Where To Watch
11 board games based on classic TV shows
If the show had viewers, it most certainly had a board game.
Before there were video games and smartphones, there was the board game. Even though board games don't have the flash of modern apps, they're still a whole lot of fun and offer a great chance to bond with family and friends.
Games like Monopoly and Life have become classics, but some games in the 1960s and 1970s took inspiration from the era's most popular TV shows. Did you have any of the television tie-in games listed below?
1. Batman
Holy game night, Batman! Several different board games were released in the 1960s and 1970s based on the comic book character. A few took artistic inspiration from the cult 1960s television series.
Image credit: Pinterest
2. Beverly Hillbillies
The 1963 board game models itself after nine rooms of the Clampett family's mansion. There's also a path on the outside.
Image credit: ElseWhere Comics
3. The Brady Bunch
The Brady's board game has the kids go camping. There's nothing too spectacular about the experience — they set up shop, cook food, and even clean up after themselves. Kids who played this may or may not have gotten all the fun out of camping in the comfort of their own living rooms!
4. Kojak
People who played this game, released in 1975, had the incredibly fun task of arresting as many people as possible while trying to solve four major crimes.
Image credit: The Strong
5. Welcome Back, Kotter
"Up your nose with a rubber hose" was such an iconic line, there is a whole board came centered around that hose. In fact, the whole point of this game was to use cards to spell out the phrase, and the winners earn a little piece of that hose.
Image credit: Java Scipt Board Games
6. Star Trek
The colorful game was released in the 1970s, after the original series had ended. In it, each character goes on different adventures in outer space.
7. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
This 1965 game was pretty simple: find your THRUSH agent and deliver him to U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters before your opponents. One interesting aspect about this game is that even though you rolled two dice, you got to choose which die to follow.
Image credit: Back to the Past
8. Laverne & Shirley
Players had to make all their dreams come true — by going out on as many dates as possible throughout the week! The one who logs the most hours of dating wins.
Image credit: The Strong
9. CHiPs
Players transformed into motorcycle cops in this 1971 game (re-released in 1981 with a newer cover). In order to win, each player had to capture all the criminals that matched their color.
Image credit: Etsy
10. Wonder Woman
Two board games came from the popular 1970s television show. In the game released in 1976, Wonder Woman has to rescue the captives of Amazonia. In the game released in 1978, each player is Wonder Woman and has to be the first to capture their assigned spy. If you landed on the same space as an opponent, you had to battle them. Therefore, Wonder Woman had to battle herself.
11. Perry Mason
Even though television was in its infancy in the 1950s, board games based on TV shows were already being created. In 1959, the Perry Mason board game debuted. Each player has a case to solve, and the first one to deliver a suspect to the courthouse wins.
Tell us, what was your favorite board game based on a TV show?
Image credit: Pinterest
Related
14 Comments
But those board games mentioned, particularly if unused, are worth SOME kind of money today, as very rare memorabilia, since the market wasn't really flooded with them, such as would be the case today!
