“First you take your hammer, then you aim it straight. Hold it tight, swing it right. Bash! It’s great.”
Bash! is a Milton Bradley game for one or more players that puts a hammer in children’s hands.
Released in 1965, Bash! was marketed as “a real knock out game” for kids ages five to twelve. Inside the box was a plastic head, a plastic base styled to look like feet, six square and six round stacking blocks in red and yellow, and one “Oh Fooey” card.
Instructions printed inside the box top directed players to alternately stack the red and yellow blocks on top of the plastic feet and to top the tower with the plastic head. With hammer in hand, players take turns knocking out the red and yellow bricks with hopes that their tap would not cause the stack to topple. Once a player takes their turn, they pass the hammer to the next player to take a shot. The Oh Fooey card is used when a player successfully knocks out two or more bricks during a single turn, to force a turn by a player of the card-holder’s choosing. Once the card is passed, the player must hit the tower – a move that could potentially remove them from the game. The card can be played immediately or kept for a more opportune time. The goal of the game is to be the player with the most number of knocked-out bricks who was not the cause of bringing down the whole game.
Vintage game collectors looking to purchase Bash! would be wise to look for a set that includes the limited-edition Milton Bradley product catalogue that was included in some boxes.
Watch a vintage commercial for Bash!.
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