December 30, 1963... America was still mourning the loss of John F. Kennedy... The Beatles still wouldn't arrive from England (to change the course of rock music) for another five weeks... I, myself, was nine years old, and I wouldn't turn double digits until March 1, 1964.

Having been brought up on television since the 1950s, I needed a little bit of escapism during the winter break from school. Lo and behold, a new game show debuted on NBC that penultimate day in '63, that was a true departure from the various quiz shows that saturated the airwaves...

"Let's Make A Deal" starring Monty Hall premiered that day, and 'the marketplace of America' with its 'big deals' and its 'zonks' changed the way many people saw game shows. The variety of prizes were only minor 'eye candy', compared to the outlandish costumes the contestants wore during its initial ten-year-run (switching over to ABC, later on). Naturally, said costumed contestants were the butt of many a joke...

"Can you believe that the contestants on that show are Americans?" - Bill Cosby

"Monty stumped the audience last night. He offered $100 to anyone who could produce some dignity or self-respect... Came up 'snake-eyes' on that roll." - Dennis Miller

And now, a whole new version of "LMAD" is making a run on CBS, with comedian Wayne Brady as its host. "Good Luck" to him!

Anyway, this anthropomorphic parody of "Let's Make A Deal" was originally drawn back in 2007 - when the folks running "Megaplex" (Florida's own 'annual 'furry con') decided to make "game shows" the theme for that year's event. I was hoping that it would appear in the program book, but it was turned down. (However, they did use a special sudoku puzzle I'd created for them, so it wasn't a total loss.)

Using Paint.Net, I've added color to the original black-and-white line drawing. See if you're 'game' for this gag!