The New Tic Tac Dough

The New Tic Tac Dough
Premiere	July 3, 1978
Finale	September 5, 1986
Creator	Howard Felscher (original format) Ron Greenburg (revival)
Host	Wink Martindale (1978-85) Jim Caldwell (1985-86)
Network/Provider	CBS & Syndication
Style	30-minute game show
Company	Barry & Enright Productions
Seasons	8
Episodes	5 per week
Origin	USA

The New Tic Tac Dough (which would later simply be branded Tic Tac Dough) is a game show that aired on CBS and in syndication. It is a revival of the scandal-tainted Tic Tac Dough series from NBC (1956-59).

The main difference between this and the 1950s show is purely cosmetic. The board now consisted of nine monitors with computer-generated graphics. The questions are somewhat easier but the game is basically the same. X player and O player answer questions to create a tic-tac-toe to win. During the show's run in syndication, some category boxes were specialized to give gameplay a boost.

This edition featured a bonus game that went through two formats.

• 1st Format (CBS): The board has the monitors numbered 1 through 9. The player must uncover an X or O pattern creating a tic-tac-toe without uncovering a computer-generated dragon to win $1000 and a prize package. On the debut show, the contestant uncovered the dragon on the very first selection.

• 2nd Format (Syndication): The numbers now conceal money amounts from $100 to $500 plus the words "Tic" and "Tac." The player must uncover $1000 in cash or "Tic" and "Tac" before hitting the dragon.

The show made a celebrity of naval officer Thom McKee, who racked up $312,057 in cash and prizes during a forty-five show stint in 1980. Tic Tac Dough returned in a third edition in 1990 with Patrick Wayne as host. It aired one season in syndication.

Barry & Enright Productions produced the revivals of Tic Tac Dough. Sony Pictures Television now owns and distributes the 1978-86 CBS/syndicated version of the show.

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series