“It’s the funniest, craziest board game ever!”
In 1979, Parker Brothers partnered with Mad magazine to release a board game with a play pattern that mirrored the publication’s zany storytelling and irreverent humour.
A parody of traditional board games, the Monopoly-esque roll-and-move game challenged players to win by losing everything.
GAMEPLAY
Each player starts with $10,000 in Mad money, consisting of one $5,000 bill, four $1,000 bills, and two $500 bills. Pawns were placed on the Start space on a gameboard adorned with familiar illustrations and characters from the magazine’s pages.
Game play was facilitated based on some fairly unorthodox rules. Players rolled one or both dice with their left hand and moved counterclockwise around one of the board’s two tracks. Landing on a space triggered immediate action. Parker Brothers included a set of selectable “Card” cards to add a further element of unpredictability to gameplay.
In the spirit of the magazine, players were required to pay money (good), receive money (bad), or randomly jump to various places on the board. Some of the more disruptive aspects of gameplay included directives to switch/rotate seats with other player or exchange money with another player.
The first player to lose all their money was declared the winner, although the game’s instructions assured all players that simply by playing, they would lose their sanity and/or their pride.
IN THE BOX
A complete game included the game board, two dice, four playing pieces, play money, and a set of “Card cards.” Instructions were printed on an insert inside the box.
COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS
Fans of the The Mad Magazine Game could also seek out the Mad Magazine Card Game, a similarly off-beat follow-up released by Parker Brothers around the same time.
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