Games Archives ~ My Dreams of Disney

Mickey Mouse Skipping Rope by Arco Toys

October 5, 2016 by Mike Ellis

Skipping is one the oldest outdoor activities for children. Most often little girls will play various skipping games together while the boys look upon the ‘sport’ as sissy. But boys have been known to jump in from time to time!

Skipping rhymes have been recorded in all cultures where skipping is played. Examples of English-language rhymes have been found going back to at least the 17th century. But I think this skipping rope might only be from the 1960’s or 1970’s:

Just a little wear and tear

These have a nice little detail in the handles:

This Mickey Mouse skipping rope was made by Arco Toys:

Given the amount of rope attached to the two handles I have to assume that these would have been made for a child between the ages of 5 and possibly up to 8.

So what skipping rhyme would you use to play with this rope? May I suggest this one based on the Disney character of Cinderella:

Cinderella dressed in yellow, went downstairs) to kiss her fellow, by mistake kissed a snake, how many doctors will it take? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 etc. (Go to 20 then go down to the next line)

Cinderella dressed in blue, went upstairs to tie her shoe, made a mistake and tied a knot, how many knots will she make? 1, 2, 3, etc.

Cinderella dressed in green, went downtown to buy a ring, made a mistake and bought a fake, how many days before it breaks? 1, 2, 3, etc.

Cinderella dressed in lace, went upstairs to fix her face, oh no oh no, she found a blemish, how many powder puffs till she’s finished? 1, 2, 3, etc.

Cinderella dressed in silk, went outside to get some milk, made a mistake and fell in the lake, how many more till she gets a break? 1, 2, 3, etc.

Mickey’s Poppin’ Magic Game by Parker Brothers

July 20, 2016 by Mike Ellis

This is a variation of the game Trouble even sporting that little plastic dice bubble that we all loved so much as kids. However this game is much simpler and aimed at the younger 4 to 8 age market.

Here is the box:

The Fab Five play together

The rules are a bit vague. To play each player pops the dice bubble and moves ahead the number of spaces indicated on the die. But if the die shows this:

Oh-oh!

Then you slide the red lever and one or more players may be popped off the board. No one is safe! But here is where it gets confusing. The box says ‘Will you get popped off? And where will you land when you pop back on – ahead of where you were, or behind?’ There is no explanation as to how you can ‘pop back on’.

Fairly generic character art

This game is by Parker Brothers and was released in 1991. You can play as either Pluto, Goofy, Minnie, or Donald but not Mickey as he is the one hosting the poppin’ party:

Is that much butter healthy? Ah, the 1990’s!

I’m constantly surprised, shocked, and dismayed when I realize that a game from 1991 is now 25 years old. The 90’s seem like yesterday to me!

I picked this game up for just $7.50 CAN in a deal of two games for $15.00 together.

Mickey Mouse SPIN A ROUND Game by Milton Bradley

July 18, 2016 by Mike Ellis

It’s time for another post about Disney games! So gather the kids and get ready to see Mickey Mouse deal some cards and match you with some fun:

If magic was only dealing cards…

This game has nothing to do with magic. It is simply a card matching game to help youngsters between the ages of 4-7 develop memory skills.

The rules are simple: The game is played in rounds. In each round of play, the Mickey dealer is spun, cards are picked and the Magic Card is matched or put out of play. For more detailed instructions, please read the following pages:

Produced in 1986 by Milton Bradley Co.

There are 8 Goofy cards, 8 Donald Duck cards, and 8 Mickey Mouse cards to match:

The magic cards are divided into 2 each of double Goofy, Donald, and Mickey cards:

Then there are 2 each of mixed pair Goofy, Donald, and Mickey cards:

And lastly there are 4 triple match cards:

The game I purchased for $7.50 CAN was complete except for some stickers that were to go on Dealer Mickey.

In conclusion, there was also a pamphlet in the box for other Disney games by Milton Bradley:

So which of these games do you have?

The Muppet Show Game by Parker Bros.

May 30, 2016 by Mike Ellis

It’s time to play the music, It’s time to light the lights!

It’s time to meet the Muppets, on The Muppet Show Game tonight!

OK, that was a slight variation on the original opening to the television show that had us all wondering how felt puppets could put on make-up and just what ‘dressing up right’ meant to a bunch of performers who walked around nude most of the time.

Of course, I’m talking about Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show which aired from 1976 to 1981. But the remainder of this post will deal with The Muppet Show Game that Parker Brothers produced in 1977:

Look for Jim Henson as a Muppet on the cover

Box Side

Box End

This game is set up as a theatrical production directed by Kermit the Frog, produced by Parker Brothers, and starring Jim Henson’s Muppets. Even the rule book is actually a working script.

Back of Box

At the end of the post I will include pictures of the complete rules/script so you can get the sense of the play for yourself. Also, if you have the game but have lost the rules, this will make it possible for you to play the game properly.

First, let’s look more closely at the game board by itself, and set up for play:

“It’s time to raise the curtain on The Muppet Show Game tonight!”

Just for fun, look again for Jim Henson as a Muppet in the gallery of Muppets at the bottom of the board. Now let’s have a look at the spinner and rule book/script:

So there are eight characters who play in teams of two and four set pieces, all of which must move around the board to win the game. To win, each player must get his two characters in place for the curtain call, and their set into position as well.

Let’s have a look at the character pieces first. A nice feature of this game is that the playing pieces are double-sided:

In a commercial world where game manufacturers seem to create generic artwork, it’s refreshing to go back in time (to 1977) and see this nice detail of front and back views for the character pieces!

And we can’t forget the sets. Can you match the sets to the characters?

Now as promised, to conclude, here is the entire rule book/script reproduced for you page by page:

Don’t forget to read Kermit’s directions!

20,000 Leagues: Deep Sea Treasure Hunt Game

April 29, 2016 by Mike Ellis

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.

Mickey Mouse Skipping Rope by Arco Toys

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Mickey’s Poppin’ Magic Game by Parker Brothers

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Mickey Mouse SPIN A ROUND Game by Milton Bradley

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The Muppet Show Game by Parker Bros.

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20,000 Leagues: Deep Sea Treasure Hunt Game

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