Tag Archives: Vintage Toys

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Spin Again Sunday: The Muppet Show (Le Jeu des Vedettes)

Because tomorrow is Jim Henson’s birthday, my weekly series on vintage board games has a Muppety flavor this week.

Today’s Game: The Muppet Show (Parker Brothers Board Game of the Stars, AKA Le Jeu des Vedettes, par Parker Brothers)

Copyright Date: 1979

Game Box: A colorful cartoon rendering of every Muppet imaginable. That’s why I bought this game for my daughter. She loves Janice, the Electric Mayhem’s female member, and it’s rare to find merchandise that includes Janice’s picture. Not only does this box feature Janice, but the game board does as well!

Most Interesting Feature: What I didn’t realize when I bought this game is that it was made in Canada and has a bilingual board–one side in French, one side in English. I actually felt a little peeved when I opened the box and found a French board. I only speak un peu de French and didn’t know how I would manage to play this with my daughter. When I flipped the board over and found the English side, I no longer felt peeved—just stupid for not noticing the French writing on the box.

French game instructions.

Game Pieces: Rather lame. You know how some game pieces have a plastic base, into which you slide a cardboard picture? Well, that’s what this game has, but the cardboard pieces don’t display characters—just colors. There’s a yellow one, a red one, a green one, and a blue one. Why not just use regular colored-plastic markers?

Janice, yay!

Recommended Ages: 7 to 14.

Game Play: The game designers came up with a concept relates well to The Muppet Show and its characters. Players move around the board and try to collect cards representing three judges—Miss Piggy, Sweetums, and Fozzie. Once you have all three, you can “perform” for the judges. That involves picking one of six Sam the Eagle cards and hoping that it doesn’t match the number your opponent rolls on the die. If you don’t match Sam, you receive a star; seven stars win the game. The rules have a few wrinkles—such as allowing players to “upstage” each other—that keep it from getting too repetitive. Sam is one of my favorite Muppets, so I enjoy his role as censor here.

My Thoughts: I owned a different Muppet Show game when I was little, one that dated from 1977. I don’t remember much about that game, but I can endorse this one as fun for young Muppet fans.

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Some Blog Updates and a Posting Schedule

Later today, I will post my regular Monday blog entry, my 30th since starting Embarrassing Treasures on August 15. I would like to thank my little band of followers, here and on Twitter, for helping me survive my first month of blogging.

As a nostalgia and pop culture blog, Embarrassing Treasures covers a wide range of topics—possibly too wide. That’s what you get when you combine a lifetime’s worth of Generation X memories with a fondness for Greatest Generation entertainment. Everything falls under the heading “bygone amusements and guilty pleasures.”

To make it easier for readers to know what to expect, I’ve worked out a posting schedule:

Spin Again Sunday—Reviews of vintage board games from my collection.

Memories Monday—Personal reflections inspired by some pastime, artifact, or place from the past.

Classic Movies Tuesday—Thoughts about classic movies that have inspired, amused, or moved me.

Weird Words of Wisdom Wednesday—Humorous insights from my collection of vintage advice books for teens.

Old-Time Radio Thursday—Commentary and context on unusual, excellent, or odd old-time radio episodes.

Family Affair Friday—Episode reviews, information, images, and articles on the classic TV sitcom Family Affair, which holds a special place in my heart.

Surprise Saturday—Quick takes on pop culture; anything goes!

Of course, these topics overlap frequently. Vintage toys or classic TV shows or movies might inspire Monday’s reflections. Celebrities sometimes figure into advice manuals, either as authors or examples. Most of my vintage board games have television connections. Movie stars often pop up in surprising roles in old-time radio shows—heck, movie stars like Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, and Joan Blondell even pop up in Family Affair.

“Treasure Map,” in the left-hand sidebar, provides the best guide to posts on particular topics.

I also wanted to let you know that Embarrassing Treasures is on Pinterest and Facebook. On Pinterest, I’ve started some pretty cool boards on classic movies and vintage toys—check them out! My Facebook page is brand new, so you can be among the first to like Embarrassing Treasures. Don’t forget that you can also follow this blog on Twitter and by e-mail.

Thanks again for reading this blog, and feel free to suggest ideas for future posts. What coverage areas do you like most? What would you like to see more or less of? I’d love to hear from you!

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Spin Again Sunday: Gomer Pyle

Gomer Pyle Game, 1964

Today’s Game: Gomer Pyle

Copyright Date: 1964 (I got that date from the book Spin Again by Rick Polizzi and Fred Schaefer. The box is undated.)

Game Board: Visually striking, with the marching Marines cutting a green swath across the mustard-yellow background, and red Sergeant Carter squares popping up regularly. The guy peeling potatoes seems to be smoking—that’s something you wouldn’t see on kids’ game today.

Game Board

Game Pieces: Brightly colored plastic pieces and cartoon cutouts of Pyle.

Recommended Ages: 8 to Adult.

Game Play: No clue. See the well that holds the plastic pieces? See the words that say “Game instructions in well”? Well…not in my well. That’s one of the dangers of buying of vintage games—they’re often incomplete. Dice are included, so obviously Pyle has to move around the board. I’m going to assume that landing on Sergeant Carter’s head is a bad thing.

Game Designer: The box artwork is signed “Hal Greer.” I haven’t been able to find out anything about this artist. I’m guessing he’s not the same person as this Hal Greer.

A close up from the box lid–pretty nice artwork

About Transogram: Game manufacturer Transogram offered many games based on TV shows. As the Polizzi and Schaefer book says: “Transogram personified the close relationship that had developed between television and the toy industry, doing so with imaginative designs that were some of the best of the period.”

My Thoughts: I bought this game a few years ago for my husband, who was a big Gomer Pyle fan as a kid. It was never a

A close up from the game board. Is that Marine smoking?

favorite show of mine, but I would watch it occasionally when nothing else was on.  In fourth grade, our teachers would let us watch TV in the cold lunch room, and Gomer Pyle was our usual lunchtime fare. For that reason, I associate the show with salami and snack cakes.

Previous Entries in this Series:

Charlie’s Angels

Laverne & Shirley

H.R. Pufnstuf

Emily Post Popularity Game

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Spin Again Sunday: Emily Post Popularity Game

Today’s Game: Emily Post Popularity Game

Copyright Date: 1970

Object: “Players learn of the rewards that come from good manners while going to parties, sports events, dinners and other activities with their friends.”

Game Board: Wispy cartoons show wholesome scenes of teenage life.

An all-too-typical teen problem

Game Pieces: Players move regular colored pegs and draw “Emily Post says…” cards that give points for good manners and issue penalties for etiquette violations.

This nice young lesbian couple uses good manners while gathering psychedelic mushrooms.

Recommended Ages: “For girls 8 to 14.” I guess boys don’t need “the rewards that come from good manners.”

Game Play: Players compete to attract the largest circle of friends. You can’t

win if you’re holding the dog card in your hand. Personally, I’d rather befriend the dog than these humans. I mean, Cathy looks like a smug know-it-all, and Tony is clearly up to no good.

I hope this boy and girl can find a polite way to deal with the blonde girl who’s stalking them.

Final Fun Facts: Elizabeth Post, addressing players from the inside of the box lid, makes no pretense that fine inner qualities create social success. “What is it that makes a person popular?” she asks. “Is it good looks, smart clothes, or attractive manners? It is, of course, a combination of all three, but the last is surely the most important.”

The dog is the undesirable one? Really?

Elizabeth Post, the wife of Emily Post’s only grandson, assumed leadership of the Emily Post Institute after the original etiquette maven died. Several Post descendants still write about etiquette, including her great-great-grandaughter Lizzie Post.

Previous Entries in this Series:

Charlie’s Angels

Laverne & Shirley

H.R. Pufnstuf

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Play Family Matters

When I was about four, I walked with my mom to a nearby store. I can still remember walking home, up a hill, carrying a large box, and bursting with excitement. For no special reason at all, my mom had bought me the Fisher Price Play Family School that day.

Play Family toys were among my favorites. Besides the School, I had the House and the Houseboat. When I was five, Santa brought me the wonderful Play Family Village, which included a firehouse, dental office, theater, post office, police station, barber shop, garage, restaurant, and telephone booth.

I don’t have any of my old Fisher Price toys, but my husband has picked up some vintage structures at flea markets and yard sales. My daughter, who is nine, still enjoys playing with them now and then. Today, she set up a Play Family city around the living room rug.

Here’s how our little people spent Labor Day.

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