Tic Tac Dough

Hosts
Jack Barry (daytime, 1956–1958) Gene Rayburn (daytime, 1956–1958 {Fridays only}) Bill Wendell (daytime, 1958–1959) Jay Jackson (nighttime, 1957–September 1958) Win Elliot (nighttime, October–December 1958) Wink Martindale (1978–1985) Jim Caldwell (1985–1986) Patrick Wayne (1989–1990) Tom Bergeron (Pilot, 2021) Brooke Burns (2025-present)
Announcers
Bill Wendell (1956–1958) Bill McCord (1958–1959) Jay Stewart (1978–1981) Charlie O'Donnell (1981–1986) Larry van Nuys (1990) Mike Darow (1980, sub) Bob Hilton (1980, sub) Art James (1980/1990, sub) Johnny Gilbert (1984, sub)
Broadcast
Test Episode: 7/23/1956 NBC Daytime: 7/30/1956 – 10/23/1959 NBC Primetime: 9/12/1957 – 12/29/1958 Pilot: 2/1978 CBS Daytime: 7/3/1978 – 9/1/1978 Syndication (Daily): 9/18/1978 – 5/23/1986 (reruns aired until 9/1986) Pilot: 1989 Syndication (Daily): 9/10/1990 – 12/7/1990 (reruns aired until 3/8/1991) Unsold Pilot for Syndication: 2021 GSN: 4/14/2025-present
Packagers
Barry & Enright Productions (1956-1990) Village Roadshow Entertainment Group/Television (2021, 2025-present) Game Show Enterprises Studios (2025-present)
Distributors
Colbert Television Sales (1978–1986) ITC (1990) NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (2021)

On Tic-Tac-Dough, two contestants played tic-tac-toe, trivia style. It's like Hollywood Squares but without the nine celebrities using jokes and bluff answers in their boxes.

Gameplay[]

Main Game[]

Two contestants, one a returning champion playing "X" and the other the challenger playing "O", faced a tic-tac-toe style game board. On the board were 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, an incorrect answer meant the box remained unclaimed. 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 to 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 contestant in control was given extra time to think it over.

The first contestant to get tic-tac-dough won the game, became Tic-Tac-Dough champion, took all the money in the pot, and (starting in the 1970s) 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 1970s), 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.

NBC Version[]

The game board had big 9-sided "category rollers" (with the name of one of the nine categories on each side) used to shuffle the categories, and light boxes to light up the Xs and Os.

In the daytime show, the outer boxes were worth $100, while the center box was worth $200, for a maximum total of $1,000 per game. In the nighttime show, the outer boxes were worth $300, and the center was worth $500, for a total of $2,900. Categories shuffled after the O player's turn (that rule would carryover into the CBS daytime version and for most of the first season of the nighttime syndicated version), and contestants who chose the center box could opt for the extra time, if need be.

Champions from this version could 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, potentially leaving the former champion with nothing. Losing challengers won $100 for each tie game.

There was no bonus game in this version.

CBS/First Syndicated Version[]

The well-remembered 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, designed by Bob Bishop of Apple Computer, Inc., and it was driven by nine Apple II computers, each one responsible for displaying a single box of the game board, and in turn controlled by an Altair 8800 system. It was the first use of computer graphics on a television game show.

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 1979, Categories shuffled after each player has had a turn, and starting with this version, contestants who chose the center box were required to use the extra time, even if had or thought they had the correct answer to that point.

During the CBS run, categories could appear in either a blue background box (which meant the player who selected the category was the only one who responded to the question) or a black background box (which meant the question was a "jump-in" for both players, using the buzzers on their podiums). This did not affect the value of the questions. In addition, if a game ended in a tie, one final "jump-in" question would be asked to determine the winner of the game. The black boxes were eliminated in the syndicated run, and all questions were for just the controlling player(s) until the addition of the "Red Box" categories (see below).

Starting in Season 2 of the syndicated run, losing challengers won $250 per tie game.

Champions in the CBS run stayed on the show until 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 played till they lost. However, during Seasons 5-6, players who won $50,000 donated every dollar over $50,000 to his or her favorite charity.

