Think While You Have Fun!: Yahtzee

Since writing an overview of poker for the uninitiated, I have noticed how commonplace it is to find someone who has not played the traditional board games that populated my youth. But I think everyone is familiar with Yahtzee.

Origins and Comparisons

The official game began as an activity aboard a Canadian couple’s yacht in 1954 (dubbed “the yacht game” and later amended to Yahtzee). They soon asked their friend Edwin Lowe (a toy enterpriser) to make some sets of the game that they could use as gifts. Lowe agreed, in exchange for the rights to the game. By 1956, Yahtzee was being marketed as a thinking-man’s dice game.

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They Come From a Land Down Under: Alice in Wonderland Movie Toys

It’s been a long week of finals for me, and after all that I realized I had one last assignment to complete: Do a write-up for toys based off of Tim Burton’s new movie, Alice in Wonderland. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? It’s not exactly a sequel to the classic Disney movie of the same name, nor is it quite a sequel to the Lewis Carroll books (which your kids really should read). It’s just another one of Tim Burton’s “I’m weird and here’s my movie” movies. I haven’t seen it either, so I have nothing to say about it one way or another, though the Rotten Tomatoes score could be a helpful guide… Read more

Toy Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

The first week of autumn is a signal to start looking back, reminisce over the good ole days, and remember what really matters.  And, right on schedule, the Strong National Museum of Play has announced 12 nominees for this years induction into the Toy Hall of Fame.

Only two of the twelve nominees will make the final cut, but they will be in good company with the best toys of all time.

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