Uncle Wiggily (board game)

Infobox Game
title = Uncle Wiggily Game
subtitle =
image_link =
image_caption = Game board from the 1954 Milton Bradley edition.
designer = Howard R. Garis
illustrator =
publisher = Various (originally, Milton Bradley)
players = 2-4
ages = 4 and up
setup_time = 2 minutes
playing_time = 30 minutes/random
complexity = Low
strategy = Low
random_chance = High (luck)
skills = Reading/Counting
footnotes =
bggid =
bggxrefs =

"Uncle Wiggily Game" is a track board game based on a character in a series of children's books by American writer Howard Roger Garis. The game is of the "racing" variety in the style of the European "Goose Game". Players advance along the track from Uncle Wiggily's Bungalow to Dr. Possum's House. There is no optimal strategy involved as play entirely rests upon a random drawing of the cards. The game was first published by Milton Bradley in 1916 and has seen several editions with minor modifications over the years.

Object of the game

The object of the game is to be the first player to reach Dr. Possum's House.

Equipment

The usual equipment of the game include:

* 1 folding, center-seamed game board illustrated with scenes and characters from the Uncle Wiggily books
* 4 counters (one each of red, blue, yellow, green)
* 2 decks of cards (one yellow, one red)

The number of spaces on the track, the number of decks of cards, and the number of cards have all fluctuated through the years with the various editions published. The game board has been illustrated several times. The counters have been produced in both painted wood and colored plastic figurines of Uncle Wiggly.

The components of the 1954 Milton Bradley edition of the game include:

* 1 folding, center-seamed game board numbering 151 spaces illustrated with scenes and characters from the Uncle Wiggly books (more current editions usually have 100 spaces)
* 4 small, circular painted counters of wood (one each of red, yellow, blue, green)
* 2 decks of cards (one yellow, one red)

et up

The game board is opened and placed upon a flat surface. The decks of cards are shuffled and placed within reach. Each player selects a counter and places it on Uncle Wiggly's Bungalow in the lower left hand corner of the game board. The order of play is determined.

Play

The first player draws a card from the yellow deck. He follows the card's directions (which are set in lines of rhyming verse) for advancing his counter along the track, or, if instructed, draws a card from the red deck and follows its instruction. In general, the yellow cards either have the player advance a number of spaces or draw a red card, (e.g., "Peetie Bow Wow helps Uncle Wiggily along four hops") which can either direct the player to move a higher number of spaces forward (up to 15) or move up to five spaces backward. Should the player's counter land upon a space that directs him to move further, he obeys its instruction. Play continues in a similar fashion until one player reaches Dr. Possum's House at the end of the track in the upper right hand corner of the game board.

Winning the game

The first player to reach Dr. Possum's House wins the game.

History

Howard R. Garis created the character "Uncle Wiggily Longears" for a children's book in 1910. The game based on the children's story was first introduced by the Milton Bradley Company in 1916. Milton Bradley modified the game in 1923, 1949, and 1955.

cite web | url = http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3074 | title = Uncle Wiggily | work=|accessdate = 2008-05-04| date = | publisher = BoardGameGeek] Parker Brothers obtained the rights to "Uncle Wiggily" in 1967. However, in 1989 both Milton Bradley Company and Parker Brothers reintroduced different versions of the same game. Hasbro now owns both the Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley rights.

Cultural impact

Although the character and books that inspired the creation of the Uncle Wiggily game are relatively unfamiliar to most modern American children, "Uncle Wiggily" remains one of the first and favorite games of American childhood. With "Candy Land", "Uncle Wiggily" is regarded as a classic American board game.

References and Notes