For every five matches won, the champion was awarded a new car, like the Chevrolet Chevette ($3,800 in 1978, $5,600 from 1981–1982, $5,800 from 1982–1983, and $6,100 from 1983–1984), Buick Skylark ($5,200 in the first syndicated season and $5,400 in 1980), Buick Century ($5,300 from 1979–1980 and $6,500 from 1980–1981), the $12,500 AMC Eagle wagon during Martindale's final season, or the $10,500 Mazda GLC during the final (Jim Caldwell) season.

The Red Categories[]

Starting in Season 2 of the syndicated run, certain categories appeared in a red background (regular ones appeared in a blue background). Those were very special categories. Some had special questions, some could affect the outcome of the game, and 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 was a mystery, for it could be any category at all. A correct answer to the question from that category doubled the total of the pot, thus making pot values occasionally worth more than $10,000, with two of the biggest pot values in the history of the series being worth $38,100 (won by Tom O'Connor), and the other pot worth $36,800 (won by Thom McKee). The largest pot in series history, $46,900, was won after the Secret Category was retired. This, of course, was inspired by the "Mystery Category" from the syndicated 70's era of The Joker's Wild.

Jump-In Category – The host would read the question to both contestants, and the first one 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, and in the earlier months, jump-ins were also played if the game ended in a tie. There were two other variations of that category that will be explained later. In the second syndicated run, the Jump-In sound was a pitch lower than the sound used to stop the category shuffling.
Challenge Category – This was where the contestant who selected the box decided to either answer the question himself/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 to the contestant in control. Answering all three parts correctly not only won the box, but also another turn. The categories were shuffled before the contestant took the extra turn. Since the champion always played first, they could potentially complete a Tic-Tac-Dough by repeatedly selecting this category (either three times or twice plus one regular category at the end) on the first turn of the game; this caused the same challenger to return to play another game.
Opponent's Choice – So called because the opponent was given two categories and chose what (s)he wanted the player in control to answer a question from. In the final season, the contestant in control could be forced to answer two questions on one category, or one in another. This was the inspiration for the "Opponent's Choice" in Round 2 of the "Dollar" format of the 1990 era of The Joker's Wild.
Play or Pass – This was where the contestant in control could 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 that question. Play continued until one of the contestants gave a wrong answer, repeated one, or ran out of time, if any of those things happened, the opponent won the box (the only time a contestant could win a box by default). The box could be also won by the contestant 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 wanted to give. Bidding stopped when a contestant bid the max number, or forced the other to play. The winner of the bid had to then give the required number answers he/she bid on. Completing the 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 contestant who chose the category had to 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 opponent a chance to answer. In the final season, Top Ten was renamed Top This.
Double or Nothing – (not to be confused with the 1940s and 1950s game show of the same name) This was where a contestant could 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 contestant in control could decide not to go for another box, or take that risk.
Trivia Challenge – A multiple-choice question was asked to both contestants. The one who selected the box decided to either answer the question first, or dare his/her opponent to answer. The winner of the question won the box. This category was renamed Trivia Dare during the 1984–1985 season. The 1989 pilot reverted it back to its original name.
Grand Question – Replacing the Secret Category in Fall 1983, a correct answer from this question added $1,000 to the pot.
Take Two – (Not to be confused with the long-running active pricing game from The Price is Right nor the short-lived ABC game show from 1963 of the same name) Introduced in Fall 1985, 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, and then the contestant in control could ask for up to five more. Before the extra clues were read, the opponent decided who would answer, with a miss awarding the box to the contestant who had not answered. This category appeared during the Jim Caldwell season.
Number Please – (Not to be confused with the short-lived ABC primetime game show from 1961 of the same name) Introduced in Fall 1985 and played like the Card Sharks questions, a question with a numerical answer was asked. The contestant who selected the box had to then take a guess, then the opponent guessed whether the actual number was higher or lower than the first contestant'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 contestant the box.
Showdown – (not to be confused with the short-lived 1966 NBC daytime game show nor the 1973 & 1974 pilots of The Big ShowDown of the same names respectively) Introduced during the Caldwell season, a series of two-part jump-in questions were asked. The first contestant to buzz-in had a chance to answer first, then the opponent got to answer. Play continued until one of them made a mistake, causing the opponent to win the box. On the 1990 version, the player who selected that category answers first.
Three to Win – A series of Jump-in questions were asked to both contestants, and the first one to answer three questions correctly won the box. This category was introduced in the fall of 1985.

