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		Press Your Luck Article:
		The Whammy
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The Whammy easily stole the show on Press Your Luck (pun not intended, but I'm leaving it in anyway) -- he appeared on fee plugs, the little cards that popped out at contestants, in little cartoons stealing players' winnings many different ways, throwing players out of the game, and most importantly for this website, on the Big Board itself. Altogether, Whammies appeared on the board with as many as 10 different poses. However, the show began with only five when the show premiered in 1983:


From left to right: Standing with Arms at Sides, Jumping, Leaning, Standing with a Hammer, and Running with a Hammer.

Not only were these poses used on the board, but the Jumping Whammy was also used on the cards that popped up every time a player hit a Whammy, while an image of the Leaning Whammy was used between fee plugs.

On August 15, 1984, five additional Whammies were added to the board:

From left to right: Standing with Arms on Hips, Reaching Up, Walking Like an Egyptian (apologies to those who are Egyptian), Taunting, and Sticking Out Tongue.

The first seven episodes featuring these Whammies were probably taped on the same day. Many of these new Whammies were too small (especially the Taunting Whammy), and a little off-center as well. On August 24 the Whammies were redrawn and the problems fixed. In addition, the Whammy sticking out his tongue was replaced with a Taunting Whammy. He returned during Season 3. Here's a quick look at the changes that were made, from least severe to most:

	became		This came very close to the final version. The old Whammy was enlarged just a bit.
	became		The old Whammy was enlarged.
	became		This one needed some more work, however. Not only did it need to be enlarged, but recentered as well!
	became		Time to fire Quality Control. Our friend on the left has been affectionately nicknamed "Tiny Whammy" by some.
	became		It seems that hardly any adjustment was needed -- perhaps the one on the right is very slightly larger? Anyway, this wins the "biggest adjustment" award, as it is the only Whammy to be sent completely into exile. Left is from August 84, right is from June 86.

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