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Sunday, April 11, 2021

Milton Bradley vs Parker Brothers

 








    There's always a battle going on. First, it was soda wars, then pizza chain wars as well as Burger King vs McDonalds.

     Now, we have something that is not food related, but board game related. 

Milton Bradley vs the Parker Brothers. 










   Not many people knew the backstory of these board game creators. Only that they were known to bring fun into people's lives, even during times of sadness.

   He would create a checkered version of the game of life, which was also a Milton Bradley game. His first one was called Life


  








     The game of Life was considered a popular game back then. There are different versions of it all the time. The object of the game was to go through a whole life from college, to marriage and family. Some people would lose turns as others well...lose. I don't think I've ever played this before.


  Other games created by Milton Bradley were:

     * Operation- a game where you remove pieces for whatever is inside Cavity Sam. This game would teach you motor skills and if you touch the sides....butterfingers. You would get zapped.


    * Taboo- Considered a word guessing game where you can't say certain words and act out for your team using other examples


    *Mystery date- an old classic game where you find out who will be the date to a prom. You can get a handsome guy, or the nerd. 


    *Perfection- A game where you would put pieces into a slot before the timer went off. I hated this game when I was a kid, because the timer would make a buzzing sound and it would freak me out.


    









   I remember some of the Milton Bradley games I used to play when I was young like Jenga, Mouse Trap and many more. But there was another company that made their versions. Who were they?










Brothers George, Edward and Charles Parker were three brothers that started their own gaming company around the 1880's. George and Charles made the games more familiar to their brother Edward, as well as a few children back then.

   One of their unknown games was Klondike which was a game version of the gold rush and War in Cuba which was another game version of the Spanish-Civil war.

   Their first game that is known today was....








  MONOPOLY. One of the most known games in all of Parker Brother's games. The creators were Charles Darow and Lizzie Magie. Sadly, Lizzie didn't get much credit since she was a woman at the time, and back in those days...well woman never would be able to get credit on their achievements

    She was the one that would illustrate the game and made board what is famous today.



 






   The first board of Monopoly was more in a circle, before it became the famous square we know today. There are many different versions coming out of Monopoly. Like: Monopoly: Cheaters edition. Monopoly: for Millennials. Monopoly Jr. Simpsons Monopoly, Sesame Street Monopoly. Ghostbusters, Bob Ross, Family Guy, Fortnite. You name it.


   Every Monopoly known has been changed. The most popular one....is the original.


 








Risk was another game which can get addicting. It's about a battle and you are one of the few to defend your land from others. There's also a CD Rom version as well.


    Other Parker Brother games are:

    

    *Scrabble- a game with connecting letters to form words and get points.


  *Ouiji- This game seemed haunted to a few people, but a few use a board with a game piece that shows, after moving it around, it shows the answers. Some people swear they aren't even moving the piece. For me, I don't think I've ever played this.


    *Bonkers- A dice game where you have to roll a certain number to get to a certain piece. It's a confusing game, and not known much than back in the 80's








     In 1991, the company Hasbro has bought both Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers. Now these board game companies are no longer in competition with each other. Hasbro is now the soul provider of all the games from Monopoly to Mouse trap. But we'll always remember the games and their humble beginnings

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