Camouflage (1)

ABC Spiel: "There is a (insert object) hidden in this picture. One of today's contestants will be given a chance to find it. If he/she does, he/she will win a (insert car). The ABC Television Network presents a television game where all you have to do to win is find something that's right before your very eyes. CAMOUFLAGE!!!!! Brought to you today by (insert sponsor). And now, here's the host, DON MORROW/JOHNNY GILBERT!!!!!"

Syndicated Spiel: "Somewhere hidden right before your very eyes, in this super bonus playoff picture, there's a (insert object). Tonight, one of these 2 contstants will earn the right to locate and trace the outline of that (insert object). And if they succeed, they'll win hundreds of dollars in cash and this (insert car). From the Chuck Barris stages in Hollywood, California, it's CAMOUFLAGE!!!!!! Here's the host and star of the show, TOM CAMPBELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The picture puzzle game show where contestants try to find hidden objects within.

Broadcast
ABC: January 9, 1961 - November 16, 1962

Syndication: February 4, 1980 - May 2, 1980

Packagers
Camouflage Inc./Jerry Hammer Productions 1961-1962

Chuck Barris Productions 1980

Hosts
Don Morrow 1961-1962

Johnny Gilbert (sub)

Tom Campbell 1980

Announcers
Johnny Gilbert 1961-1962

Chet Gould (sub)

Johnny Jacobs 1980

Premise
Two contestants battle it out for prizes simply by tracing the hidden object inside a picture drawing.

Main Game
A picture drawing was presented to the players, and the hidden object was announced. Then the host asked questions to the contestants. The first player to buzz-in with a correct answer scored, and some camouflage (portions of the picture) was taken away. The player who answered the question correctly can either find & trace the object or pass up the chance and play another question. When taking the chance, the player must trace the outline of the object. Failure to do so gave the opponent the chance to trace the object. The first player to correctly trace the object won the game.

1961 ABC Version
Contestants played for points & prizes in this version, players get the same puzzle separately, and all toss-up questions were "true or false". Players secretly locked in their true or false answers. Locating the hidden object on the board without any of the puzzle removed before the first question won the game and the top prize. Each question came with a clock which started at 10 and decreased one point every half-second and stopped when a contestant locked in his/her answer. An incorrect answer awarded those points to the other player if he/she locked in the other answer. The winner of each toss-up earned the remaining points on the clock, and when a contestant had 30 or more via the questions, he/she was then shown the object that person must find. Each player's puzzle had a point bank which started at 200 points, and decreased by 10 for every new attempt at the puzzle. Each time a contestant decided to go trace the object, he/she had 10 seconds within which to trace the object. The winner of each game won a prize according to his/her overall total score from that game (questions plus value of that player's own puzzle) and the right to face a new opponent. The player with the highest single-game score that day played for a new car.

1980 Syndicated Version
There were two formats to this version. But the one thing that is the same is that both contestants operate on the same puzzle together.

Format #1
The game was played the same as the original, except that each round was now played for money instead of points and no prizes. The questions were no longer restricted to "true or false", the clock was removed and they were worth $50. The value of the game was a random cash value from $200-$1,000. Three games were played each show and the player with the most money at the end of the third game won the right to play for a new car.

Format #2
The format changed after a few weeks on the air. This time, two different pairs of contestants played the first two games with the winner of each game advancing to the third and final game, but not before facing a bonus picture for $1,000. The maximum value of each game was reduced to $500. The winner of the third game went on to play for a new car.

The Car Puzzle
The big winner of the day faced one last picture with one last hidden object. If the player can trace that final object correctly, he/she won a new car. In the ABC version, the championship contestant had 15 seconds to do so, but in the 1980 revival, there was no time limit.

Trivia
The 1980 revival of Camouflage was the last nighttime game show to air once a week. By that time, most other game shows switched to either twice a week or five times each week.

Links
Rules for both versions of Camouflage

Tammy Warner's Camouflage (1) Page

TV IV Article on the 1961 version of Camouflage

Rules for the 1980 version of Camouflage (1)

Rules for the 1980 version of Camouflage (2)

Screengrabs of the 1980 Revival