A Look at the Baby Boom Board Games You Loved as a Kid
Baby Boom Board Games —Ways They’ve Changed, Ways They’re Still the Same
For many Baby Boomers, playing board games was a big part of our childhood. Some of the games we loved back then aren’t around anymore—but others have stood the test of time and are being enjoyed by a whole new generation.
In our new trivia game Boom Again, we celebrate the pop culture of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, and that includes some of those great Baby Boom board games.
As David Bowie Said, “Ch-ch-ch-Changes…”
So many of your favorite games are still on toy store shelves—but maybe a little different than you remember them. Of course, that’s true for a lot of things. Telephones are no longer tethered to the wall. Now you unlock your car with a button instead of a key. And many classic board games have changed along with the changing times.
Here we take a fun peek at what’s old that’s new again.
Choosing Your Monopoly Game Piece
If you played Monopoly as a kid, most likely the game began even before a single roll of the dice because first you had to battle it out to make sure you got the game token you liked best.
The version of the game from the late ‘50s and into the ‘60s that was probably in your home had 10 game tokens that usually included: a battleship, boot, cannon, horse and rider, iron, racecar, dog, thimble, top hat, and even a wheelbarrow.
These days? The battleship, racecar and top hat made the cut and are still included—but now the other playing pieces are a penguin, cat, T-Rex and rubber duckie.
Change isn’t always easy—but we have to admit it sounds more fun to play using a dinosaur instead of an old clothes iron.
A Baby Boom Board Game that Was Extra Sweet
In Candy Land, players race along a colorful winding path to try to be the first to get to the end. You might remember some of the sweets-themed stops along the way, like a peppermint stick forest, lollypop woods and gumdrop mountains.
Not to sugarcoat it, but if the last time you played Candy Land was on a Baby Boom-era gameboard, you might not even recognize the game anymore.
That’s because in the ‘80s, Hasbro added characters to the game board. Now players go in pursuit not just of a lollypop woods, but Princess Lolly of Lollypop Woods. There’s also a Lord Licorice, King Kandy, etc.
What’s the same? Little kids love playing Candy Land, and it’s said to still sell about a million copies every year.
Is It a Game Board or an Operating Table?
Another popular Baby Boom board game that’s been around for more than 50 years is Operation. Players get to play surgeon, extracting game pieces—foreign objects and body parts—using a tweezers and a steady hand.
For decades, the patient—Cavity Sam—had the same ailments. A Funny Bone. A Broken Heart. Butterflies in the Belly.
Then in 2004, Hasbro added to the poor guy’s illnesses, giving him Brain Freeze (an ice cream cone in the head) and, in some versions, Toxic Gas.
Saying Goodbye to Mrs. White
For 70 years, housekeeper Mrs. White was one of the suspects in the board game Clue—along with a cast of other characters sharing a mansion where a “murder” took place.
She’s now earned a long-deserved retirement. Taking her place in these days in the game: Dr. Orchid, a female biologist with a sinister background.
Another change is the choice of murder weapon. (Who didn’t love crying out, “Aha! Colonel Mustard did it in the library with a lead pipe!”) Of the original weapons, the candlestick, knife and rope remain.
The lead pipe, revolver and wrench, however, have been replaced with a dumbbell, trophy and poison.
Diabolical.
You Can’t Go Through Life Without Some Changes
The Game of Life has gone through a few updates since it was released in the 1960s—but that’s life, hey?
One difference you’re bound to notice if you played the game back in the Boom days—the game token big family car is now an SUV.
And the tiny pink and blue pegs representing the player, spouse and children are, let’s say, quite a bit heftier than they used to be—but we’re sure it’s all muscle, right?
Taking a Risk
Game lovers have been vying for world domination ever since the game Risk came out in the U.S. in 1959.
Over the years, Parker Brothers has released many versions featuring worlds as diverse as Middle-earth from Lord of the Rings to Rick and Morty’s world to Call of Duty Zombies.
In 2016, the original game you knew from back in the day got a bit of a polish—including lavish new illustrations on the gameboard, and more elaborate detailing on the game’s troops, cavalry and artillery figures.
What were your favorite Baby Boom board games? Do you still play them today? If you played these games “back in the day” then you are more than ready for Boom Again now!
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