Candy Land Turns 60
Popular Children’s Board Game Celebrates 60 Years
Often referred to as a child’s “first board game,” Candy Land is an American classic. It has remained popular throughout six decades, despite board games’ competition with electronic media. Children three and older gravitate toward the color-matching game, which is vibrant and imaginative. The goal: Reach the castle first via the rainbow trail and find King Kandy.
History of Candy Land
According to Hasbro.com, Candy Land was created in the 1940s by Eleanor Abbott. Stuck in a San Diego hospital recovering from polio, Abbott set out to create a simple game that would entertain children fighting the same disease. Abbott pitched the idea to Milton Bradley, and Candy Land was launched in 1949 with the price tag of $1.
Candy Land Grows Up
The game proved popular from the get-go. In a December 2005 Forbes magazine feature about the most popular American toys, Candy Land led the list for the 1940s. The game has changed with the times undergoing minor revisions, resulting in four primary versions. The original featured locations and no characters. Children wouldn’t meet Gloppy the Molasses Monster, for example, until later. That character is known today as Gloppy the Chocolate Monster.
Candy Land Brand
Additional versions of Candy Land featuring popular children’s franchises occupy the market. Dora the Explorer and Winnie the Pooh have their own adaptations. The Give Kids the World Village, a nonprofit resort in Florida for children with life-threatening illnesses, boasts a life-size Candy Land playground and also partnered with Hasbro to offer an edition to benefit the family resort.
Candy Land Controversy
All has not been perfect in the world of gumdrops and candy canes. While many parents and educators praise Candy Land for its ability to teach good sportsmanship along with basic counting and color-identification skills, the game has its critics. In a country where childhood obesity has reached dangerous levels, some say a game focusing on sugary sweets might entice kids to overindulge their sweet tooths.
Hasbro, which purchased Candy Land and Milton Bradley Co. in 1984, became embroiled in a trademark lawsuit in 1996. Hasbro sued an online adult magazine that presented sexually explicit adult material under the Web site Candyland.com. The court ruled on Hasbro’s side and ordered the adult Web site to find a new Web address.
Candy Land to Launch 2009 Edition, Feature Film
Hasbro will release Candy Land: Sweet Celebration Game this fall in honor of the game’s 60th anniversary. Universal Pictures has hired Etan Cohen to write and Kevin Lima to direct a live-action feature based on Candy Land, according to a March 2009 MTV Movies Blog post by Eric Ditzian. Fans of Tropic Thunder will recognize Cohen’s talent, supported by Lima’s abilities, which were recently touted in Enchanted. The film is slated for release in 2011.
Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner told MTV News the film takes audiences to a better place. “But then you come to find out, like every other place that’s promised to just be all better and all sweets and candy, you come to find out there’s actually some controversy there as well, that of course the stars of the movie have to solve for,” Goldner said.
More than 40 million copies of Candy Land have been sold, according to Hasbro’s Web site. While the game has transformed itself with each decade, the basic idea of simple family fun has remained for 60 years. Most versions retail today between $10 and $20.
Candy Land Board Game
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