Magic Number

Magic #
Premiere Date (Barker Era)	September 14, 1992 (#8491D)
Premiere Date (Carey Era)	November 26, 2007 (#4101K)
Pricing Game Location	Big Doors
Previous Premiered Pricing Game	Buy or Sell
Next Premiered Pricing Game	Cover Up
Finale Date (Barker Era)	May 11, 2007 (#3985K)
Finale Date (Carey Era)	November 24, 2021 (#9603K, aired out of order on November 17, 2021)

Magic Number (stylized as Magic #) was a game where a contestant selects a number between prices of two prizes.

Gameplay

• The contestant was told which was the least expensive of the two and which was the most expensive of the two. The contestant had to find a "magic number" - a number that fell between the two prices. The magic number had to be higher on the left and lower on the right. Exact numbers were inclusive (and has happened once) - to win both prizes. To do so, the contestant raised and lowered a lever attached to the prop that would increase or decrease the number displayed on a readout. When the contestant finished setting the magic number, the actual retail price of both prizes were shown one at a time. If the magic number was between both prices, or matched either price, they won both prizes.

History

• Magic Number used a chime and then the winning bells whenever a win has occurred early on. The chime was later eliminated and only the winning bells sounded when a win has occurred.
• On October 21, 1997 (#0492K), contestant Audrey stopped the Magic Number at 1429, but as she pulled the lever lower, she did not notice she actually misadjusted it just below the center, causing the number to go down one at a time on its own. Noticing this, Bob and Audrey briefly had to move far from the game until he said if she wanted to go lower and did so, stopping at 1140 and fixed the game, but Audrey wanted a higher Magic Number, went higher and stopped at 1230. On top of that, she won the game.
• The game's computer originally rounded the contestant's guess to the nearest ten. The staff programmed it out once they discovered it was happening.
• In the mid-2000s, the sound effect for the number display counting up or down sounded very different.
• On June 17, 2003 (#2592K), the prices were revealed in reverse order. During Carey’s tenure as host, the reverse reveal happened on occasion.
• On October 22, 2008 (#4473K), contestant Carrie had the Magic Number at 1299, which was the retail price of the guitar making Carrie a winner.
• On December 25, 2012 (#6152K, aired out-of-order on February 8, 2013), Drew’s long demonstration set the magic number to 2278, a number in which contestant Lawanda Young could’ve won with and she wouldn’t have had to do a single thing. Instead she set it to 1751 and was under by $47. Then one of them set it to 2234, wishing they had a win.
• On October 6, 2017 (#8035K, aired out-of-order on June 29, 2018), the prices on the price tags received a new font.
• On March 30, 2018 (#8275K), the losing horns were not played.

Trivia

• Like Ten Chances, Take Two, Line 'Em Up, More or Less, Gas Money, Rat Race, or Time is Money, Magic Number was never the first pricing game to start any show because it needs time to start up and the game can be no earlier than second on the show.
  • As of some time in the 2010s, Magic Number can be played no earlier than third on the show.
• Magic Number has never been played for two cars.
• The most number of times this game was played in any season was 26 (season 21), while the least number of times this games was played in any season was 2 (season 50).
• On only three known occasions, on April 24, 1997 (#0354K), April 25, 2003 (#2515K) and June 15, 2021 (#9482K), the contestant went over the second prize.
• Magic Number was one of four "new" pricing games seen on the sixth taping session of Season 36 (Drew's first as host), which was seen on November 26, 2007 (#4101K), December 4, 2007 (#4112K), December 12, 2007 (#4123K), January 7, 2008 (#4131K, aired out-of-order on January 9), January 18, 2008 (#4145K) and January 23, 2008 (#4153K).
• On Davidson's Price, as a running gag, Davidson referred to the props as the "geezmo" instead of "gizmo" and the "leever" instead of "lever." Also, its price tags were not handled by models, but displayed on a modified Double Prices podium, with the more expensive prize on top and the less expensive one on the bottom.
• Unlike Bob, Drew demonstrated how the lever works and, when pulling it down, does not pull it all the way back to zero, resulting in instances where the contestant didn’t have to do a single thing due to a winning number already set at, except on some episodes around 2015 or 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the contestant is instructed to try out the lever to see how it works, before finding the magic number.
• Just like Golden Road, Safe Crackers, Hot Seat, and Credit Card, the game's prop was shown and then is zoomed out to the contestant and Bob/Drew.
• This was the first pricing game to be retired in the 2020s.
• This was the last pricing game to be retired in an episode with the production code ending with K, and the last pricing game to be withdrawn before the death of Bob Barker in 2023.

Gallery

To view the gallery, click here.

Retirement

• Magic Number was taken out of the active rotation after November 24, 2021 (#9603K, aired out of order on November 17), possibly due to prop issues involving the game's computer - in fact, its set, along with the other pricing games, was moved to Haven Studios. However, reports from Drew Carey and audience members during the first tapings of Season 52 indicated that the game has been officially retired. The staff could not find a feasible way to repair the issues, and Drew had also mentioned that the game was "boring" and was often won too frequently.
• Having been played for over 29 years, it is the second longest-lived pricing game ever to be retired, behind Poker Game.
• In 2024, Magic Number was moved to Rochester, N.Y., and will be displayed with a Showcase Showdown wheel (Live! Stage version), and other game show props from Fremantle at the Strong National Museum of Play in 2026.

Videos

• Magic Number Gets a Mind of its Own
• Magic Number Win
• Magic Number Win from 2007
• Magic Number Matches a Price (Must-See-to-Believe)
• Debbie Plays Magic Number
• Finale Playing