Second Syndicated Version[]

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

In the pilot, the normal category names were in white and the special category names were in gold.

Most of the red categories were revived for this version. The Jump-In questions were either one of four W-question words (who, what, where, and when) or a general subject.

The box values were $1,000 for the center, and $500 for the outer boxes. Unlike prior versions, the pot did not carry over into the next game, instead it was reset, and values of all boxes were increased by $1,000/$500.

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

Champions stayed on the show till they won 15 matches or were defeated, with the most won being 12.

Contestants stopped the shuffling of the categories themselves by hitting their buzzer, which was also used on the "Jump-In" questions (albeit a pitch lower). Speaking of which, unlike the classic version, the categories shuffled before each turn.

2021 Pilot Version[]

Hosted by former Hollywood Squares (H2) host Tom Bergeron, the front game was now self-contained^[1](presumed with no returning champions) which was divided into at least 2 rounds. Each player has their own bank to build on and earn money, unlike the shared bank in previous versions. Round 1 starts with nine categories: 8 "regular" categories in the outside boxes and a "Special"-style category in the center. The outside boxes (which feature a question and two possible answers, and are the only ones shuffled between questions) are worth $500 each and the center box is worth $1,000. Correct answers add that value to the player's bank and add their mark ("X" or "O") to the box, incorrect answers earn no money and leave the box open to be replayed. The first contestant to get Tic-Tac-Dough wins a $1,000 bonus. Round 2 introduces 9 new categories and doubles all the values: $1,000 for the outside boxes, $2,000 for the center, and a $2,000 for Tic-Tac-Dough. (It is unknown if further rounds might have be played and/or what the money values would be for those rounds.) The player with the most amount of money once time expires wins the game and advances to the bonus round. The runner-up got a $2,000 cash consolation prize.

The Center Box Categories for this pilot were:

Round 1: KNOW-IT-ALL: A category was shown, and up to 5 questions were asked in that category. The player who chose the box could decide to play the questions themselves or pass it to their opponent. Whoever played the box had to answer all 5 questions correctly to earn the box and the money. If the player got even one question wrong, the opponent could answer that one question and steal the box and the money. (In this case, the category was FAST FOOD, and the list was of certain fast food items for which the player had to identify the restaurant that served them. EXAMPLE: Whopper--BURGER KING.)
Round 2: THE LIST: Much like the 1980's run TOP TEN category, a category was given to which a list of the top 10 possible responses was connected, but not revealed to the players. Again, the player choosing the box decided whether to go first or second. The first player gave their response and found out where (if at all) it was in the list. The second player then had to respond with an answer that ranked higher (or if the first player's answer wasn't in the top 10, ANY answer) on the list. The higher-ranking answer won that player the box and the money. (In this case, the list was POPULAR BABY NAMES and was about the top 10 female baby names according to the then-most-recent data from the Social Security Administration. The two chosen names were Isabella at #7 and Olivia, which was #1, the rest of the list wasn't given.)

2025 GSN Version[]

This current revival, hosted by Brooke Burns, was originally set to premiere in July 2024, then August 2024, then it was delayed until April 2025. Two contestants compete to place three of their marks in a row on the giant trivia board while trying to avoid the dragon, who lurks to steal their turns and stands in their path to victory. Each correct answer scores 100 points and a Tic Tac Dough scores 500 extra points. Points are doubled in the second round. The center square is always a mystery square ("?"). On that box just like before, the player who chose it must answer two questions correctly in order to claim the square. All questions contain three possible answers, and all categories do not shuffle between questions. An incorrect answer replaces the box with a new category. Behind one of the boxes is a dragon. If a player finds the dragon, they lose their turn. Behind one of the outer boxes are specialty questions that plays like the red categories.

Over, Under - Plays like the red category, Numbers Please.

Double or Nothing - Plays the same as Wink Martindale's version.

