Published by Parker Brothers in 1977, the Sammy the White House Mouse Game saw players race mouse pawns along a path to the White House.
The board game was based on the children’s book of the same name, written by Elizabeth St. John and published in 1976. The book follows the adventures of a mouse named Sammy who lives in the White House with his parents and siblings.
GAMEPLAY
The board game required no reading or counting of pips on dice, making the game easy for young players. They just needed to match illustrations on cards with stops along the board to progress along the path. The goal of the game was to be the first player to get their mouse pawn to the White House.
The colourful game board showed Sammy’s parents at the starting position and his community of young mice enjoying outdoor play, school, and a diplomatic mission. The path was dotted with objects familiar to Sammy’s world, such as eyeglasses, stars, a golden horn, and cheese. The White House stood at the end of the path.
To determine who started the game, players flipped over cards until a card with the golden horn was found. The cards were collected, shuffled, and put back on the board. The player starting the game turned over a card and moved their mouse pawn along the path to the first space that matched the object on the card. Players took turns drawing cards and moving their mice. If a player landed on a space already inhabited by a mouse, the first mouse regressed down the board to the next space of the same type.
The first mouse to make it to the White House won the game.
IN THE BOX
A complete game included a game board, four mouse pawns (blue, yellow, red, and green), and a deck of action cards. Instructions were printed on the cardboard platform inside the box.
COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS
There are usually a few Sammy the White House Mouse games to be found through online marketplaces. Collectors who prefer to stumble upon their objects may have a bit more of a hunt on their hands for this game.
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