Trilon
Encyclopedia
A trilon is a triangular prism
-shaped object, turning on an axle (either mechanically or manually) to show different letters or images. Trilons have been used on game show
s and billboard
s.
The squares on the original Concentration
game board, first aired in 1958, may have been the first use of trilons on a game show. The game combined the card game
with a rebus
puzzle, which was gradually revealed as matches were made. As the show was an immediate replacement for the disgraced Twenty-One, the network insisted on keeping the puzzle pieces under high security, attaching them only to the trilons as needed.
Trilons also showed the categories on the original Pyramid
series, the first-season Street Smarts episodes. The letter squares on the old Wheel of Fortune letter board used trilons until 1997. The entire game board on the original Family Feud
was one large trilon through 1994, as was the board used in the Hidden Pictures rounds on the syndicated version of the Nickelodeon game show Finders Keepers. The second rounds (Jailtime Challenges) of every Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? episode featured 15 places of the location that the second round took place, represented by trilons. The Jeopardy!
-like game board of Debt
consisted entirely of trilons. Trilons are still being used on several The Price is Right
pricing games, such as Barker's Bargain Bar and One Away. Trilons are also used in live competitions on the American version of the reality television
show Big Brother.
Trilons were temperamental, labor-intensive, and sometimes made a lot of noise when turned. They were largely replaced by on-set television monitors, as on Jeopardy! (starting with the 1984 revival) and Family Feud
(starting with the 1999 revival).
Trilons have been used in roadside billboards
. Many long, thin trilons are placed side-by-side in the frame, and periodically rotate simultaneously to cycle the billboard through three separate signs.
Triangular prism
In geometry, a triangular prism is a three-sided prism; it is a polyhedron made of a triangular base, a translated copy, and 3 faces joining corresponding sides....
-shaped object, turning on an axle (either mechanically or manually) to show different letters or images. Trilons have been used on game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s and billboard
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
s.
The squares on the original Concentration
Concentration (game show)
Concentration was an American TV game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. Matching cards represented prizes that contestants could win...
game board, first aired in 1958, may have been the first use of trilons on a game show. The game combined the card game
Concentration (game)
Concentration, also known as Memory, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku, Pexeso or simply Pairs, is a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards...
with a rebus
Rebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
puzzle, which was gradually revealed as matches were made. As the show was an immediate replacement for the disgraced Twenty-One, the network insisted on keeping the puzzle pieces under high security, attaching them only to the trilons as needed.
Trilons also showed the categories on the original Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
series, the first-season Street Smarts episodes. The letter squares on the old Wheel of Fortune letter board used trilons until 1997. The entire game board on the original Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
was one large trilon through 1994, as was the board used in the Hidden Pictures rounds on the syndicated version of the Nickelodeon game show Finders Keepers. The second rounds (Jailtime Challenges) of every Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? episode featured 15 places of the location that the second round took place, represented by trilons. The Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
-like game board of Debt
Debt (game show)
Debt is an American game show hosted by Wink Martindale, which aired on Lifetime from June 3, 1996 to August 14, 1998. The show featured contestants who were trying to earn money to get out of debt.-Gameplay:...
consisted entirely of trilons. Trilons are still being used on several The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
pricing games, such as Barker's Bargain Bar and One Away. Trilons are also used in live competitions on the American version of the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show Big Brother.
Trilons were temperamental, labor-intensive, and sometimes made a lot of noise when turned. They were largely replaced by on-set television monitors, as on Jeopardy! (starting with the 1984 revival) and Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
(starting with the 1999 revival).
Trilons have been used in roadside billboards
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
. Many long, thin trilons are placed side-by-side in the frame, and periodically rotate simultaneously to cycle the billboard through three separate signs.