Double Points - A correct answer on that question is worth double the points. Mostly used in Round 2.

Trivia or Dare - Plays similar to Trivia Dare. The player who picks this one has a choice: Answer the question or dare your opponent to answer the question; or as Brooke says: "Do you trivia, or dare?" If their opponent answers incorrect, the player automatically gets the square.

Top 5 - Plays like the red category, Top 10 (or Top This); but the list is reduced to 5 answers. Finding the number one answer or closest gets the square.

In Round 3, each player has 60 seconds to get as many Tic-Tac-Doughs as possible. They'll each get their own board with different categories. The player in the lead goes first. The clock will start after Brooke finishes reading the question. Each correct answer is worth 300 points, and each Tic Tac Dough is worth 1,000 extra points. The mystery square now requires one correct answer instead of two. All questions in this round is no longer multiple choice. An incorrect answer places a block with a dragon's scratch mark. Finding the dragon deducts 5 seconds off their time.

After three rounds, the winning player moves on to face the dragon in the grand prize round, where the dragon moves strategically on the board to block the player’s ability to make three-in-a-row and take home $10,000.^[2]

Bonus Round[]

Standard Bonus: Beat the Dragon[]

In the bonus game that started in 1978, winning contestant faced the board to which its nine boxes were numbered 1-9. Behind all but one of the numbers were either money amounts or various X's and O's, and some "WIN" symbols. Behind that one remaining number was a "dragon" icon. The winning contestant's job was to meet a certain goal before running into the mean green dragon. Every safe square usually earned money, which the contestant could stop and keep if he/she wished, or risk it to keep playing. Winning the bonus round earned a cash prize of at least $1,000 and a prize package worth between $2,000-$5,000. Finding the dragon ended the game and "burned" the money.

1978–1986 Bonus[]

The bonus round from the first syndicated version had two different formats.

The CBS Bonus[]

In this bonus game, the board now consisted of eight tic-tac-toe symbols (four X's and four O's) and only one dragon. The X's and O's 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. Later in the run, if the contestant found that one Tic-Tac-Dough, his/her cash total was upped to $1,000, unless of course the player uncovered a total of seven boxes (for $1,050) or all eight (for $1,200).

The Syndication Bonus[]

The board now had six money amounts ranging from $100 to $500 (originally $50 to $500), one square each marked TIC and TAC, and of course, the dragon. The object of this game was to uncover money amounts and try to reach $1,000 or more, up to a max of $1,450 (exactly $1,000 without going over for a brief time in 1983) or find the TIC and the TAC (which bumped the total to $1,000).

"Dragon Finder" Audience Game
For a time in 1983, an audience game called "The Dragon Finder" was instituted, it was played whenever the bonus round was won or a contestant stopped early. Instead of uncovering the board immediately to find the dragon, a randomly selected member of the studio audience was called upon to expose where the dragon was hidden behind the remaining numbers. The contestant in control chose a number from one of the remaining ones on the board to uncover the dragon. If that contestant failed, another audience member was chosen to do the same. Originally, finding the dragon was worth a flat $250. Later in the game's run, $50 was added for each unsuccessful pick. Also later on, each audience member who played received a Dragon Finder cap, which was introduced on a Friday "Hat Day" the week before the audience game began. (see below).

For a brief period, two members of the studio audience played the "Dragon Finder" game. They were invited to expose where the dragon was hidden behind the remaining numbers. The contestants took turns choosing the remaining numbers on the board to uncover the dragon.

1990–1991 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 "dragon slayer" 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 dragon slayer triggered an instant win, if found, finding him on the first pick was worth $1,000.
The champion used a microphone-like device to stop the shuffling of the X's and O's on the board, in which the squares were numbered, like that of the previous run. However, when a main game went immediately to the bonus game, viewers could see the main game board flip over to reveal the bonus game board.

Finding the Tic-Tac-Dough with the chosen symbol or finding the dragon slayer doubled the cash (up to $8,000), and won the prize package. If the dragon was found, you know what he does. Later on in the run, the dragon slayer and dragon would each introduce themselves by rapping.

