Rube Goldberg’s cartoon panel “Foolish Questions” followed a simple formula: an idiot asked an obvious question, and received a sarcastic answer. And yes, Al Jaffee did appropriate the idea for his later feature “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.” Sometime around 1912, the Wallie Dorr Company published a card game derived from it. The game was […]

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“Logomachy” was published by the venerable firm of McLoughlin Brothers in 1889. As in many similar games, you make points by forming words from the letters on the cards. Less common letters are worth extra points. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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The “Pocket-Size Golf Card Game,” issued by Built-Rite sometime in the ’50s or ’60s, let you play golf by drawing cards and moving markers. I particularly like the little landscapes for the different holes, the two-color printing, and the golf balls you can punch out from one of the cards. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Birds of the World” was published in 1961 by Golden Press. It presented 52 birds, in pairs such as Ocean Fliers, Biggest Bills, Nectar Eaters, and Funny Fishermen. The Superb Lyrebird, for example, was paired with its fellow Fabulous Tail, the Common Peafowl. Players were urged to obtain all the cards by collecting them in […]

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“Peter Rabbit Rummy,” published by E. E. Fairchild, encouraged players to collect incidents from the story of Peter Rabbit into sets. As the instructions helpfully point out, “For the story of Peter Rabbit, read the cards in sequence from 1 to 10.” There’s no date, but I’d guess they were done in the 1950s. The […]

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This miniature deck (about 1 3/4 by 2 1/2 inches) is embellished with simple line drawings of animals, each with its name. There is no indication of date or publisher; the box has a drawing of a cat, and proclaims it “Maotou Renzipuke,” which is, I believe, Chinese for “Kitty Cat Reading Deck,” although I […]

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“Merry-Go-Round,” a 1910 offering from Milton Bradley, encouraged the players to collect a series of ten cards, in order, from one to ten. The cards are small (1 x 2.5 inches), with elegant black-and-white illustrations of the components of the merry-go-round. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Les Plus Beaux Tableaux du Monde” (“The Most Beautiful Paintings in the World”) was published by F. Nathan, in Paris. There’s no date. It’s identified as a “Jeu des Families”: a game in which the players collect four of a kind (a “family”), like the American game Authors. Twelve painters make the cut (with their […]

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We have another edition of “Authors.” This one has no indication of date or publisher; it comes in a sober black box, with faint gold lettering identifying it as “The Game of Authors,” and promising “Playing Card Quality.” Each author is given a halftone portrait and a simple red border. The roster here, in addition […]

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This deck came to me incomplete, with no indication of title, date, or maker. The cards show Jumbo and other animals, including Billy Bear and Dr. Lion, in various games, recreations, and predicaments. I assume it’s from the UK, since they play cricket. In this card, Jumbo has apparently neglected his studies. (Posted by Doug […]

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