Yes, The Price Is Right Actually Used To Give Away Live Elephants As Prizes

The beloved game show gave winning contestants some unusual prizes in the earliest days of the pop culture phenomenon

The Price is Right is one of the most beloved game shows in television history. Still airing more than 65 years after it first debuted, it has been entertaining audiences for years with their fun games, product pricing and lavish array of what contestants can win. Although those prizes have encompassed incredible variety, it’s a near certainty that the most unusual thing they have awarded is a live elephant.

The version of The Price Is Right that so many of us know today has been famously hosted by Bob Barker and then Drew Carey. It has been a staple of daytime television since 1972. However, it had an even earlier iteration, which was hosted by Bill Cullen, and was on air from 1956 to 1965.

When it first went into production, Cullen was skeptical that a show centered around people guessing the retail prices of everyday consumer goods would titillate audiences. However, his doubts quickly evaporated after it became an instant hit. Viewers actually loved the guessing game, which was only enhanced by the prizes to be won by those who came closest to the actual prices without going over in their estimations.

Producers wanted to think outside of the box to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. In one instance, they gave away an island which is now named Price is Right Island. Incredibly, the prize pool also came to include an actual live elephant not once, but twice.

In a move reflecting the show’s irreverent spirit, producers decided to have a circus elephant as a bonus prize. According to Adam Nedeff’s book Quizmaster, the first time the pachyderm was offered, it was a bit of a disaster, as they had the animal in the studio and on camera. The poor creature was not used to such an environment and caused chaos. The crew made attempts to prevent it from relieving itself on camera, going so far as to inserting a plug in its anus. Although this was reportedly a common practice when working with live animals on camera at the time, this did not work for such a large animal at all, as the forces of nature took over when it needed to go.

With elephant poop all over the studio, it was a real mess. However, it did get the intended laughs, as the winning contestant had actually won a grand piano, but was also told they were getting the elephant for “extra ivory.”

The unsuspecting contestant wasn’t exactly prepared to take a real live animal of that magnitude home with them (there was an alternative cash prize of $4,000 they were awarded instead). That didn’t stop the show from deciding to make use of an elephant as a prize again shortly thereafter.

The Price Is Right decided to once again bring out another elephant as a joke during a later episode. The show’s staff was shocked when the contestant that won it insisted on claiming his prize. The man was from Texas where he operated a farm. He actually believed that the elephant would be a practical addition to his property given the copious amount of fertilizer it could produce. Instead of taking the cash alternative, he pushed for taking home the animal he believed he was owed.

The producers were caught completely off guard. Believing nobody would actually want an elephant, they had only rented once to use during the filming. To make good on what had technically been promised, they instead paid to have one imported from Kenya and delivered to the Texas farm. It is unknown what the fate was of this animal, and what its reaction was to being pressed into farming.

The Price Is Right remained a ratings hit for years, reaching its greatest heights with Bob Barker, who took over as host in 1972. Ironically, he became noted as a fervent animal rights activist, and no elephants were awarded under his watch.