2021 Pilot Bonus[]

A board with nine new categories is shown to the player. Eight of the boxes hide a value between between $5,000 to $25,000, presumably related to the difficulty of the question. The ninth box hides the "Dragon". The player has 60 seconds to answer as many questions as possible. (Unlike the front game, the player is NOT given a choice of answers, and the center box is NOT a "Special" category). Each correct answer adds the exposed money amount to the bank and puts an "X" in the box, while a wrong answer or a "pass" forfeits the money and puts a block (a slashed "NO" circle) in that box. Getting a Tic-Tac-Dough wins all the money in the bank. Finding the "Dragon" stops the clock and the player has to answer that box's question correctly to restart the clock (earning their "X" but no additional money) and continue, otherwise the game is over and they forfeit any money gained to that point. Accumulated moneys could total over $100,000.

2025 Bonus Game[]

As explained above, the only details originally given about this version's bonus game is "...the winning player moves on to face the dragon in the grand prize round, where the dragon moves strategically on the board to block the player’s ability to make three-in-a-row and take home $10,000.”

This one plays like the 2021 pilot, but with some changes. There are no random cash amounts behind the categories. Instead of hiding the dragon, the dragon will start at the center square and moves to another random square after each question. The dragon's job is to block the player's path to getting a Tic Tac Dough; the contestant cannot select the category that the dragon is currently occupying. Getting a Tic Tac Dough wins the player $10,000; otherwise, they leave with $1,000.

1989 Pilot Bonus[]

The Pilot to the 1990s version was much different from the aired version. To start, the winning contestant would select which symbol to get a Tic-Tac-Dough with, then (s)he would choose a box and then X's and O's would shuffle in that box alone. Using a remote control, the champion would stop the shuffle and hopefully land on the selected symbol. Each time that happened, $250 was added to the pot, but with if opposite symbol was landed on, no money was added to the pot. The object of the game was to make a Tic-Tac-Dough of the symbol of his/her choosing. If (s)he did that, the money in the pot was doubled and kept by the champion and (s)he also won a grand prize. But if at anytime, the champion made a Tic-Tac-Dough of the opposite symbol, the bonus game and money were lost. That's why to prevent this from happening, and when it became possible to lose on the next spin, the winning contestant was given the option to stop and keep the cash in the pot up to that point.

NOTE: The Dragon nor The Dragon Slayer appear in the bonus round of the pilot.

Special Tournaments (Martindale era only)[]

From Season 2 in 1979 to Season 6 in 1983, the show held special tournaments featuring eight players usually competing for charity, with no pot in any game (nor red categories), and the loser playing the bonus for consolation money (with a little more awarded for hitting the dragon). The final match was best-of-three to determine the winner of the grand prize, while the runner-up received a smaller prize. If any game ended in a tie, the contestants were usually asked a question with multiple answers (similar to the Seesaw category), with the first to make a mistake automatically losing.

Over-80 Tournaments[]

In Seasons 2 and 3, the participants were at least 80 years of age competing for themselves, as well as charity. The bonus was also played for $2,000 (with $500 added for hitting the dragon). In the end, the grand champion split $100,000 with their charity, while the runner-up received $5,000 for themselves. Unlike later tournaments, if a game ended in a tie, the contestants switched places for a new game.

Celebrity Tournaments[]

Between Spring 1981 and Spring 1983, the tournaments had a certain theme (sports figures, soap opera stars, Miss America and Classy Guys), each with eight celebrities of that theme participating. The bonus was played for $2,000 in the quarter-finals, and $3,000 in the semi-finals (with $500 awarded for hitting the dragon either way). In the end, the Champion received $10,000 and the runner-up collected $5,000.

Tournament of Champions[]

In November 1983, the show invited eight of its (at the time) all-time highest winners, all of whom earned a collective total of $1,248,500, back to play for charity. The bonus was played for $5,000 (with hitting the dragon awarding $1,000). In the end, the Champion earned $50,000 while the runner-up won $25,000.

Rebroadcasts[]

Tic Tac Dough (Martindale and Caldwell Versions) was shown on Game Show Network before, but some seasons have not been rebroadcast. GSN's most recent lease of the series was the full 1979-80 and early 1981 season, ending to the episode in which Thom McKee was defeated before reverting back to the 1979-80 season premiere. That lease ran from January 2008 to January 2009.

