Just When You Thought I'd Run Out of Clues

 Well, this week, for a completely different tack, we have....More Clue games!!!

Ok, I promise that this is (not) the last post on Clue! 

In 1998, Parker Brothers issued a super special 50th Anniversary Edition! Of course, I had to have it. Here it is!

It came in a tin, like the Haunted Mansion edition. The graphics are pretty classy, I think!

The sides of the tin are also decorated nicely...

And the back gives a good run-down as to what's inside!

Upon opening it, you see your individually numbered collectors' board! Mine is number 31112, by the way. I have no idea how many they made.

The board is probably the best representation of the mansion that they ever produced.

Upon lifting up the board we find the instructions, which include a note from Mr. Waddington (named for the company that first published the game) and a short story of sorts that sets the scene for the murder! They also include a brief history of the game, which is nice.

Lifting all of that out, we find the very impressive pewter player pawns, cards, weapons tin, players' clipboards (with clips) and note sheets.

Here they are all laid out. Now you may notice a couple of interesting things about the weapons. First, our old friend, the pepperbox is gone and has been replaced with a revolver! Second, there is a whole additional weapon- the poison!

The clipboards are styled after dinner invitations. Each player has their own.

The notes are pretty much the same as they've always been, except for the addition of the poison.

Here is a better look at the characters and weapons. The sculpts are very nice on these!

The game plays exactly like all the rest always have. Still it actually feels kind of classy with the premium pieces!

Next, we have an edition that came out in 2003. That was the year Parker Brothers came out with their Nostalgia Game Series! They came in wooden boxes and had throwback pieces. Kind of like this:

Hey, I've seen these characters before!

The back of the box shows everything included...

The board has the graphics sticker like the older games.

And the board is a complete throwback as well!

The parts are faithful to the old version. Gone in the poison and revolver. The pepperbox is back again!

The instructions also have the old graphics.

All in all, this is a nice retro game, that isn't exactly like any earlier edition, but highlights all of them. It's very well done!

So that's it. That's all of my Clue games.

Just kidding!!!

You'll have to wait until next time to see what's next, though!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

More Clues for the New Year!

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

And, yes, I actually do change this every day. Ok, sometimes I miss a day, but I catch up quickly. And this is a day we can't miss, can we? 

Edit 1/2/25

I have found a little more info on this calendar (although not much). It seems that it's pretty rare, was probably not sold in the parks but was an employee gift, and the only sales record anyone can find was for 280.00. Now I feel kinda dumb for having it in my office at school for years and letting kids play with it...

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog...

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let's continue on our journey through the Clue universe! Clueniverse? Anyway, hang on tight, here we go!

As I said in earlier posts (that I'm too lazy to go back and check), I have a LOT of Clue games. So, I said to myself, I should share thrm ALL because that would be kind of interesting, and pretty easy to do. So here ya go...

This first one is from 1956. Not much is changed from the last one, except for the updated graphics on the box. I remember finding this particular copy at a now defuct thrift store. It was open on the floor, with its contents spread all over! It took a few minutes to collect everything up, but it was worth it. I like to think that I saved it from being tossed out! 

Here we have the same gameboard with the new box art sticker on it. I still think this was a cool "extra" that they threw in...

Inside the box, we have the regular cards, weapons, and wooden pawns.

Another view of the stuff...

And now we'll move up a few years to the version that I remember playing at my cousins' house so many years ago. This is the 1963 issue! The graphic are now hip, mid-century sketches, that I think are quite a bit of fun! Actually, of all the box graphics, I think this one is the best. It combines the game elements with a magnifying glass and a key motif. Really cleaver! 

Wait! The back of this game board looks...different...

And sure enough, we get updated board graphics too! Plus those wonderful mid-century characters on the box insert!

The cards are the same, but there's a big difference with the weapons. Or one of them, anyway...

The trusty .45 pistol has been replaced by a  pepperbox! I'm not sure why they made this change, but it would prove to be a lasting one. 

The graphics are on the instructions as well! I think it's interesting that they didn't issue newly designed cards for this set, but they didn't (I double checked to make sure my copy didn't have the wrong cards.). Board game economics are mysterious things...

And now we move to 1979! We now have a completely redesigned game that, alas, seems pretty devoid of charm to me. Our charming cartoon characters are now photos that are featured on the box.

And no box sticker on the board. No loss, I guess, since the box is boring anyway.

They tried to get artistic with the board, I guess, by using designs and textures that fit each room, but I think it's a "miss" in my book. Yawn.

And here we have photos for cards and plastic pawns.  The pepperbox pistol is still with us, however...

The instructions are now printed on the insert. Probably this was cheaper.

As you can tell, I'm not thrilled about this version. And it's on this low point that we drop the curtain on this week's entry. But fear not! Parker Brothers redeems itself with next week's entry!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Merry Christmas!!!

I had another post in mind, but when I went back and looked at my earlier posts, I found that I had already used those pictures! So here's what I have for this year!

That's my band mascot, Kevin, in his flying rig! I just wired in those LEDs for him for Christmas, so he's super excited! He usually sits on my amp while I play, and now he can sit in illuminated glory!

Speaking of not remembering a post, here's a little bonus for everyone! 

 Bonus Post!

So may I take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brings everyone what they want!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

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!