Games
The history of games goes back thousands of years. The earliest game in the Museum's collection dates from the 16th century. Games have rules and the main objective of any game is to win, whether it is played by individuals or teams. Some games are also designed to be used as learning tools.
Backgammon
According to Indian legend, backgammon was invented by a man named Qaflan. He designed the game board to have 24 points for the hours of a day.
Chess
Chess is widely known and played throughout the world. Even though it seems that it is a set game with set rules, there are in fact many variations.
Chronological Tables of English History
John Wallis, was an established publisher of games, who also produced puzzles. This puzzle is one of his earliest entitled 'Chronological Tables of English History for the Instruction of Youth', which was published in 1788.
The Counties of England
The Counties of England game was the most popular and widely followed before the introduction of Happy Families. There are three different packs. Each pack has 61 cards, 13 of which bear the names of counties and principal towns, while the rest carry pictures of those towns.
Dominoes
Dominoes were probably invented by the Chinese several hundred years ago. They were introduced into Europe through Italy in the mid-18th century. By the end of the 18th century dominoes had arrived in England where people took to the game with enthusiasm and have played it ever since.
Etch-a-Sketch
Etch-a-Sketch was originally invented in Paris by garage mechanic Arthur Granjean who called it 'L'Ecran Magique', (the Magic Screen).
Game of Goose
The Game of the Goose originated in Italy and is regarded as the father of the modern race game. It was probably based on earlier games from the Far and Middle East but the first mention of it is as a gift sent by Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Florence (1574-1587) to King Philip II of Spain.
Happy Families
Together with Snap, Donkey and Old Maid, Happy Families is a classic children's card game. Its roots may lie in the United States in a game called The Game of Trades, published by W. & S. B. Ives in the mid-19th century.
Jenga
Jenga was invented by British student Leslie Scott, who had spent her childhood in Africa playing with a set of locally made building blocks. She brought the game to England in the 1970s and introduced it to her friends at Oxford University.
Kings & Queens of England
At the beginning of the 20th century manufacturers started to use games in their advertising. Kings and Queens of England was published by the food and drinks manufacturer the Mazawattee Tea Company in about 1910.
The Mansion of Bliss
The Mansion of Bliss is a typical example of the Museum's collection of 19th century race games. It is a moral game 'designed for the amusement of youth, with a view to promote the progressive improvement of the juvenile mind and to deter them from pursuing the dangerous paths of vice'.
Marbles
People in ancient Egypt and pre-Christian Rome played marbles and the game has been played in England for at least four hundred years. There are three basic types of outdoor marble games: circle games, chase games and hole games.
Maze Games
The best known maze games are the simple ones where the aim is to guide a small ball through a maze enclosed in a box. This type of toy has been around since the end of the 19th century and some early examples used mercury instead of balls.
Monopoly
The game of Monopoly was first published in the United States in 1936 by Parker Brothers. John Waddington was granted the licence to publish it in Britain in the same year. Parker Brothers had bought the rights to the game from Charles Darrow, who claimed to have invented it.
Pachisi and Ludo
Pachisi is a game with equal measures of luck and skill which has been played in India for more than 1,200 years.
Rubik’s Cube
The Rubik's Cube was invented by Erno Rubik, an interior design lecturer in Budapest. It is a puzzle in the form of a cube with nine squares on each face that have to be clicked and arranged into order. It was UK Toy of the Year in 1980 and 1981.
Sample Books - 1840
Until the 20th century, the centre of the toy making industry was firmly fixed in Germany. Salesmen and manufacturer's agents travelled between toy fairs carrying samples of toys and dolls to show potential customers.
Scrabble
Scrabble was invented in the USA by Alfred Butts, who had lost his job in the 1930’s depression. He named his first version Lexico and later Criss-Crosswords, neither of which were successful. The game underwent some refinements and was patented with the new name of Scrabble in 1948.
Snakes and Ladders
Snakes and Ladders has been a favourite race game in Britain for over 100 years. When it was originally devised Snakes and Ladders was a moral game with virtues in the shape of the ladders, allowing the players to reach heaven quickly, while the vices, in the shape of snakes, forced the player back down.
Snap
John Jaques, a well known London maker and publisher of games, introduced the game of Snap in 1866, using illustrations of the 'grotesque characters' he had used in Happy Families.
Spillikins
Spillikins or Spellicans has been played all over the world for centuries and is thought to have originated in China. The game has different names in different countries. In the UK it is often known as Pick-Up Sticks while in Europe it is generally known as Mikado.
Subbuteo
Subbuteo was invented in England by Peter Adolph in 1947. It was based on an earlier table football game from the 1920s called New Footy. After the World Cup in 1966, Subbuteo turned into a worldwide craze and new factories producing the little men opened up throughout Europe.