The 1990 version was rerun on USA Network after cancellation.

On March 2, 2020, GameTV in Canada started airing reruns of Tic Tac Dough, beginning early in the final season, which was hosted by Jim Caldwell.

On April 20, 2025, Game Show Network aired an eight episode marathon of his version in order the commemorate Martindale's death.

Rating[]

Taping Locations[]

Ziegfeld/Colonial Theatres, New York City, NY (1956–1959)
CBS Television City, Hollywood, CA (June 1978–December 1980)
KCOP-TV Studios, Los Angeles, CA (1981–1984, 1985–1986)
The Production Group, Hollywood, CA (1984–1985)
Radford Studio Center, Studio City, CA (2025-present)

Music[]

Paul Taubman (1956–1959)
Hal Hidey "Crazy Fun" (1978–1986)
Henry Mancini (1990)

In Popular Culture[]

In 2006, Tic Tac Dough was ranked #32 as one of The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time, the special was hosted by Bil Dwyer.

In a 2019 episode of The Goldbergs called "I Lost on Jeopardy!," a brief clip of Tic Tac Dough can be seen in the opening intro.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Other game shows that were also mentioned were: The New Newlywed Game (Eubanks), Wheel of Fortune (Sajak & White), Family Feud (Dawson), TTD's companion show, The Joker's Wild (Barry), Press Your Luck (Tomarken) and of course Jeopardy! (Trebek).

Trivia[]

The title of the series is a pun on the children's game "tic-tac-toe".
Production on the Syndicated run began on August 12, 1978.
Although Seasons 1-5 each had 195 episodes, the final Season had 175 episodes. It's unclear how many Seasons 6 and 7 each had.
Wink Martindale was originally tapped to host its sister show, The Joker's Wild, but he wound up hosting Gambit instead. However, he did host The Joker's Wild when it was a CD-i video game for Philips Interactive in 1994. Additionally, the dragon did appear in the 1994 CD-i video game The Joker's Wild Jr. hosted by Marc Summers despite not appearing on its sister show nor its spinoff Joker Joker Joker.
Thom McKee, a lieutenant pilot in the United States Navy, was the biggest winner in the history of Tic Tac Dough, having won $312,700. His wife Jenny, whom he just married by the time he came to the show, assisted him frequently in playing the Beat the Dragon bonus game.
On Friday shows, Wink would always wear a viewer submitted hat. This day would be referred to as "Hat Day".
GSN ranked Tic Tac Dough #32 as one of The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All-Time in 2006. The special was hosted by Bil Dwyer.
Henry Mancini, the 1990 version's theme composer, is best known as the composer of the Pink Panther theme.
Despite not getting picked up, this was Bergeron's second game show involving a tic-tac-toe format. 23 years ago, the first was the revival of Hollywood Squares (later known as H2) in 1998 until 2004.
On a December 2, 2014 episode of The Chase both Martindale and Burns appeared in order to celebrate Game Show Network's 20th Anniversary at the time.

It has been announced by veteran game show announcer Randy West that GSN developed a reboot of Tic Tac Dough, which has since premiered in April 2025.^[3]^[4]

On April 2, 2024, it has been announced that Brooke Burns will be hosting the new show.^[5] It was slated for an August premiere, but instead the show will be airing beginning April 14, 2025 pairing up with Bingo Blitz hosted by Valerie Bertinelli.
The GSN version premiered a day before former host Wink Martindale's death which happened on April 15, 2025.
This is Burns' third GSN Original that she hosted, her first was The Chase (Based on the British game show of the same name) from 2013 until 2015 while her second was Master Minds (a retooling of 2019's Best Ever Trivia Show) from 2020 until 2023.

International versions[]

Countries have aired their own versions of Tic Tac Dough include:

Australia
Germany
Honduras
Indonesia
Spain
United Kingdom

NOTE: Tic Tac Dough was one of four Barry-Enright game shows known to have foreign adaptations. The other three were: Concentration, Twenty One and Break the Bank (1976-77).