Wednesday, December 18, 2024

I Have a Clue!

 Actually, I have a lot of them. Clue Games, that is! The one I'm featuring this week is the first one. The very first U.S. edition of the classic board game, Clue...or, Cluedo, if you're British. And Great Britain is where our story begins.... (cue wavy lines floating down the screen...)


In 1943 British musician and factory worker Anthony E. Pratt sat in his  home in Birmingham enduring the Nazi blitz. He remembered games he had played growing up and one in particular, called "Murder," struck a chord with him. (I expect to get extra points for that double pun!) 

Now, although "Murder" involved sneaking around in large old houses and touching people to make them fall down "dead" (with a shriek, if possible), he began to come up with a more organized version played on a board. That result, also called Murder, was copyrighted in 1944. The game company Waddington waited to release it until 1949 due to wartime shortages. They also called it "Cluedo," which was a mix of "clue" and "Ludo," which was a popular British game at the time. 

By the way, I always pronounced it "ClueDoe" when I read it, but it's actually "ClueDoo." See, I learn stuff writing these posts too! 

Anyway, Parker Brothers released it at the same time in the United States as "Clue," so there's no need to figure out how to pronounce it here. Let's take a look at this first U.S. edition that I picked up years ago at a thrift store, shall we?

The box cover is a little damaged, but it still displays well, I think. "The Great Detective Game!" was the slogan for the first run. Later editions mention Sherlock Holmes. Now the standard edition says, "The Classic Detective Game."


Upon opening the box, you see the folded board with the standard Parker Brothers box cover sticker. For some reason, I really like that touch.


Lifting the board out, we find the parts...


The board is the same as it has been for decades. The graphics are wonderfully retro, though!


Speaking of retro graphics, check out the cards! By the way, shouldn't Miss Scarlett have red hair? Isn't that a law or something?


And here are the weapons! The candlestick is fairly huge. The gun is a trusty .45. All very lethal...

And here are the instructions! I like how they introduce the game as a new concept, much like a play. A leftover from sneaking around in manor houses playing "Murder?" Maybe...




So there you have it! The first one! Now, I have more editions. There were eight just on the same shelf as this one! I won't share all of them, but I might do a couple more.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

6 comments:

  1. I haven't played Clue in years, but I enjoyed playing it with my friends. I wonder what the current version of the 'suspects' and weapons look like?? Stu, you definitely need to post some of the other versions. It'll be fun to compare.

    BTW, didn't Disney make a Haunted Mansion Clue game? I need to Google and see....

    Thanks, Stu!

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    1. I'm not sure what the current game looks like, but I heard they added a character color (for real!)
      Why yes, they DO have a Haunted Mansion Clue. It might be on my shelf right now! I'll do more!

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  2. Stu, one more question:
    What fun treasures has your wife bought lately?

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    1. Sadly, we haven't been to any sales lately! Probably after the holidays we'll start back!

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  3. Hmm, I thought we had this game; I know I've played it several times at our house. But after consulting our game closet, I don't see it. The game must have been brought over to our house by a relative or friend...

    I am suggesting that it was MY COUSIN... IN THE GAME ROOM... WITH THE CLUE BOARD!

    Or maybe it wasn't... But I do remember playing it. I didn't realize (or realise, since this was originally a British game) that Clue was around since the 1940s. I thought maybe the late 1950s.

    It IS a rather unique game in the way things are randomly chosen and how the game progresses. It's great that you have one of the original editions. The version I played was probably from the mid '70s.

    I definitely want to see the Haunted Mansion version of the game, which you slyly admitted you have. Like Sue, I wonder what the weapons are in the most recent version; are they the same? Hard to imagine a game like Clue even existing these days, with its violent theme, even though the violence is implied.

    Thanks for another trip to the Attic, Stu.

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    1. Interestingly enough (ok, maybe not THAT interesting, but I thought so), the first time I remember playing it was at my cousin's house!
      The game actually does teach deductive reasoning, at least a little.
      Well, I guess I have next week's post planned out! ;-)
      Thanks!

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