Tic Tac Dough

Contestants play tic-tac-toe, trivia style.

Broadcast
NBC 1956-1959

CBS "The New Tic Tac Dough" 1978 Syndicated 1978-1986

Syndicated 1990-1991

Packagers
Barry & Enright Productions

ITC (distributor) 1990-1991

Hosts
Jack Barry 1956

Gene Rayburn 1956-1958

Bill Wendell 1958-1959

Wink Martindale 1978-1985

Jim Caldwell 1985-1986

Patrick Wayne 1990-1991

Main Game
Two contestants, one a returning champion playing "X", the other the challenger playing "O", faced a tic-tac-toe style game board. On the board are nine categories in nine boxes. The contestants in turn picked a category, then the host asked a question under that category. A correct answer won the box by placing his/her symbol in it. After each turn (originally after each round), categories shuffled to different positions. The object of the game was to place three Xs or Os in a row, either across (horizontally), up and down (vertically), or diagonally. Along the way, correct answers also added money the pot. The outside boxes were worth a small amount, while the center box was worth even more, since the questions there were tougher; in fact they were all two-parters, and the player in control was given extra time to think it over. The first player to get tic-tac-dough won the game, became Tic Tac Dough champion, and took all the money in the pot, and (starting in the 70s) went on to play the Tic-Tac-Dough bonus game. If the game ended in a tie (eight boxes for both players with no chance for a win, or the board was completely filled-up), a brand-new game was played with new categories (starting in the 70s), and the pot continued growing from the last total amount from the previous game. Challengers ("O" players) won money for each tie should he/she lose.

50s Version
The game board had prism-style rollers used to shuffle the categories, and light boxes to light up the Xs & Os.

The outer boxes were worth $100, while the center box was worth $200 in the daytime version, for a maximum total of $1,000 per game; while the nighttime show had the outer boxes be worth $300, and the center worth $500, for a total of $2,900.

Champions from this version can decide to either continue playing or retire from the show. If the challenger won, the money in the pot was taken out of the former champion's grand total. Losing challengers won $100 for each tie game.

There was no bonus game in this version.

70s/80s Version
The well-remembered 70s & 80s version premiered on July 3, 1978 on CBS and lasted for two months, but gave light to the syndicated nighttime version which lasted for an incredible eight years.

The game board was computerized, and had nine television monitors.

The values of the boxes in the CBS summer run were the same as the 50s NBC daytime run, but in the syndicated run, the values were upped to $200 for the outer boxes, and $300 for the center, for a maximum of $1,900 per game.

Starting in season two of the syndicated run, losing challengers won $250 per tie game.

Champions in the CBS run stayed on the show till they were either defeated or exceeded the then CBS winnings limit of $25,000 or more. There was no limit whatsoever in the syndicated run, they just play till they lose.

Champions who won every five matches won a new car.

The Red Categories
Starting in season two of the syndicated run, certain categories appeared in a red background. Those were very special categories, some had special questions, some may affect the outcome of the game, others allowed both contestants to play. None of them appeared in the center box, for none of them had two-part questions.


