In Flap Jack: The Flip-Flop Game, Remco turned the art of flipping pancakes into a dexterity game for children. Released in 1960, the game abandoned a typical gameboard for a three-dimensional plastic stove with an attachable stove pipe and a frying pan.
GAMEPLAY
To start a game, the set of red and white flap jacks (plastic rings with holes in the middle) were divided equally among all players.
The first player took the frying pan and placed the metal flipper disk into it. Once in place, the disk had to be flipped in the air and caught in the frying pan.
The pan contained seven multi-coloured “pockets” that included a directive to either add or remove one or more flap jacks from the stove or steal a flap jack from other players.
Failure to successfully catch the flipper disk resulted in the loss of turn and a penalty of placing two of the player’s flap jacks on the stove. If the player caught the flipper in the frying pan but it didn’t fall into one of the pockets, they were required to flip again.
The flip-flopping frenzy continued from player to player until the pile of flap jacks on the stove reached the top of the stove pipe. Once the stove was full, the player with the most flap jacks in their possession was declared the winner.
IN THE BOX
A complete game included the plastic oven, stove pipe, frying pan, 21 red flap jacks, 21 white flap jacks, and a metal flipper ring. Printed instructions were included in the box, which featured a simple illustration and Remco’s standard red-and-blue colour palette.
COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS
While Flap Jack was only on the market for two years, copies are often available online. A telltale sign of a game with minimal usage is a plastic frying pan free of noticeable markings from the metal flipper ring.
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