Games I Grew Up With
Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Talking with a friend recently about growing up in the 60s/70s, I came to realize that my brother and I were spoiled -- we owned close to fifty board games! Leaving out the obvious ones, like Checkers, Chess, Monopoly, Scrabble and Chinese Checkers, I quickly compiled the following list, which appears here in alphabetical order.
Reminisce with me now about those golden days before the advent of video/computer games, when, if you weren't riding around on your banana-seated bicycle, messing around having crab apple fights in the woods with other kids, or watching "Gilligan's Island" on Channel 11, you were playing boardgames!
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Technically, this was my brother's but since he was only three years younger than me, we played games together until we were in our teens.
Apparently, in the early 70s, white men *could* jump.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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This was our [in]famous edition. However, you wouldn't have found me in the kitchen drying dishes with my mother. Then again, *my* dad couldn't make his armpit sound out "it's a hit!"
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3.
Board Game: Bingo
[Average Rating:2.53 Overall Rank:7747]
Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Ours had a metal wheel you put the wooden numbers into and spun with a crank, as well as clear red plastic chits to mark your number. It made a great sound.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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The best thing about Blockhead was that after building a perilously-balanced structure, you could smash your Matchbox cars through it.
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5.
Board Game: Boggle
[Average Rating:6.24 Overall Rank:1273]
Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Another game with great sound effects. I'm sensing a trend here ...
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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We played on a vintage 1957 edition that had employment options that were hysterical even to kids in the '70s -- jobs like "Spaceman" and "Uranium Prospector." Did anyone ever actually grow up saying "I wanna mine uranium ore when I grow up" and if so, how brightly do they glow today?
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7.
Board Game: Clue
[Average Rating:5.60 Overall Rank:5617]
Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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You just know that monkey wrench we all chewed on was made out of 100% lead. But the biggest mystery was why "Colonial Mustard" wasn't spelled "Kernel Mustard?"
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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There were more game shows on during the days in the 60s and 70s than there were soap operas. Maybe because kids like myself were sick more often and spent their days in bed watching shows like this one? This is the only TV tie-in game I recall owning.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Another one in a series of games that made satisfying sounds.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Remember the great buzzing noise this thing emitted when you first turned it on? Then the little players would start oscilliating across the board randomly. Was it actually possible to plan a winning strategy in this? Did anyone try? Or was it just enough fun to watch those metal figures dance?
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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This was my set (but not my photo) -- all those bearded white guys from the Eighteenth Century. With Louisa May Alcott and Shakespeare thrown in for "variety." I was an avid reader and later an English Major and I still never read half of these books. "Song of Hiawatha?" "Ivanhoe?" Get real. Today's deck is probably going to hole up even worse though; I imagine it's of Tom Clancy and Dean Koonz.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Back in the '60s, the most important thing about any country was what it manufactured. It was the indicator of the greatness of your contributions to humanity. Sigh. Today, we produce nothing. Well, that's not entirely true. A new edition of this game would have to have "Credit Cards" for Delaware and "Job Outsourcing" for California. And maybe "Mountaintop Removal" for West Virginia and "Meth Labs" for Washington State.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Again, the edition I had. There's Dad again with his magic armpit. Only in this one, junior appears to have smelt it and dealt it. His sister is calling him on it too.
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14.
Board Game: Image
[Average Rating:4.70 Overall Rank:7543]
Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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A 3M not-so-classic. I still have this one. It's most memorable for Cleopatra's cleavage and Geronimo's distain. Oh, and let's not forget Henry VIII I am, I am.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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A yellow plastic cylinder with holes in it, a bunch of clear marbles with swirly colors in them, and sticks you could poke someone's eye out with! Oh, and lots and lots of noise! What more could you want?
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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"One knock hockey, two knock hockey, three knock hockey, ow! My knuckles!
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Alas, no picture, because my mother threw it away -- only a couple of years ago after my niece "outgrew it" and Mom decided it was "taking up space" ARG! She saved it for forty years and in all that time, somehow it had avoided having any mass and then *suddenly* the laws of physics apply?
 Solid colored marbles, an inverted yellow cone, blue plastic tweezers. Anyone else remember this?
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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Ah, that James Bond Supervillan and his Chinese concubine.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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The "Purina Animal Chow" logo was featured prominently in ours. Along with some 50s/early 60s styled flowers and birds. Vaguely "Nordic" in design, like the furniture in our dining room.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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3M loved them some sultry white Cleopatra.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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You know, thinking of this game I at first had an angry feminist flash about how single women have been stereotyped throughout the agess, but then I found this picture of the version I played with and got a good look at the "Wild Man" with his giant lips, headress of feathers and *a ball and chain*??? Dang, those were the days alright ...
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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"Go" for little kids and morons (like myself). I own a travel edition that's seen plenty of campgrounds since the '70s.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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All I remember are the little sliding levers in blue and white. And if it weren't for the greatness of the geek's database, I never would have remembered the name.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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While you were waiting for your turn, you could blow across the top of the cylindrical box it came in and make digiridoo noises.
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Laura Appelbaum
United States
Maryland
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This one has a long story I'll try to make short. One of my most beloved teachers, David Press, taught math, puns, science fiction and frisbee, not necessarily in that order. He also ran the "Math Lab" where all the nerds and social losers like myself played boardgames imported from Europe instead of going outside and being beat up during recess. In 8th grade I came down with pneumonia and ended up missing an entire month of school. Sometime around week three, the doorbell rang and after a moment my mother called me and told me that I had to get out of bed and come downstairs. There was a Wookie holding a United Parcel Post package for me. It was, of course, Mr. Press. Making a UPS delivery. Press Ups.
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