Overview[]
This is a simple two to four player game for ages three and up wherein each player races to the end. Players move their piece by drawing cards and moving their piece to the corresponding picture or color. Play is individual, as opposed to cooperative, and the players actions in the game do not effect other players. The game requires little or no reading, and the rules are easy to learn.
History[]
The game was designed in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott, while she was recovering from polio in San Diego, California. The game was made for and tested by the children in the same wards on the hospital. The children suggested that Abbott submit the game to Milton Bradley Company. The game was bought by Milton Bradley and first published in 1949 as a temporary fill in for their then main product line, school supply. Candy Land became Milton Bradley's best selling game surpassing its previous top seller, Uncle Wiggly, and put the company in the same league as its main competitor, Parker Brothers. The original art has been purported to be by Abbott, but who was the artist remains a mystery.
In 1984, Hasbro purchased Milton Bradley. Landmark Entertainment Group revamped the game with new art, adding characters and a story line in 1984.
Hasbro produces several versions of the game and treats it as a brand. For example, they market Candy Land puzzles, a travel version, a personal computer game, and a handheld electronic version.
Candy Land was involved in one of the first disputes over internet domain names in 1996. An adult web content provider registered candyland.com, and Hasbro objected. Hasbro obtained an injunction against the use.
In 2012, Hasbro announced a film which triggered a lawsuit by Landmark Entertainment Group over ownership and royalties owned for the characters and story line introduced in the 1984 edition.
Setup[]
Place the board on a flat surface. Each player picks one of the four pieces to represent their place on the board. The candy cards should be shuffled and placed face down within the reach of all players. Play starts with the youngest player, and rotates to the left.
Gameplay[]
At the beginning of each players turn they draw one candy card. That card may contain a single color block, two color blocks, or a picture of a place on the board. The color blocks allow you to move forward to that corresponding color. If two color blocks are drawn, then you move forward to the second matching color. If a picture card is drawn, the player must move forward OR backward to the designated space. When moving, always move in the direction of signposts. In order to activate one of the two shortcuts on the board, you must land exactly on the entry point to that shortcut. If you land on the shortcut then you may move your piece forward to the ending point of that shortcut. You cannot “fall backwards” into a shortcut. If a player lands on a licorice space, dictated by the picture of licorice, then that player loses their next turn. Play resumes as normal after the single turn is forfeited. To win a player must reach the candy castle at the end of the path. The first player to reach the castle is declared the winner of candy land.
Special Rules:[]
Younger players may get upset because they have to move their pawn backwards. If you think moving backwards will be problematic behaviorally, simply allow for only forward movement. However, I personally feel that this ruins the spirit of the game and is a bad lesson to teach kids: that it’s better to win than it is to play according to the rules. But screaming three year olds aren’t fun, so you decide.
Speed Play:
Draw two cards instead of one, pick the best of the two and discard both.
Revisions and Expansions[]
| Title | SKU # | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Land | 1949 edition[1] | |
| Candy Land | 1950s edition | |
| Candy Land | 1962 edition[1] | |
| Candy Land | 1967 edition | |
| Candy Land | 1978 edition[1] | |
| Candy Land | 4700 [UPC 32244-04700] | 1984 edition |
| Candy Land | 1985 edition | |
| Candy Land: VCR Board Game | 1986 | |
| Candy Land: A Child's First Game Comes to Life | 1998 | |
| 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 | ||
| Candy Land: Classic Edition | 1189 | published by Winning Moves |
| Candy Land Adventure | video game |