About the DFG The Display Field Guide was created in May 1998 to help alt.tv.game-shows subscribers end the confusion about different types of game show numeric displays. It's taken on a life of its own since then, as many people have contributed in identifying these items that game shows can't do without.

people have visited the Field Guide since 5/29/98. Thanks for coming!

Tote Board  First appeared: 1956	Found on: The Price Is Right (1956-65), Sports Challenge (1971?)
	Can be found nowadays at horse tracks.

Tote Board II First appeared: 1956	Found on: Twenty-One (1956-58)(champion's winnings, on Barry's podium under "Geritol" logo), GE College Bowl (1959-c. 1964), Dotto (1958), Who Pays? (1959 summer series hosted by Mike Wallace)
	For the digit set used by Twenty-One, the numbers 3, 7, and 8 are unverified and shaded in red.  For the GE College Bowl variant, the 9 is slightly different and shaded in orange.

5 x 8 First appeared: 1956	Found on: Twenty-One (1956-58)(game scores), Tic Tac Dough (1956-59)
	Essentially the same font with a "sans serif 1" for Tic Tac. The unconfirmed 3 is shaded red.

Tote Board II First appeared: 195?	Found on: Twenty-One (1956)-58(champion's winnings, on Barry's podium under "Geritol" logo), GE College Bowl (1959-c. 1964), Dotto (1958), Who Pays? (1959 summer series hosted by Mike Wallace)
	For the digit set used by Twenty-One, the numbers 3, 7, and 8 are unverified and shaded in red.  For the GE College Bowl variant, the 9 is slightly different and shaded in orange.

 

Slides  First appeared: 1961	Found on: Password ('62-'67), Jeopardy! ('64-'75), Double Exposure (1961)
	Served their shows well in the 1960s.
		Password, 1962-67

Bank  First appeared: 1966	Found on: The Face Is Familiar (clock)
	Can be found today, with modifications, outside your local bank.

Go  First appeared: 1966	Found on: The Newlywed Game (1966-80, score), The Parent Game (score), Go (timers), The Hollywood Squares (1966-80, score), Baffle (timer), Dream House (1968-70), Sale of the Century (1969-73)
	Would be worth seeing again in some capacity.
		The Newlywed Game, 1966-80

Tote Board III First appeared: 1967	Found on: Baby Game (1967),  Dream House (1968), Camouflage (score 1961-2)
	This is a variation on 'Tote Board 1' with the 2, 3 and 5 being different.

Tote Board III First appeared: 196?	Found on: Baby Game (1967), Dream House (1968)
	For the digit set used by Twenty-One, the numbers 3, 7, and 8 are unverified and shaded in red.  For the GE College Bowl variant, the 9 is slightly different and shaded in orange.

 

Tote Board III First appeared: 196?	Found on: Baby Game (1967), Dream House (1968)
	For the digit set used by Twenty-One, the numbers 3, 7, and 8 are unverified and shaded in red.  For the GE College Bowl variant, the 9 is slightly different and shaded in orange.

 

Tote Board II First appeared: 195?	Found on: Twenty-One (1956)-58(champion's winnings, on Barry's podium under "Geritol" logo), GE College Bowl (1959-c. 1964), Dotto (1958), Who Pays? (1959 summer series hosted by Mike Wallace)
	For the digit set used by Twenty-One, the numbers 3, 7, and 8 are unverified and shaded in red.  For the GE College Bowl variant, the 9 is slightly different and shaded in orange.

 

Tote Board II First appeared: 195?	Found on: Twenty-One (1956)-58(champion's winnings, on Barry's podium under "Geritol" logo), GE College Bowl (1959-c. 1964), Dotto (1958), Who Pays? (1959 summer series hosted by Mike Wallace)
	For the digit set used by Twenty-One, the numbers 3, 7, and 8 are unverified and shaded in red.  For the GE College Bowl variant, the 9 is slightly different and shaded in orange.

 

Solari Boards  First appeared: 1968	Vertical Flip found on: $10,000/$20,000 Pyramid, Liar's Club, The Big Showdown, Jackpot '74, Fast Draw (clock), others  Horizontal Flip found on: All About Faces, Winning Streak (letters), Spin-Off, Pass The Buck (pot score)
	Simulates the numbers on mid-70s clock radios.

