Released in 1972 by Schaper, the London Bridge game invited players to move their colourful vehicles across the bridge before it collapsed.
GAMEPLAY
The bridge was comprised of three sections that snapped together. It was the middle section that moved during play, creating suspense as players hoped it was not their vehicles that triggered the bridge’s collapse.
Each player lined up their five vehicles in a row on the first bridge segment. A spinner illustrated with the numbers 1, 2, and 3, and the word “Pass,” determined how many cars a player would move forward. Players took turns spinning and moving, first into the middle and high-stakes section of the bridge, then safely onto the end section.
When the weight of the vehicles on the bridge became too great, the bridge would begin to tilt inward and then collapse completely. The player who caused the collapse was eliminated from the game. The remaining players set up the bridge again and returned their cars to the first section, where gameplay resumed.
It was a rare occasion when a player successfully moved their entire fleet of five vehicles across the bridge without it collapsing. If that happened, the player would win the game. It was more common for the winner to be the player who was the only one not to cause a bridge collapse.
IN THE BOX
A complete game included the bridge (three segments), four sets (red, yellow, blue, green) of five vehicles, four flagpoles with Union Jack flags, and a spinner. Instructions were printed on the side of the box.
ABOUT SCHAPER
Founded in 1949 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, by William Herbert “Herb” Schaper, W.H. Schaper Mfg. Co. Inc. was established to support the production of Cootie, a three-dimensional game developed by its founder and one of the first games to be moulded from plastic. Schaper leveraged the success of Cootie to expand the business through the production of other now-classic games such as Ants in the Pants, Don’t Break the Ice, and Don’t Spill the Beans. Although W.H. Schaper Mfg. Co. closed in 1987, many of its games live on thanks to Hasbro, including the game that started it all, Cootie.
Note: If you buy something using the eBay link in this story, we may earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting independent toy journalism!