Password game

Password is a popular spoken guessing game that encourages deductive reasoning and creativity.

Rules

To begin, one player is chosen to be "it". That player thinks of a target word, which can be any word. Then "it" gives all other players a one-word hint. The hint must not include, or be a variant of, the target word. (For instance, if the target word was "doghouse", hints such as "houses" or "doggy" would be illegal, but "puppy" would be legal.)

Each other player in turn attempts to guess the target word. If no player guesses correctly, "it" continues giving one-word hints until a player says the target word. That player becomes "it" for the next round.

Television and commercial versions

Password was a television game show on CBS hosted by Allen Ludden that aired from 1961 to 1967. It was reintroduced on ABC from 1971 to 1975. On November 18, 1974, Password All-Stars was introduced, with only celebrities playing for charity.

More versions of Password followed, namely Password Plus (1979-1982) and Super Password (1984-1989). Both versions, which aired on NBC, involved celebrity-contestant teams solving puzzles that consisted of five related passwords. The winners played a bonus round where they attempted to solve ten passwords beginning with consecutive letters of the alphabet within 60 seconds; if successful, the team won a cash prize that started at $5,000. Ludden returned as host of Password Plus, but illness forced him off the show in 1980. Bill Cullen substituted for a month, and Tom Kennedy finished out the run of Password Plus. Bert Convy hosted Super Password.

A commercial version of Password was first introduced in 1962, and many versions have been released since then. Some boxed sets attempted to simulate a particular television version.

The theme song for 1961-1962 version of Password is called "Holiday Jaunt" by Kurt Rehfeld. The 1963-1967 version is called "Bicentennial Funk" by Score Productions.