Eggcrate  (Type I)  First appeared: 1968	Found on: The Price Is Right, The Joker's Wild, Tic Tac Dough (1978-86), Bullseye, Gambit, The Magnificent Marble Machine, Card Sharks (Money Cards display), Password Plus, Debt, Jackpot (1989), to name a few
	The workhorse of game show displays, featured on so many shows that I couldn't begin to count them. A personal favorite of mine.
		Dream House, 1983-84

DFG Feature:
Different Meat, Same Bird

A

B

So why the difference? I personally have no idea. Different manufacturers, maybe? We may never know for sure (unless someone says something), but that seems to be the safe assumption.

And, someone finally has. Here's Brian Hamburg:

The eggcrate seen on "Debt" and "It Takes Two" 1997 are different in that they use a 7x5 LED matrix, while true eggcrates (Dream House, etc.) use actual light bulbs in a foam mask. The advantages of the newer eggcrates are they are cooler to use and they are more flexible for displays. The newer eggcrates allow just about anything to be displayed (see: Debt 2nd Series), while the old eggcrates were good for only numbers.

(LED's? Really? Don't look like it to me... Ed.)

Sports Type  First appeared: 1972	Found on: The Price is Right (IUFB, Poker Game, Dice Game), Whew! (timer), Blockbusters '80 (champ total display), Card Sharks (front-end displays), Super Password (score displays), Face The Music, Mindreaders, Pro-Fan, Hot Seat, Let's Make A Deal (1980s, Door #4)
	Mimics the numbers found on older sports arena scoreboards. Some scoreboards (including the auxiliary boards in old Boston Garden) used these very numbers.
		The Price Is Right

 

Sports Type Variant First appeared: 1974	Found on: Password All-Stars (1974), Password (1975)
	Constructed similarly to "sportstype," but on a 5x7 grid, upright (non-italicized) and with serifs.

Ferranti-  Packer  First appeared: 1976	Found on: Family Feud (all versions), Chain Reaction (letters), Hot Potato (letters), Jackpot (USA Network version)
	Thanks to Curt King for providing the official name for this display type. Also found on highway message boards in some states, and on buses.

 

DFG Feature:
Letters! We've Got Letters! We've Got Lots And Lots of Letters!
One of the little-known features of the Ferranti-Packer display is the letter set, which was found exclusively on Chain Reaction and Hot Potato. To quote Jim Lange: And heeeeeeere they are!

Vane  First appeared: 1982	Type I found on: $25,000/$100,000 Pyramid, Scrabble (Sprint timer), Sale of the Century '83  Type II found on: Double Dare '86 (Nick), Get The Picture, Finders Keepers, Remote Control, Jeopardy! (c. 1984-93), Tic Tac Dough (1990)
	Did you know: the Pyramid clocks were generated by two different types of displays? The players saw a clock with an eggcrate display, while those at home saw a keyed vane display.
	Type I The Price Is Right, 1986?-	Type II      Finders Keepers, 1987-90

Eggcrate II  First appeared: 1988	Found on: Fun House/College Mad House, Wipeout, Caesar's Challenge
	A slight modification of the classic eggcrate display type.
		College Mad House, 1988

Eggcrate III First appeared: 1990	Found on: Match Game (MatchUp scores, 1990)
	Another slight modification of the classic eggcrate display type.

7-Segment With Bulbs  First appeared: 1990	Found on: Quiz Kids Challenge, Hollywood Squares '98, Burt Luddin's Love Buffet, Comedy Central's Vs.
	Uses light bulbs to display the segments of the numbers. Though technically of the vane family, the use of light bulbs merits its own category.
		Hollywood Squares, 1998-

LEDs  First appeared: 1998	Found on: The Reel To Reel Picture Show, The Blame Game
	As predicted, the numbers got drowned out in the studio lights.

DFG Contributors
Many display examples provided by Larry J. Hall.
Vane type II and 7-segment with bulbs graphics provided by John Isles, IV.
Identity of Family Feud displays courtesy of Curt King.
Display fonts courtesy Jay Lewis.
Pyramid clock info courtesy Randy Amasia.
Some displays identifed courtesy R. Jermaine Schex

DFG Chronology Of Additions
July 23, 1999: Added new display types.
August 16, 1999: Added new item formatting.
August 18, 1999: Added display-related vignettes.
September 1, 1999: Added "Bank" display type.
December 1, 1999: Finally added hyperlinks for the font downloads. Joy!
July 6, 2001: Deleted download hyperlinks.
November 27, 2001: Re-added download link.
February 2006: Site moved to QWIZX.com.
February 2010: Added new display types