbs up saying, "The money's gotta be around here somewhere." As he pulls the switch, clothes come down, and on the contestant too!

Barista Double Whammy: A Whammy is behind a counter with a coffee machine and says, "One non-fat double tall sugar-free latte with extra foam..." And then the machine explodes causing coffee to go everywhere. Coffee beans and Styrofoam cups come raining down on the contestant, and then the Whammy adds, "Absolutely no dough."

Pizza Double Whammy: Another throwback to the classic series. This Whammy is seen tossing a pizza dough and sings "Though the losers may try, no one makes pizza pie like the Whammy!" On the last word, he tosses the dough upwards, which causes the real dough to land on the player's head, along with some extra flour for good measure!

Sheep Double Whammy: A Whammy is seen conducting a flock of sheep while singing his rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Midway through, he shears the sheep of their wool, causing real wool to fall on the contestant!

Junk Mail Double Whammy: A Whammy is seen pulling on a blue mailbox. He struggles to get it open, and when he finally does, junk mail falls on the contestant; and we mean snail mail spam!

Basketball Double Whammy: Just like the single one, but this time, foam basketballs fall on the contestant; talk about a real slam dunk!

Lawnmower Double Whammy: Like the classic series, except there are grass-shaped dollar signs. The Whammy runs by and mows them down, which causes real grass to fall on the player! That's not the kind of green anyone wants!

Grocery Double Whammy: A female Whammy comes in holding a bag of groceries. She says, "Mommy's home! And she's brought home some lovely vegetables. But then she slips on a skateboard, causing the groceries to go everywhere and fall on the contestant, too!

Shows appeared
Press Your Luck (1983-1986)

Whammy!: The All-New Press Your Luck (2002-2003)

Gameshow Marathon (2006/Press Your Luck episode 4)

Similar Character
The Devil (Second Chance)

YouTube Videos
Whammy Pack from Press Your Luck

More Whammy Pack from Press Your Luck

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8CtKP32Gc Regular Whammy Pack from Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK3mFDL2k-Q Double Whammy Pack from Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck]