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[[File:Whammy.gif|200px|right]][[File:Whammy1.gif|200px|right]][[File:Dr. Whammy 2019|thumb|200px]]
 
[[File:Whammy.gif|200px|right]][[File:Whammy1.gif|200px|right]][[File:Dr. Whammy 2019|thumb|200px]]
'''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.
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'''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 the self-proclaimed Whammy 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).
 
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).
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A former staffer who worked on series from 1983 to 1986 did mention that when contestants hit a Whammy with zero dollars, or a very low total, a quick Whammy animation would be played, whereas a larger amount being lost would mean a longer Whammy animation. There is also speculation that quicker Whammy animations may have been used despite a large amount being lost because of a prolonged round due to a lot of spins being used; and longer Whammy animations may have been shown regardless of the total if the total number of spins earned for a round was quite low - this may have been done as a time-filler.
 
A former staffer who worked on series from 1983 to 1986 did mention that when contestants hit a Whammy with zero dollars, or a very low total, a quick Whammy animation would be played, whereas a larger amount being lost would mean a longer Whammy animation. There is also speculation that quicker Whammy animations may have been used despite a large amount being lost because of a prolonged round due to a lot of spins being used; and longer Whammy animations may have been shown regardless of the total if the total number of spins earned for a round was quite low - this may have been done as a time-filler.
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According to a now defunct PYL fan-page, the animator (Savage Steve Holland) did the animations on a laser pen. He was paid $10 for each frame.
   
 
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 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.
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==Animations In Press Your Luck==
 
==Animations In Press Your Luck==
==='''Quick Whammy Animations'''===
 
These Whammy animations are usually used when a player hits a Whammy with $0 or a very minimal score.
 
 
'''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.
 
 
'''Boxing Whammy:''' The Whammy came ready to fight. He's in trunks and boxing gloves punching away while yelling, "I'm ready! Bring on Rocky! Bring on Rocky! I want him! I want him!" However, a giant boxing glove with a spring sends him plunging back accompanied by the sound of the boxing ring bell. Guess he wasn't ready. :-)
 
 
'''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!
 
 
'''Whammy walking Fang: '''The Whammy's yellow dog, Fang, made his 1st appearance on the 1st episode. Whammy walked the chomping dog saying, "Get 'em Fang. Get 'em, get 'em Fang. Get 'em, sick 'em, sick 'em." Laughing all the way off screen, the Whammy was originally - but rarely - heard saying "No! Help, he's got me! He's got me!" at the end. There were two versions of this Whammy animation:
 
* Version 1.0 was a smaller size and used until sometime in 1984.
 
* Version 2.0 had enlarged frames and first appeared sometime late in 1984 or early 1985.
 
 
'''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.
 
 
'''Whammy on Surfboard:''' The Whammy, in swimming trunks on a surfboard, rides a wave which falls by the time it reaches the end of the screen. There were
 
* Version 1.0 had the original dialogue "Surf's up! Hang ten! I got your money! It's a wipeout!" and was used until sometime early in 1984.
 
 
* Version 2.0 had updated dialogue "Surf's up! Hang ten! I'm in the curl and I got your money! Ha ha ha ha ha!" which was used for a short period in 1984 before reverting back to Version 1.0 by May 1984 and was used from that point onward.
 
'''Roller Skating Whammy:''' The Whammy loses control on his roller skates, saying "Look out! LOOK OUT!!!", then falls and lands on his back, and slid off screen with dead X's in his eyes, and the score is wiped out completely as he thuds.
 
 
'''Skateboarding Whammy: '''The Whammy comes speeding in out of control on a skateboard laughing. He fails to see the smiling tree in front of him, and he crashes into it to the sound of crashing and birdies.
 
 
'''Jumping Whammy:''' The 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.
 
 
'''Native American Whammy:''' The Whammy is dressed as a Native American, paddling across the water on a canoe, trying to speak like the NA's. Midway across the water, the canoe springs a leak and capsizes with the Whammy. Overall, the Whammy's impersonation through the whole thing sounds like this: "Mo-ney mo-ney, aye yi yi yi, mo-ney mo-ney, oh no..." You get the picture.
 
 
'''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 and then a cash register sound was heard, the exact moment where the contestant's score is deleted.
 
:NOTE: In late-1985, American Express company filed a lawsuit against the show for using the company's likeliness without 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 Larry Bird, then once off screen, though, the sound of him crashing into the lockers was heard.
 
 
'''Whammy on Skis:''' A buggy-eyed Whammy comes flying in on skis, laughing while saying "woo hoo" multiple times (Presumably, he came off a ski jump.), then failed to see the snowman in his path, though... and the snowman wasn't too thrilled about it, either. This was an early Whammy animation, as can be told by the giant ugly eyes and smile the whammy has.
 
 
'''Whammy operating Snowblower:''' Whammy pushes a snowblower coming in, then slips and falls on some ice and causing the snowblower to be set free, and a pile of snow falls falls from the sky onto him. This may be a callback to the Lawn Mower Whammy, one of the original animations seen in the series.
 
 
'''Tarzan Whammy:''' The Whammy, dressed in loincloth, swings on a vine and yells like Tarzan as the score is erased digit by digit, then after flying across the screen, however, he hits an elephant who is none too happy..
 
 
'''George Washington Whammy on Dollar Bill:''' See Celebrity Whammies section.
 
 
'''Whammy Cheerleaders:''' 2 Whammies, female and male, are leading the cheers of the football crowd. The Whammies cheer together, "Give me a W-H-A! Give me an M-M-Y!" However, the megaphone that the female Whammy is carrying slams on the male one's head when they say "Y!" This causes his voice to echo "Y..Y..Y.."
 
 
'''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 his underwear with red polka dots. "Oh boy..." he sighs.
 
 
==='''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! 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 in a WW1 biplane while shooting and laughing like crazy, 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!" Peter was once heard in an outtake early in the show's run saying "Duck! Better duck, Dave." when this animation showed up.
 
: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.
 
 
'''Baseball Player Whammy:''' The Whammy is up to bat waiting on the pitch. While waiting, he taunts the pitcher. Normally, you heard, "Gimme everything you got or I'll knock it out of the park." Occasionally, you heard an extended version where he said, "Gimme a fastball. Gimme a screwball. Gimme a knuckleball. Gimme everything you got or I'll knock it out of the park." Either way, the result is the same. The pitch comes rocketing in, pounds the Whammy in the stomach, and sends him flying.
 
 
'''Whammy with Dynamite:''' The Whammy is set to activate a detonator, saying "Hee hee hee, this ought do it!" then upon the blast, the player's score is wiped out, and the Whammy's red skin has apparently dissolved. Early in the series, the animation frames would continue through the end of the audio, but by sometime in 1984 (definitely by May 23, 1984), the animation disappeared prematurely before the Whammy starts to say "Oh no... oh...."
 
 
'''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.
 
 
'''Movie Star Whammy:''' The Whammy is sitting in a director's chair with his name on it. Looking over it to the screen, he says, "Now that I'm a star, I need makeup. MAKEUP!" As he calls for makeup, a giant powder puff comes flying in, smacking him in the face.
 
 
'''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!". Unfortunately, the bike must've hit something because he starts to wheelie out of control. "WHOOOOOAAAAA!!!" He crashes off screen, and afterward, he would say, "Whoops."
 
 
'''Whammy operating Lawn Mower:''' The Whammy must think the money is grass, because he comes in with his lawnmower and mows it away laughing while the player's total is erased digit by digit (though the total was reset to $0 during the first few episodes). One occurrence of said animation in the first couple of weeks of the series experienced chroma-key problems and the Whammy appeared to be pushing an "invisible" lawn mower.
 
 
'''Magician Whammy:''' The Whammy, wearing a top hat and magician's jacket, appears with a 'WHAM!' smoke cloud, and places a giant red cape over the contestant's score, which is erased while it's covered. Thus, when he pulls the cape back, the scoreboard is blank. Then the Whammy himself disappears in a 'WHAM!' smoke cloud, laughing. 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 tucks into the cannon for the blast, and then the cannon goes off and blows up, and the Whammy is left sitting there with half the cannon still around him grumbling, "Holy smokes, guys...no..."
 
 
'''Fortune Teller Whammy:''' A wrinkly female Whammy came on screen dressed in gypsy clothing with her hands over a crystal ball showing a dollar sign crossed out. Invoking her "powers" she exclaims, "It's coming to me now, I see financial disaster in your future." Then the Whammy and the crystal ball vanish in a puff of smoke.
 
 
'''Window-washer Whammy:''' A platform is lowered from the top of the screen where the Whammy is dressed as a window washer. While singing to himself, he squeegees the player's scoreboard clean digit by digit, and then yells "Okay, take it away!" and as the platform is being raised, the Whammy loses his balance and crashes off screen to the sound of glass shattering. The Whammy then sighs, "Aw, gee."
 
 
'''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" (representing the show's name and 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 Hawaiian music plays, and the Whammy wears a grass skirt and dances the hula across the screen. He dances a bit too far, though, because as he goes off screen, a sound of him falling into the ocean with a splash was heard. The original version had longer audio, and an abbreviated version was used in 1985. This Whammy animation would often be shown to Hawaiian contestants or anyone who lost a Hawaiian holiday or a Polynesian holiday (Fiji Islands, Tahiti, etc.) to a Whammy.
 
 
'''Whammy Dancing Act:''' A Whammy came onto a screen waving a top hat and dancing back & forth saying "Hee ha ha, watch this one, yes sir. Yes sir, ha ha ha. Whoa!" Upon saying "Whoa!", a hook from the right of the screen pulled the Whammy off stage.
 
 
'''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 wearing a scuba mask and riding on a shark as he laughs the whole way, and the shark chomps away the score digit by digit.
 
 
'''Photographer Whammy:''' A Whammy is standing under a black cloth over his face adjacent to an old-style camera, complete with the birdie that was used to hold the flash powder in, ready to take a picture, and telling the contestant "I want to get a picture of you losing your money. Say cheese!" As the player occasionally smiles, the Whammy takes the picture. But there was too much powder in the birdie, so it explodes so brightly that the Whammy appears to be dizzy, seeing stars and such. 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 plow 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. He starts jumping up and down, then pulls out a hammer and ran across the screen, pounding on the player's score to get rid of the contestant's stash. This was the only animation used in the pilot. This whammy animation was the basis for 4 of the original 5 whammy pictures on the Big Board.
 
 
'''Picnic Whammy:''' The Whammy and his girlfriend, Tammy Whammette, are outside having a picnic, and love is in the air. The two then share one of 2 conversations. When the Whammy pauses, he opens the picnic basket, only to find Fang eating the chicken, leaving the 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 looking like a punk rocker, starts to wail away on the electric guitar. Then after several riffs, he gets a wild electric shock as the score is wiped out, then dies with his remains, including his eyes and bandanna in a pile of dust.
 
 
'''Pizza Maker Whammy:''' The Whammy was wearing the chef's hat and speaking in an Italian accent. While trying to toss pizza dough in the air above him, he says, "We got the cheese, pepperoni, tomato, sau--". At this point, the Whammy drops the pizza dough which falls on his head. Embarrassed, he 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 is dressed as Boy George in his Culture Club days and 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, a giant hammer smacks him on the head and crushes him into goo.
 
 
'''Benjamin Franklin Whammy: '''Remember the old tale of how Benjamin Franklin flew the kite in the storm with the metal key attached? Well, the Whammy revives the whole moment. He tells the contestant, "The chances of you winning this game are about as good as my being hit by--" then a lightning bolt nails him at this point, needless to say, as the Whammy is shocked in pain and the player's total is erased all at once.
 
 
'''Paul Revere Whammy:''' Riding Fang while holding a lantern, the Whammy yells through the streets, "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 off screen she sings "Cash! Woo! Woo!"
 
 
'''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.
 
 
'''Whammy & Tammy as country singers: '''This sequence shows how the Whammy's girlfriend, Tammy Whammette, got her name. The two show up in country and cowboy gear, with the Whammy playing country music on guitar. Tammy (based on country singer Tammy Wynette) sings, "It's good to have your money back again..." As she holds the last word, the Whammy yells "Ladies and gentlemen, Tammy Whammette!" Someone from off screen throws a pie at his face for his interjection.
 
 
'''Elvis Presley Whammy:''' The Whammy comes in dressed as Elvis, with the jumpsuit, hairdo and guitar and singing like Elvis. After he sings, he tries to juke and jive like Elvis did, but a loud crack was heard and Whammy yells "OW!" He slowly leaves in pain grumbling, "Oh no. Oh boy..." The stars behind him indicate that he probably threw 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 spinning in dressed with Michael's traditional greasy black hair, seguin jacket and glove. He dances around to an acoustic version of "Billie Jean", and in one final spin, smiles with stars in his eyes.
 
 
'''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.
 
 
'''George Washington Whammy on Dollar Bill:''' A $1 bill (or to be correct, a 1 "Whammy" bill) slides in to the sound of a cash register. The Whammy, impersonating the first U.S. President, uttered the phrase "Hee hee hee! I cannot tell a lie! You lose!" when paused midway on screen, then the bill then slides off the screen to another cash register sound. 
 
 
'''Willie Nelson Whammy:''' This was the shortest-lived Whammy animation of the series, known to be shown on at least three 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, known to be seen on-June 4, 1986 and early in 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. I don't think Peter ever DID like it that much.
 
 
==='''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 Whammy appears wearing a pink blazer and tall hat, and a sash saying "VOTE". He proclaims, "If elected, I will raise your taxes!", then he gets a pie thrown in his face as a result. 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. Another possible reason, though only speculation, is seen in the table in the First and Last Whammy Appearances section shown below.
 
 
'''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 at the top of her lungs. 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, panting heavily, and a pair of hands throw a bucket of water on him, putting out the torch, 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 with the pole for the pole vault, then plants the pole in the ground and springs off the top of the screen, out of sight, claiming "This is it! A new world's 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 Donner, on Blitzen, on Fang, get your money, get your money!" then laughs evilly as the ride off-screen.
 
 
'''Scrooge Whammy:''' Tapping a cane repeatedly as he moves across screen, the Whammy, dressed like Ebenezer Scrooge 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 labeled "TO ME" 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)
 
 
'''Whammy Cruise:''' 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 Quartet 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:
 
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="article-table article-table-selected" style="height: 200px;"
 
|-
 
! scope="col"|Whammy type
 
! scope="col"|First CBS Appearance
 
! scope="col"|Final CBS Appearance
 
! scope="col"|Notes
 
|-
 
|Pogo Stick Whammy
 
|September 19, 1983
 
|As early as July 22, 1986.
 
|First Whammy animation shown on the CBS series. Disappeared by January 17, 1984 but reappeared on May 2, 1984. 
 
|-
 
|Hammer Whammy
 
|September 19, 1983
 
|As early as May 3, 1985
 
|Disappeared by January 17, 1984, but reappeared by April 1985 during College Week.
 
|-
 
|Whammy Walking Fang
 
|September 19, 1983
 
|March 12, 1985
 
|Two versions of this Whammy animation were used:
 
 
 
*Version 1.0 was a smaller size and used until sometime in 1984.
 
*Version 2.0 had enlarged frames and first appeared sometime late in 1984 or early 1985.
 
|-
 
|Tap-Dancing Whammy
 
|September 19, 1983
 
|As early as June 3, 1986
 
|Disappeared sometime in 1985, but reappeared as an Intro Whammy as early as December 1985, and eventually reappeared in gameplay before mid-April 1986.
 
|-
 
|Dynamite Whammy
 
|September 20, 1983
 
|June 8, 2006
 
|This animation may hold the distinction of having the most appearances on the series than any other Whammy animation. It made its official final appearance during ''[[Gameshow Marathon]]'' in 2006.
 
|-
 
|Lawn Mower Whammy
 
|September 2#, 1983
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy Riding Shark
 
|September 23, 1983
 
|June 23, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy Airplane Pilot
 
|September 23, 1983
 
|July 26, 1986
 
|Disappeared for a few months by August 22, 1985, but reappeared by December 1985.
 
|-
 
|Hula Dancing Whammy
 
|September 2#, 1983
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Later in the series, this animation was used primarily when a contestant hits his/her first Whammy after hitting a Hawaiian or Polynesian holiday (Tahiti, Fiji Islands, etc.)
 
|-
 
|Whammy Operating Bulldozer
 
|September 2#, 1983
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Jumping Whammy
 
|September 2#, 1983
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Magician Whammy
 
|October 4, 1983
 
|December 10, 1985
 
|Disappeared (no pun intended) by January 17, 1984, but reappeared for its final appearance on December 10, 1985, then disappeared from the show completely. With roughly 23 months between appearances, this may be the longest gap between appearances of a specific Whammy animation.
 
|-
 
|Astronaut Whammy
 
|October 19, 1983
 
|June 14, 1984
 
|Two versions were used:
 
 
 
*Version 1.0, with the reference to the movie The Right Stuff in the dialogue.
 
*Version 2.0 with no dialogue at the end ran from October ##, 1983 to October ##, 1983.
 
*Version 3.0 was seen by the beginning of November 1983, and last appeared regularly by January 17, 1984, though it made two more rare appearances on April 24, 1984 and on June 14, 1984 (three days after Michael Larson's run) before it was retired.
 
|-
 
|Whammy on Roller Skates
 
|As early as October 19, 1983
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy using Jackhammer
 
|As early as October 19, 1983
 
|September 26, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy on Surfboard
 
|As early as October 19, 1983
 
|June 8, 2006
 
|Two versions were used:
 
 
 
*Version 1.0 had the original dialogue "I got your money! It's a wipeout!" and was used until sometime early in 1984.
 
*Version 2.0 had updated dialogue "I got your curl and I got your money! Ha ha ha ha ha!" which was used for a short period in 1984 before reverting back to Version 1.0 by May 1984 and was used from that point onward.
 
*Made its last appearance on the original series around April 1986, but it's official last appearance was on June 8, 2006 during ''[[Gameshow Marathon]]''.
 
|-
 
|Boxer Whammy
 
|
 
|As early as July 22, 1986
 
|Disappeared by January 17, 1984, but reappeared late in 1984, then disappeared by January 1985 but reappeared late in 1985 and used for the remainder of the series. There is no certainty if this Whammy animation was only seen during boxing season.
 
|-
 
|Pilgrim Whammy
 
|November 18, 1983
 
|November 27, 1985
 
|Used in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Version 1.0 with a John Wayne-style voice at the end was last used on November 23, 1983. The shortened Version 2.0 was used for the remainder of the series. Some speculated that John Wayne's estate (since he was deceased by that time) may have complained and threatened legal action, which prompted the "voice" to be edited out.
 
|-
 
|Scrooge Whammy
 
|December 20, 1983
 
|December 25, 1985
 
|The first Christmas-themed Whammy animation seen in the series, and the only Whammy animation seen on the episode it first appeared on, December 20, 1983.
 
|-
 
|Santa Claus Whammy
 
|December 21, 1983
 
|December 25, 1985
 
|The only Christmas-themed Whammy animation shown during Rod Roddy's opening spiel, which was on December 25, 1985.
 
|-
 
|Whammy at Christmas Tree
 
|December 22, 1983
 
|December 25, 1985
 
|Two versions of this Whammy each with different audio tracks. Both versions may appear on the same episode.
 
|-
 
|Baby New Year Whammy
 
|December 26, 1983
 
|January 2, 1986
 
|The version with the "1984" sash was used for the entire week of December 26-30, 1983. The "1985" version was used only once or twice on January 2, 1985, and the "1986" version was only seen once on January 2, 1986, during Round 1.
 
|-
 
|Ali Baba Whammy
 
|As early as January 17, 1984
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy on Dollar Bill
 
|As early as January 17, 1984
 
|
 
|Disappeared by December 1985, but reappeared sometime in April 1986.
 
|-
 
|Whammy Cat Chase
 
|As early as January 17, 1984
 
|November 22, 1985
 
|
 
|-
 
|Skier Whammy
 
|As early as January 17, 1984
 
|
 
|Normally goes on hiatus in March, but in 1986, for some strange reason, it was still seen in April 1986.
 
|-
 
|Snowblower Whammy
 
|As early as January 17, 1984
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|Paul Revere Whammy
 
|As early as January 17, 1984
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy on Skateboard
 
|As early as January 17, 1984
 
|
 
|Disappeared by August 1, 1985, but reappeared by December 15, 1985.
 
|-
 
|Whammy in UFO
 
|As early as March 13, 1984
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|Michael Jackson Whammy
 
|As early as March 13, 1984
 
|As early as mid-September 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Politician Whammy
 
|As early as March 13, 1984
 
|By November 5, 1984
 
|Used during the months leading up to the U.S. Election. Would have reappeared in 1988 had the series continued that far.
 
|-
 
|Native American Whammy
 
|As early as March 13, 1984
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Disappeared as early as April 1985 but reappeared by December 1985 and used during 1986.
 
|-
 
|Whammy & Tammy Picnic
 
|As early as June 20, 1984
 
|By June 17, 1985
 
|
 
*First appearance of Tammy Whammette.
 
*Version 1.0 disappeared by October 31, 1984, but Version 2.0 first appeared during College Week in April 15, 1985 and was only used in May 15, 1985 because of references to spring.
 
|-
 
|Whammy on Water Skis
 
|As early as June 20, 1984
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Used mostly during the spring and summer months, though it may have been seen in October 1984.
 
|-
 
|Breakdancing Whammy
 
|As early as June 20, 1984
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Boy George Whammy
 
|As early as June 20, 1984
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Disappeared sometime in 1985, but reappeared by May 1, 1986.
 
|-
 
|Whammy Jazz Band
 
|June 1984
 
|September 26, 1986
 
|The final new Whammy animation seen in the series.
 
|-
 
|Olympic Torchbearer Whammy
 
|June 26, 1984
 
|August 10, 1984
 
|
 
*First appearance (albeit partial) during the closing credits of the June 26, 1984 show. First seen in its entirety during gameplay on June 27, 1984.
 
*Would have been seen again if the series had continued into 1988.
 
|-
 
|Pole Vaulting Whammy
 
|As early as August 1, 1984
 
|As late as August 9, 1984
 
|Would have been seen again if the series had continued into 1988.
 
|-
 
|Elvis Presley Whammy
 
|As early as September 17, 1984
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Disappeared by January 4, 1985, but reappeared by December 1985.
 
|-
 
|Whammy Four Tops
 
|As early as September 17, 1984
 
|As early as July 10, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Umpire Whammy
 
|September 17, 1984
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|First Whammy animation designated for players having earned four Whammies.
 
|-
 
|Country & Western Duet Whammies
 
|As early as September 17, 1984
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Football Player Whammy
 
|As early as September 17, 1984
 
|By February 15, 1986
 
|Used primarily when NFL season was underway, and was put on hiatus after the Super Bowl was over. Although the last Sunday in January was when the Super Bowl took place during that time, this Whammy animation did make its final appearance in February 1986, even though NFL season had already ended.
 
|-
 
|Weightlifter Whammy
 
|As early as September 17, 1984
 
|Sometime in 1986
 
|Rarely seen on the show after the neon-colored slides debuted on August 22, 1985.
 
|-
 
|Credit Card Whammy
 
|As early as January 4, 1985
 
|By January 22, 1986
 
|Discontinued due to a lawsuit by American Express company.
 
|-
 
|Whammies as The Supremes
 
|January 4, 1985
 
|As early as July 18, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Fortune Teller Whammy
 
|January 4, 1985
 
|As early as July 22, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy Actor
 
|January 4, 1985
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy Beatles
 
|As early as January 4, 1985
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Tarzan Whammy
 
|April 1, 1985
 
|June 8, 2006
 
|First of the new set of Whammy animations to debut during College Week of March 11, 1985. Last seen in the original series on December 3, 1985, but made its final appearance on June 8, 2006 during the ''[[Gameshow Marathon]]'' series.
 
|-
 
|Basketball Player Whammy
 
|April 1, 1985
 
|
 
|Disappeared by August 22, 1985, but reappeared as early as December 6, 1985.
 
|-
 
|Window Washer Whammy
 
|
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Cyndi Lauper Whammy
 
|April 2, 1985
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Baseball Player Whammy
 
|April 2, 1985
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Used mostly during Major League Baseball season.
 
|-
 
|Tina Turner Whammy
 
|April 3, 1985
 
|As early as July 17, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy Cheerleaders
 
|April 2, 1985
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Disappeared sometime in the summer of 1985, but reappeared by December 1985.
 
|-
 
|Bullfighter Whammy
 
|April 2, 1985
 
|November 7, 1985
 
|Version 1.0 had a longer audio track and slower frames, occurring only once - its first appearance during College Week for April 1, 1985. Version 2.0 with a different audio track and quicker frames started to appear later in April 1, 1985.
 
|-
 
|Whammy on Cruise Liner
 
|April 1, 1985
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|Second Whammy animation designated for a contestant hitting his or her fourth Whammy.
 
|-
 
|Sherlock Holmes Whammy
 
|April #, 1986
 
|
 
|
 
*Disappeared from gameplay for much of 1986 until as early as May or June 1986, although it did appear during Rod Roddy's opening spiel on occasion during that time.
 
*Shown as an intro Whammy on the series finale aired on September 26, 1986
 
|-
 
|Human Cannonball Whammy
 
|August 22, 1985
 
|November 18, 1985 (possibly)
 
|May have been used during carnival season.
 
|-
 
|Photographer Whammy
 
|August 23, 1985
 
|As early as September 16, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Rock Star Whammy
 
|August 23, 1985
 
|As early as July 22, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy with Big Buck
 
|As early as August 26, 1985
 
|As early as June 15, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy Bowler
 
|As early as August 26, 1985
 
|By September 25, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Aerobics Coach Whammy
 
|As early as August 26, 1985
 
|December 5, 1985
 
|
 
*Never seen in 1986.
 
*Possibly the last new Whammy animation to feature Tammy Whammette (though it is unconfirmed if it really was Tammy Whammette in a leotard).
 
|-
 
|Whammy on Bicycle
 
|December 26, 1985
 
|As early as mid-September 1986
 
|The first Whammy animation of the second-last set of new Whammy animations introduced after Christmas 1985.
 
|-
 
|Benjamin Franklin Whammy
 
|December 26, 1985
 
|As early as June 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Liberace Whammy
 
|December 27, 1985
 
|September 26, 1986
 
|
 
*The second-last Whammy animation seen in the series.
 
*Liberace would pass away five months after the series was cancelled.
 
|-
 
|Whammy Barbershop Quartet
 
|December 30, 1985
 
|As early as July 22, 1986
 
|The last of the three Whammy-Out Whammy animations introduced to the series.
 
|-
 
|Willie Nelson Whammy
 
|January 6, 1986
 
|As early as July 1, 1986
 
|The first version was seen just one time on January 6, 1986 (the first show to air in the 4:00 P.M. ET "death slot"), but a second version with modified audio and slower frames was introduced by early-June 1986, but it too may have been retired by July 1986. This non-special occasion Whammy animation may be on track of having the fewest appearances in all.
 
|-
 
|Doctor Whammy
 
|June 2, 1986
 
|As early as July 10, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy with Firecracker
 
|As early as June 3, 1986
 
|As early as July 23, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy as Court Judge
 
|As early as June 3, 1986
 
|As early as July 12, 1986
 
|
 
|-
 
|Whammy Orchestra
 
|June 2, 1986
 
|As early as July 17,.1986
 
|
 
*Used in Round 2 of the July 17, 1986 episode possibly due to only seven spins earned in total for Round 2, thus labeling such animation, and the Tina Turner Whammy, as time fillers.
 
*It was also the first Whammy animation shown on the July 4, 1986 episode, which was quite fitting given it was Independence Day.
 
|}
 
 
==Animations In Whammy!==
 
===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!
 
 
'''Judge''' '''Whammy''': 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.
 
 
'''Weakest Link Whammy''': A Whammy posing as ''[[The Weakest Link]]'' host [[Anne Robinson]] says to the contestant: "Who's one spin short of being the winner? Bye-Bye." At least they didn't think of one with [[George Gray]].
 
 
'''ATM Whammy''': Bill, (a stack of money) is seen walking up to a machine labeled BIG BANK. The bill presses some of the buttons and then a Whammy pops up on the screen. He says: "Sorry. You've got insufficient funds." Then the Whammy's hands grab Bill by the legs, and pulls him inside.
 
 
'''Ozzy Osbourne Whammy''': A Whammy seen dressed as Ozzy Osbourne starts walking around running his mouth off like a drunken sailor: "Well, ********* fabulous, **** All I had to ******* do is walk around being ******* self. And ******* get paid for it! Whoo-hoo!"
 
 
'''M&Ms Whammy''': A Whammy that is presented with a bowl of '''M&Ms''' will dive to it making your money disappear and whammy floating.
 
 
'''NSYNC Whammy''': Five Whammies are released from a ''puppet string'' and perform a parody of NSYNC's hit song "Bye Bye Bye".
 
 
'''Tarzan Whammy''': He will go back and forth at your screen and eventually, HIT THE CAMERA. Same Whammy in Classic Press Your Luck but the difference was that the Whammy had hit an elephant.
 
 
'''Homemaker Whammy''': A female Whammy impersonates Martha Stewart, making soup in a pot on a stove, saying "This is one of my favorite dishes, and it doesn't cost any money." she knocks over a pot of water, and then says the trademark, "It's a good thing".
 
 
'''Emeril Whammy''': A Whammy dresses up in a chef outfit, impersonating Emeril Lagasse. He says, "Hey, let's kick it up a notch". With his meat tenderizer, he slams the bag of money three times and each time he says "BAM!".
 
 
'''Artist Whammy''': A Whammy paints a picture of the contestant's face and then paints a circle-slash symbol over it. He says during the painting, "You are spectacular. I think you will agree, I have captured you beautifully, and your money."
 
 
'''Riverdance Whammy''': A Whammy tap dances into the screen from the left, then hides away to "magically" make six groups of Whammies to appear and tap dance, moving closer and taking up the entire screen. When this first appeared on the St. Patrick's Day 2003 show, the Whammies were green.
 
 
'''Cell Phone Whammy''': A Whammy is on a cell phone, asking the trademark question from Verizon Wireless twice: "Can you hear me now?" but all he hears is static, causing him to say, "You're outta range...and money!". The trademark question was removed in season 2, replacing it with "I'm losing you!" and "You're dropping out!", respectively.
 
