Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Come on down!

Noel has a new review of a The Price Is Right DVD set on the A.V. Club site today. That game show has become Archer's current obsession, and nearly every spare moment turns into a pricing game (with him as the host, and his ever-present Magnadoodle as the various electronic signs, gameboards, and price tags.

This afternoon Cady Gray wanted to play bedtime with me. It's one of her favorite games: she gets pillow, blanket, and stuffed animals from her bed and curls up on the floor, announcing, "When you say wake up, I'll wake up." That is far too tempting to a parent looking for a few moments of peace, as you can imagine.

She said that when we got up, we could go to the fair, referring to a lullaby on one of her CDs which promises fairgoing to a sleepy child. So when it was time to "get up," we went to the "fair" (front room) to ride the "rides" (couch pillows). Archer, playing ticketseller (Cady Gray bought 1495 tickets) and ride operator, announced that we would have to guess the price of the merry-go-round before we could board. As Cady Gray and I made our wild guesses, Archer held up his Magnadoodle with a big boxed "CF" on it, in the manner of the Showcase Showdown podium label.

"What's the CF stand for?" I asked.

Without missing a beat, still holding the Magnadoodle up to request my bid, Archer quickly explained, "County Fair."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The first thing I ever saw on American television was an episode of "The Price Is Right." The British game shows of that period were generally more quiz-like, and the contestants and host rather dry and serious. So, to listen to Johnny Olsen saying "came on down" see the antics of the demonstrative contestants, plus the naked consumerism (real brand names and even product logos on entertainment shows were forbidden under TV regs at the time) -- I wanted to jet right back across the Atlantic.

Anonymous said...

I remember watching that show religiously at my after-school sitters in my early elementary years. A true American metaphor for the concept than any knowledge is useful. Where else can knowing the actual retail price of a box of Rice-A-Roni win you a new car?

Adam Villani said...

One of the best things about the Price is Right is the theme song. Oh man, that song is perfect.