Tag: board game

I like molasses. Granted it’s been a few years since I’ve played CANDY LAND, but I missed the old Molasses Swamp. You get mired in a Chocolate Swamp these days.  I read it was changed because today’s children don’t know what molasses is!

Molasses makes me think of cookies.  Here’s a recipe (use butter instead of shortening) for Cookies-Molasses Crinkles. My mother baked them for years.

And yes the Candy Land artwork is different on the board. There’s a lot more “stuff” and it looks a bit clown-like now. I miss the ice cream floats. You still advance on the board by drawing a card with a colored square (or two) and moving your gingerbread piece to the matching color.  The plastic gingerbread game pieces look like they are dancing nowadays.  The classic candy Valentine conversation hearts bit the dust, too. 

The board game is 67 years old, says it was created by Eleanor  Abbott, a polio victim herself. Children in the hospital wards, afflicted with the disease, played her original game. Milton Bradley manufactured the first game in 1949 but now the brand is Hasbro. 

My granddaughter Maura brought it to my house while she’s visiting. We played it a lot.

When I played with Anna (almost 13)she had the original version as an anniversary edition in a tin.  

Another opportunity for me to feel antique and reflect how everything changes. Rapidly. 

I went and got out the jar of molasses out of the pantry. An old grandma on the label. Guess it is old fashioned. 

Where did Grandma Nutt come from? 

If you go to the wiki link above you can see the image of the original board.