 
'''Sea World Whammy''': Bill is being used as bait while a Whammy as a shark jumps out of the water and snatches him.
 
 
'''Ventriloquist Whammy''': Bill is seen controlling a ventriloquist dummy version of the Whammy with Whammy telling him that he's the dummy. Bill argues that Whammy is the dummy. The Whammy then says, "You look like you could use a drink" then grabs a dollar bill out of Bill's stack and runs off with Bill chasing him. Whammy can then be heard saying, "Now who's the dummy?"
 
 
'''Yoga Whammy''': A Whammy is seen doing Yoga and begins to levitate. He then spins out revealing himself with money in both of his hands saying "money" before giggling.
 
 
'''Race Car Whammy''': A Whammy is seen driving a race car. He then grabs the contestant's money before spinning out and crashing.
 
 
'''Photo Booth Whammy''': A Whammy is in charge of a photo booth. Bill appears with a camera and Whammy asks him if he had vacation photos or pictures of his new baby before the camera malfunctions sending camera flashes everywhere.
 
 
'''Masseuse Whammy''': A Whammy is seen giving a massage to Bill saying, "Now just relax and I'll work on that knot." He over massages Bill reducing him to dollar bills that spill everywhere. He then says, "There, no more knot."
 
 
'''Godfather Whammy''':''' '''A Whammy comes out as The Godfather saying, "Don't ever press your luck with the family." He then proceeds to slam his guitar case on the contestant's earnings.
 
 
'''Bungee Jumping Whammy''': A Whammy is seen bungee jumping. On the third jump, the rope breaks causing the Whammy to crash land.
 
 
'''Magician Whammy''': A Whammy is seen performing a magic trick. He is pulling out wads of money from his hat, not before getting pulled into the hat and waving his wand eliminating the contestant's earnings in the process.
 
 
'''Wrestler Whammy''': As a wrestler, the Whammy performs a dive onto the contestant's earnings, before posing and jumping from the top rope.
 
 
'''Harry Potter Whammy''': A Whammy comes out as Harry Potter on his broomstick, performing a spell in which he eliminates the winnings of the contestant.
 
 
'''Karate Whammy''':''' '''A Whammy is seen doing karate moves on punching board. He then bows.
 
 
'''Grilling Whammy''': A Whammy is grilling wads of money. He says, "You can get this mean green burning machine for one easy payment of all your money," during which he coughs from the smoke.
 
 
'''Whammy Faye Baker''': She just wants to thank the contestant for their generous donation.
 
 
'''Dynamite Whammy''': A Whammy is seen detonating a block of dynamite, blowing off his fur in the process.
 
 
'''Crocodile Hunter Whammy''': A Whammy is seen attempting to catch a crocodile (a wad of money) with a voice saying, "The secret is to catch the crocodile by surprise."
 
 
'''Britney Spears Whammy''': A female Whammy is dancing like Britney Spears singing "Kiss Me Where the Sun Don't Shine" a parody of Spears' song "...Baby One More Time."
 
 
'''Oscar Winner Whammy''': A Whammy is seen accepting his Oscar award. He gives his acceptance speech saying, "I like to thank my agent, but most of all, YOU!" He then tosses his award and goes for the contestant's money.
 
 
'''Mime Whammy''': A Whammy acting like a mime who's trapped in a box before falling on the ground.
 
 
===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, right when the Whammy adds, "And 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!
 
 
'''Wedding Double Whammy''': Whammy and Tammy Whammette are now a married couple and as they walk down the stairway, white rice are being thrown around them and then in a downpour. For the contestant, white rice and then a bouquet of flowers fall on him/her.
 
 
'''Pillow Double Whammy''': A Whammy sneaks quietly into view and sees as a pillow on the floor. He whacks the pillow on the floor for a few times causing the feathers to fly out of view and then rain down 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!
 
 
'''Janitor Double Whammy''': A Whammy says, "This place needs a good cleaning", while mopping dollar bills around the floor. But then he slips and knocks the bucket off the floor, and throws the mop up in the air until the mop head lands on the contestant.
 
 
'''Grocery Double Whammy''': A female Whammy comes in holding a bag of groceries. She says, "Mommy's home! And I've got some lovely fruits and vegetables." But then she slips on a roller skate, causing the groceries to go everywhere and fall on the contestant, too!
 
 
'''Paper Shredder Double Whammy''': A Whammy is seen holding a box of money and a paper shredder directly next to him. He says: "I better file these important financial documents." He then pushes the box into the shredder. Pieces of shredded bank notes rain down on the contestant and the Whammy himself. He looks nervously upward.
 
 
'''Partygoer Double Whammy''': A Whammy runs into view wearing a party hat and blowing on a blowout (a party noise maker). He then sprays a can of silly string into the air as it falls around him, while silly string is sprayed down onto the contestant.
 
 
'''Barber Double Whammy''': A Whammy holds a pair of scissors as he is about to trim the hair off a nervous dollar-shaped customer. During the process, he says, "Okay, we're gonna take just a little off the top, and a little bit off the sides and we're gonna leave you with nothing," and giggles in delight. After the hair flies around during the trimming, the hair then lands on the contestant. The first time this appeared on the St. Patrick's Day 2003 episode, the hair was colored green.
 
