If they're still avoiding fur episodes in 10 years, then yes, I'd say this would be a valid criticism.
Airing them in an event specifically designed to celebrate Bob's life would be completely asinine.
I disagree. While he later became personally opposed to the offering of furs as prizes, if we're talking about celebrating his talent as host of The Price Is Right, there's a lot to be shown in episodes that coincidentally include furs as prizes. I get the exclusion from the perspective of, "We want to celebrate Bob Barker as an animal rights activist and game show host extraordinaire", but again, here's where they could turn a perceived "black mark" into something positive. Spin in a line in the press release or promo of something like, "Yes, furs were offered as prizes in the early years of the show, but Bob's championing for animal rights saw to it that furs were later no longer offered as prizes" (Phrasing of this sort leaves all the ego of Barker out of the equation). Further, it's not as if Barker had an active role (not a well-known one if there was any role, anyway) in furs being prizes in the show's early years, but he did have an active role in their removal.
Because the question becomes what will end this long suppression of history? Let it be repeated again to get one factor abundantly straight: Unless there was some kind of a legal arrangement of which we don't know, there's no way Barker's estate can enforce a ban on reruns of episodes of The Price Is Right including furs as prizes. As far as all facts are known, Barker had no ownership stake in the show, and his estate thus has no ownership stake in the show that could be used to exercise that kind of influence. Really, what's always made the fur ban look asinine is that nobody is denying that furs were ever offered as prizes, and nobody is pinning the blame on Barker, as if to say he was a cruel torturer of animals before turning around completely; yet for some reason despite it being public knowledge, it is "that which must not be seen".
While I am certainly hopeful that episodes from the best years of the show (1975-1982) will become more available, I believe at this point the reality is the "fur flap" is a lesser concern to these showing up in reruns on Pluto TV or elsewhere. Episodes that have gotten out from the late '70s of Price have shown stuff that wouldn't fly based on today's broadcast standards, such as dress (or lack thereof). Further, Pluto TV and Buzzr have withheld episodes of shows that could be considered offensive to people with "modern sensitivities". While there are definitely elements that took place in episodes of Price that never should have in the first place (the antics of Bump, for instance), one should rightfully question
if it is reasonable
if somebody takes offence to some element or statement made within an episode when there
may be a difference in how said element is perceived between then and now (and it begs the question why historical episodes of game shows, of all things, are subject to such scrutiny when you have television producers
today putting out products filled with elements
specifically intended to offend certain persons and groups, even if they are not (which they are generally not) the programs' target audiences).