 * Secret Category - This was the show's very first red category, which first appeared in the lower right hand corner at the start, then later appeared in the bottom center at the start. The secret category is sort of a mystery, for it can be any category at all. A correct answer to that question from that category doubled the total of the pot. Making pot values occasionally worth more than $10,000, with the biggest pot value in the history the series $46,900, and the 2nd biggest was $36,800.
 * Jump-In Category - The host would read the question to both players, and the first player to buzz-in got a chance to answer. A correct answer won the box, but an incorrect answer gave the opponent a chance to answer for the box, by hearing the entire question. In the CBS run, the Jump-Ins were identified by a black background behind 1, 2, or 3 categories. There were two other variations of that category which will be explained later.
 * Challenge Category - This was where the person who selected the box decided to either answer the question him/herself or challenge his/her opponent to do the same. A correct answer or a successful challenge won the box.
 * Bonus Category - A three-part question was asked the player in control. Answering all three parts correctly not only won the box, but also another turn. A Tic-Tac-Dough can be achieved by going for that category (either three times or twice plus one regular category) in three straight moves, causing the opponent to return to play another game.
 * Opponent's Choice - So-called, because the opponent got to decide which one of two categories he/she wants the player in control to answer a question from. In the final season, the player in control can be forced to answer two questions on one category, or one in another.
 * Play or Pass - This was where the player in control can decide after hearing the question, to answer that question, or pass it up for another question.
 * Seesaw - One question with multiple answers was asked, and the contestants starting with the player who selected the category, took turns answering the that question. Play continues until one of the players, gave a wrong answer, repeats one, or ran out of time; causing the other player to win the box. The box can be also won by the player giving the last correct answer.
 * Auction - A question with multiple answers was read. Then the contestants starting with the player who selected the category, bid back and forth on how many answers they want to give. Bidding stops when a player bids the max number, or forces the other to play. The winner of the bid must then give the required number answers he/she bid on. A completed bid won the box, but an incorrect answer somewhere down the line, allowed the opponent to try and give just one correct answer to win the box.
 * Top Ten - A question with a number of ranked answers to it was asked. The player who choose the category must then give the highest ranked answer on the list. Giving the number one answer or the higher ranked answer won the box; but an incorrect answer or a lower ranked answer gave the opposing player a chance to answer. In the final season, Top Ten was renamed Top This.
 * Double or Nothing - This was where a contestant can win two boxes in the same turn. A correct answer from one question earned the right to try and win another box. Answering the second question correctly won both boxes, but answering incorrectly earned nothing. The board did not shuffle in between categories. Originally, the player in control can decide not to go for another box, or take that risk.
 * Trivia Dare - A multiple-choice question was asked to both players. The player who selected the box decides to either answer the question first, or dare his/her opponent to answer. The winner of the question won the box.
 * Grand Question - This was the replacement for the now defunct Secret Category. A correct answer from that question added $1,000 to the pot.
 * Take Two - The questions from this category had two clues. The contestant who chose the box could answer from the first clue just read, or risk losing the box by hearing the second clue and giving the opponent a chance to answer.
 * It's a Dilemma - In this category, the first clue to the correct answer was read, then the contestant who selected the box chose how many out of the remaining five to hear; but the opponent must then decide who should answer the question.
 * Number Please - A question with a numerical answer was asked. The player who selected the box must then take a guess, then the opponent guessed whether the actual number was higher or lower than the first player's guess. The actual number was then revealed, and a correct higher or lower guess won the box for the opponent, but an incorrect higher or lower guess or guessing the number on the nose won the first player the box.
 * Showdown - A series of two-part jump-in questions were asked. The first player to buzz-in had a chance to answer first, then the opposing player got to answer. Play continued until one player made a mistake, causing the other player to win the box.
 * Three to Win - A series of Jump-in questions were asked to both players, and the first player to answer three questions correctly won the box.

90s Version
The game board was completely computer generated, and displayed on one TV monitor which was housed inside a giant gray ball.

The box values were $1,000 for the center, and $500 for the outers. The pot did not carryover into the next game, instead the pot was reset, and values of all boxes were doubled.

There was no money offered to losing challengers for tie games.

Champions stayed on the show till they won 15 matches, or defeated.

Contestants stopped the shuffling of the categories themselves by hitting their buzzer.

Beat the Dragon (Bonus Game)
In the bonus game that started in 1978, winning contestants had to meet a certain goal before running into the mean green dragon.

70s/80s Bonus
The bonus round from the 70s & 80s version had two different formats.

The CBS Bonus
In this bonus game, the board now consisted of eight tic-tac-toe symbols (four Xs & four Os) and only one dragon. The Xs & Os were jumbled up making sure that there was only one way to win. The winning contestant started calling off numbers, and for each symbol found (either X or O), $150 was added to the pot. Finding the dragon at any point caused the player to lose the money, that's why he/she always got the option to stop and take the money or continue playing. If the one Tic-Tac-Dough with either symbol was found, the winning contestant not only kept the cash (for a maximum of $1,200), but also won prizes.

The Syndication Bonus
The board now had six money amounts ranging from $100-$500 (originally $50-$500), squares marked TIC & TAC, and of course, the dragon. The object of this game was to uncover money amounts and try to reach $1,000 or more, or find the TIC & the TAC. Doing either one of those things won not only the cash, but also a special prize package. Finding the dragon of course lost all the money, but the championship player always got the option to stop and take the money or play on.

90s Bonus
The 1990s bonus game was played the same way as the CBS bonus, except with these differences:
 * The contestant had to find the Tic-Tac-Dough of the symbol of his/her choosing.
 * Finding the selected symbol won $500 to the contestant, with the money doubling for each subsequent symbol. Finding the other symbol was worth nothing.
 * A knight known as the "dragonslayer" was also added to the board, to go with the dragon. While the dragon continued to burn all the money earned by the contestant when found, the dragonslayer triggered an instant win, if found; and finding on the first pick was worth $1,000.

Finding the Tic-Tac-Dough with the chosen symbol or finding the dragonslayer, doubled the cash, won the money, and won a prize package. Of course finding the dragon loses it all, but the contestant got the option to stop after each dragon-less pick.

Trivia
Thom McKee a lieutenant pilot in the navy was the biggest winner in the history of Tic Tac Dough having won $312,700. His wife Jenny who he just married by the time he came to the show, assisted him mostly in playing the Beat the Dragon bonus game.

Links
The Unofficial Tic Tac Dough Supersite Rules for Tic Tac Dough at the Game Show Temple