 
'''Whamzilla Double Whammy''': A giant Whammy is seen stomping down on a city. Scraps of building are seen going everywhere. Bill (a stack of money) says: "Look! It's Whamzilla!" Bill then runs off in panic. Then pieces of foam, supposed pieces of a building, fall on the contestant.
 
 
'''Bug Killer Double Whammy''': A whammy sees a group of buzzing bugs in the air and uses a spraying pump to spew some green smoke and kill the bugs. After a few tries, he pumps the spray into the air and kills the bugs; as it happens, plastic bugs and a threaded spider web fall down on the contestant.
 
 
'''Ping Pong Double Whammy''': A Whammy is seen hitting a ping pong ball to the other side of the table. Every time he hits one back, more ping pong balls appear. Eventually, the Whammy sees so many ping pong balls flying at him, he has no choice but to duck down. A few seconds later, the player gets a barrage of ping pong balls to the head. Ouch!
 
 
'''Meteorologist Double Whammy''': A voice says, "And now here's Whammy with the Whammy Weather." The Whammy meteorologist says, "Thank you, Jan. Well, it appears we'll have patches of hail moving in today, especially around...your money!" He then pulls open an umbrella as fake snow and hailstones, which are actually ping pong balls, fall on the contestant.
 
 
'''Surfing Double Whammy''': Another whammy from the classic show. A whammy is surfing the great waves of the sea and he can share his experience by wetting you with a spray of water from a sprayer, built into the contestant desk and dropping you fishes.
 
 
'''Athlete Double Whammy''': This one was only used twice, once in every season. A group of Whammy athletes lift up a keg of Gatorade in which they splash out water. On its first appearance in season 1, someone dressed up in a Whammy costume with a keg pouring dry oatmeal on the contestant, but on its only other appearance in season 2, the oatmeal is simply dropped on the contestant.
 
 
'''Popcorn Double Whammy''': A Whammy is seen making Jiffy Pop over a campfire, in which the popcorn pops in the pot and explodes, causing the popcorn to fall on the contestant.
 
 
'''Water Hose Double Whammy''': A Whammy is seen struggling with an out-of-control water hose. When the animation was finished, a sprayer would come out of the contestant desk and spray the unlucky contestant with water.
 
 
'''Snowboarding Double Whammy''': A Whammy is seen performing tricks on a snowboard. Fake snow proceeds to dump all over the unlucky contestant.
 
 
'''Cannonball Double Whammy''': A Whammy is seen being shot out of a cannon, dumping his fur all over the contestant.
 
 
'''Cotton Candy Double Whammy''': Bill approaches the Whammy at a cotton candy booth. Whammy proceeds to give Bill the cotton candy, but it keeps spinning in the machine. Pieces of cotton candy rain down on the contestant.
 
 
'''Figure Skater Double Whammy''': A Whammy is seen figure skating. More fake snow rains on the contestant. After his routine, the judges, all made up of three Bills, give him all zeros.
 
 
==Animations in Press Your Luck (2019)===
 
'''Romantic Whammy:'''
 
   
  +
See [[Whammy Animations|here]] for more info.
'''Jackhammer Whammy:'''
 
   
  +
== Voices ==
'''Magic Mirror Whammy:'''
 
  +
* Corey Burton (1983, pilot)
  +
* Bill Carruthers (1983-1986)
  +
* Brad Garrett (2002-2003)
  +
* Frank Welker (2019-present)
   
'''Boomerang Whammy:'''
 
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
 
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</gallery><gallery position="center">
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Image32.png|"Kiss All Your Money Goodbye!"
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</gallery>
 
</gallery>
   

Revision as of 01:02, 7 March 2021

Whammy
Whammy1
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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 the self-proclaimed Whammy 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).

Early in the 1980s series, especially in 1983, due to the limited number of Whammy animations used during that period, some Whammy animations were shown more than once on a single episode. At least one episode in 1983 had a certain Whammy animation shown three times! Duplication of Whammy animation appearances became less prevalent sometime in 1984 due to the broader variety of animations.

A former staffer who worked on series from 1983 to 1986 did mention that when contestants hit a Whammy with zero dollars, or a very low total, a quick Whammy animation would be played, whereas a larger amount being lost would mean a longer Whammy animation. There is also speculation that quicker Whammy animations may have been used despite a large amount being lost because of a prolonged round due to a lot of spins being used; and longer Whammy animations may have been shown regardless of the total if the total number of spins earned for a round was quite low - this may have been done as a time-filler.

According to a now defunct PYL fan-page, the animator (Savage Steve Holland) did the animations on a laser pen. He was paid $10 for each frame.

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 by 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.

Animations In Press Your Luck

See here for more info.

Voices

  • Corey Burton (1983, pilot)
  • Bill Carruthers (1983-1986)
  • Brad Garrett (2002-2003)
  • Frank Welker (2019-present)

Gallery

Shows appeared

Press Your Luck (1983-1986, 2019-present)
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

Press Your Luck

Whammy Collection part 1
Whammy Collection part 2
Whammy Collection part 3
Whammy Collection part 4

Whammy

Regular Whammy Pack from Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck
Double Whammy Pack from Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck