The Peter Coddle games were early versions of “Mad Libs,” or of “Dr. Quack.”  One player read about Peter Coddle’s misadventures; other players drew cards to fill in spaces in the story.  The most popular version chronicles the rural Coddle’s trip to New York; another takes him to Chicago.  This one follows him to the […]

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This is an isolated card; I have no idea of its context.  But I do like the restrained patch of grass, the dog’s perky tail, the hunter’s coat, and the two color design. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Flora” is another edition of the popular German game “Quartett,” in which players collect four of a kind.  In this case, it’s flowers.  There’s no date or publisher listed on this, but it was a while ago. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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Parker Brothers’ 1927 creation, “Lindy: The New Flying Game,” was touted as “A Sequel to the Famous Parker Game TOURING.”  “Touring” was about cars; the sequel was about airplanes.  It used a rather large deck (99 cards), and many crisp black and white drawings of ’20s aircraft. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Dichter-Quartett” is an undated German edition of “Authors.”  I’ve chosen Adelbert von Chamisso, for his contributions to botany, and for the creation of Peter Schlemihl.  The other authors in this canon are: Ludwig Uhland, Joseph Victor von Scheffel, Friedrich von Schiller, Friedrich Rückert, Shakespeare, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Ernst von Wildenbruch, Emanuel Geibel, […]

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This old edition of “Authors,” from the Fireside Game Co., was devoted to “Young Folks’ Authors.”  It was an interesting selection.  Joining Mary Mapes Dodge in the juvenile pantheon are Louisa May Alcott, Charles Carleton Coffin, Eugene Field, George Bird Grinnell, Joel Chandler Harris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, James Otis Kaler, Charles Kingsley, Howard Pyle, Ernest Thompson […]

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The National Airlines “Jet-Deck” provided restless travelers with 28 puzzles and games.  The other sides of the cards illustrated different cities (all National Airlines destinations, of course), for a game of rummy. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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Sam Green is part of the cast in this old version of “Old Maid,” along with Mattie Plump, Gussie Gossip, Jockey Jim, Jack Hawser, Tim Conley, Pansy Violet, Charley Washee, and Jennie Smart.  I can’t show you the Old Maid, since she’s missing.  Maybe she eloped with someone from another deck. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Skeeter,” from Arrco, offered pictures of a variety of bugs and worms, all in this vivacious style.  You collected and discarded cards; if a Skeeter appeared, the first player to slap it got all the discards. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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  “Monkey Shines,” an undated game from Whitman, asked the players to amass a set of four similar cards, and then make the appropriate animal noise.  The other players had to chime in; the last to follow was penalized with a “monkey ticket.”  When a player accumulated three of them, he was the monkey, and […]

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