| Players | 2–4 |
|---|---|
| Age range | 3–6 |
| Setup time | < 3 minutes |
| Playing time | < 15–21 minutes |
| Random chance | Complete |
| Skill(s) required | Color recognition |
Candy Land (also Candyland)[1] is a simple racing board game. The game requires no reading and minimal counting skills, making it suitable for young children.
Contents |
The race is woven around a storyline about finding the lost king of Candy Land. The board consists of a winding, linear track made of 134 spaces, most red, green, blue, yellow, orange or violet. The remaining pink spaces are named locations such as Candy Cane Forest and Gum Drop Mountain, or characters such as Queen Frostine and Gramma Nutt.
Players take turns removing the top card from a stack, most of which show one of six colors, and then moving their marker ahead to the next space of that color. Some cards have two marks of a color, in which case the player moves his or her marker ahead to the second-next space of that color. The deck has one card for each named location, and drawing such a card moves a player directly to that board location. This move can be either forward or backward in the classic game; backward moves can be ignored for younger players in the 2004 version of the game.
Before the 2004 version, there were three colored spaces marked with a dot. A player who lands on such a space is stuck (all cards are ignored) until a card is drawn of the same color as the square. In the 2004 version, dot spaces were replaced with licorice spaces that prompt the player landing on it to simply lose his or her next turn.
The game is won by landing on or passing the final square; the official rules specify that any card that would cause the player to advance past the last square wins the game, but many play so that one must land exactly on the last square to win. The 2004 version changed the last space from a violet square to a rainbow space, meaning it applies to any color drawn by a player, thus resolving any dispute about exactly how one wins the game.
The game was designed in 1945 by Eleanor Abbott, while she was recovering from polio in San Diego, California. The game was bought by Milton Bradley Company (now owned by Hasbro) and first published in 1949.[2] Hasbro produces several versions of the game and treats it as a brand. For example, they market Candy Land puzzles, a travel version, a PC game, and a handheld electronic version.
A December 2005 article in Forbes magazine analyzed the most popular American toys by decade, with help from the Toy Industry Association. Candy Land led the list for the 1940–1949 decade. In 2005, the game was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York.
Candy Land was involved in one of the first disputes over internet domain names. An adult web content provider registered candyland.com, and Hasbro objected. Hasbro was able to obtain an injunction against the use,[3] and eventually gained ownership of the site.[4]
At least four versions of the Candy Land board game were made. The first dates from 1949. This version, and other early versions, had only locations (Molasses Swamp, Gumdrop Mountains, etc.) and no characters. A board copyrighted in 1962 shows a track layout different from the more recent versions.[5] One further revision was made before characters were introduced. The next version of the game, from the 1980s and 1990s, introduced the characters such as Mr. Mint and Gramma Nutt, has the modern track layout, and ends with a purple square.
Some of the characters and place names were changed in 2002. Queen Frostine became Princess Frostine, the classic Molasses Swamp was changed to Chocolate Swamp, Princess Lolly was changed to Lolly, and the character Plumpy was removed entirely.
A VCR board game version of the game was made in 1986, although distribution of the game appears to have been limited. An animated 2005 feature, Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure, was produced and later spawned a DVD game version of Candy Land.
The "Give Kids the World: Village edition" of Candy Land was produced by Hasbro especially for the Give Kids The World Village, a non-profit resort in Kissimmee, Florida for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. In this version, traditional Candy Land characters and locations were replaced with the venues and characters of the Village, such as Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry.
There are licensed versions of Candy Land with characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob.
| Title | SKU # | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Land | 1949 edition | |
| Candy Land | 1950s edition | |
| Candy Land | 1962 edition | |
| Candy Land | 1967 edition | |
| Candy Land | 1978 edition | |
| Candy Land | 4700 [UPC 32244-04700] | 1984 edition |
| Candy Land | 1985 edition | |
| Candy Land: VCR Board Game | 1986 | |
| Candy Land: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Tin | MB1001 | 1999 |
| Candy Land | 04700 | 2002 edition |
| Candy Land | 04700-G C-1827A / 0544700RGB [UPC 32244-04700] | 2004 edition |
| Candy Land | 0544700SGB [UPC 53569-44124] | 2010 edition |
| Candy Land: Winnie-the-Pooh Edition | 41051 | |
| Candy Land: Collector’s Series Game Tin | 41605 | |
| Candy Land: [[Dora the Explorer]] | 42588 | |
| Candy Land: Deluxe | 42743 | sold only at Toys R Us |
| Candy Land: DVD Game | 42328 | |
| Candy Land: Dora the Explorer with Memory Game Tin | 53678 | |
| Candy Land Castle Game | ||
| Candy Land: Fun of the Run | 114866 | portable |
| Candy Land: Give Kids the World: Village Edition |
(Characters depend on the version of the game)
The Candy section of Toys R Us in New York City's Times Square maintained a Candy Land theme until losing their license for the characters in 2006. The theme included a colored pathway that mimicked the board for the game, several Candy Land characters, and candy-themed shelving and ceiling decorations.
Some people believe that Candy Land inspired Dylan Lauren (daughter of Ralph Lauren) to create the Dylan's Candy Bar store, also located in New York City, but it was in fact the popular movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory that inspired her to start a candy store, although characters from the Candy Land game can be seen all around the store.
At the Downtown Disney Marketplace in Florida, there is a reference to the rules of Candy Land on the ceiling of The Toy Store. The rules have been altered slightly with some humor and sarcasm added such as rule #6 which says "Play as above until someone reaches the multi-colored space near the castle or someone 'loses their cool' and overturns the gameboard."
On February 5, 2009, Universal Pictures announced plans to film a movie based on the Candy Land board game.[6] Etan Cohen, a writer for comedies Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Tropic Thunder, was hired to write the screenplay. Kevin Lima, who directed Enchanted, was set to direct.[7] However, in 2011, a new screenwriting team was designated, composed of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. They said, "We don't see it as a movie based on a board game, although it has characters from that world and takes the idea of people finding themselves in a world that happens to be made entirely of candy where there are huge battles going on. We are going for real comedy, real action, and real emotions at stake."[8]
Released in April 2006, the animation Charlie the Unicorn references Candy Land. Charlie and the two unicorns go to "Candy Mountain", with the Candy Mountain cave marquee letters coming down and the 5th letter, y, sings a song. Charlie goes into the cave.
Released in June 2010, the music video for Katy Perry's single "California Gurls" bears many resemblances to the game, including a similarly designed board game box labelled "Candyfornia" opening at the beginning of the track. The video features rapper Snoop Dogg rolling dice onto a confectionery-themed board. Perry explores a colorful setting and meets candy characters as she moves through the game.
The play Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire references Candy Land in the closing scene when Howie and Becca discuss buying a present for their friend's daughter.