An eggcrate display is a display technology that consists of a matrix of lightbulbs. Behind the matrix lies a foam backing with a series of indentations to accommodate the bulbs, which resembles the indentations in an eggcrate.
Most eggcrate displays use a complete 5×7 matrix for each digit, permitting the display of nearly all alphanumeric characters. Some variants exist that can only display numbers, but require fewer bulbs. Many game shows that once used eggcrate displays have since switched to more versatile plasma screen monitors.
Eggcrate displays are often used on game shows because other types of displays, like LEDseven-segment displays, are prone to being washed out by bright studio lights.
The 1978–1981 version of Card Sharks used an eggcrate display on the podium during the Money Cards. In the 1986-1989 version, the eggcrate display was red and was a chroma-key slot during the Money Cards. Whenever the contestant lost everything,the display would change to the word "BUST."
The 1980-1982 version of Blockbusters used an eggcrate display as a countdown clock for the Gold Rush/Gold Run Bonus Round.
The original Chain Reaction in 1980 used eggcrate displays for the main game.
Family Feud used an eggcrate display as a fast money clock from 1976 to 1985. However, the main game board was composed of flip-dot displays, not eggcrate displays, throughout the Dawson and Combs eras. Beginning with the return of Family Feud in 1999, except for the first 26 episodes of the first John O'Hurley season, each family's podium has an eggcrate display to keep track of the scores. Also from 1999 until 2006, the game board had an eggcrate display on top of it to keep track of the score in the current round. That was replaced with LCD displays used on the neoclassical game board used in the current set. The eggcrate display on the family podiums were added when it was evident the scores were not being displayed as the scores were placed on the game board, as it was using a neoclassical game board.
Fun House, a children's game show hosted by J.D. Roth which ran from 1988–1991, used the second incarnation of the eggcrates. The 0, 4, 5, and 7 looked different, but every other number was the same. On the pilot, the familiar eggcrate look was used.
The Canadian game show Kidstreet used eggcrate displays.
The 1978–1979 Revival and 1983 Pilot of Jeopardy! used eggcrate displays to show contestants' scores and winning $5,000 in the Super Jeopardy! Bonus Round, including the contestants' overall grand totals, but there was no dollar sign in front, except in the Jeopardy! Rounds. The eggcrate displays had switched to vane displays in 1984.
The original version of the Goodson–Todman game show Now You See It used blue and green eggcrate displays to display the scores of the contestants in the main round. An eggcrate display was also present during the solo round, which was used to keep track of the amount of money the contestant had won.
The Price Is Right uses eggcrate displays in several of its pricing games, including Card Game, Plinko, and Switcheroo. Also, eggcrate displays are used for displaying the contestants' bids during the Showcases.
As teams accumulated time at the beginning of Supermarket Sweep, it was displayed on red (1990–1993), yellow (1993–1994), and blue (1994–1995; 2000-2003) eggcrate displays under their podiums.
Win Ben Stein's Money used eggcrate displays on the decreasing $5,000 above Ben, the contestant's scoreboards, and in the isolation booths.
Until 2002, Wheel of Fortune used eggcrate displays to display the contestants' scores. In the 2002-2003 season (Season 20), they were replaced with plasma monitors that display "WHEEL" on the red podium, "OF" on the yellow podium, and "FORTUNE" on the blue podium before the first Toss Up Round starts.
