20,000 Leagues: Deep Sea Treasure Hunt Game

I hate playing board games! But for some unknown reason I love collecting vintage Disney board games. I think it’s because of the beautiful artwork:

There are many versions of this game produced by Disney as this was a very popular property for the studio. This version is a standard board-playing style made in 1954 by Jaymar Games.

Speaking of the artwork, as usual, some artistic license was taken with the images used. For example, there are two different types of underwater suits depicted on the box cover, when only one style was used in the movie (Editor’s Note: Thanks to a knowledgeable reader, Nautilusnut, we have new information about these suits. Please check the comments to learn of their correct use in the film.) Also, this game is based on finding treasure, when only two characters in the movie sought treasure, and this was only a sub-plot in the original movie.

However, this in no way detracts from the fun of the game!

Game board label and playing surface

So what is the object of the Deep Sea Treasure Hunt game? Have a look at the official rule sheet from inside the box:

See a problem?

Again, some license had to be taken to make the game work. The object is to submerge your diver 20,000 leagues (or 60,000 miles) beneath the sea. This is impossible! The maximum depth of the sea is approximately 36,200 miles. So unless the diver is going to dig his way into the ocean floor, he isn’t winning this game!

Getting back to the game in this post, the spinner is quite nice:

That’s a very colorful Nautilus!

I picked this game up for just $15.00 CAN because it has some damage issues on the box. The rest of the game is in very good condition with all of the parts present.

I’m red!

I hope you enjoyed this post featuring a vintage Disney game.

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