Greatest body action Game since Twister!
Released by Milton Bradley in 1972, Swivel challenged players to team up and use “hip action” to knock down their opponents’ pins. The party game was an attempt to re-capture the magic of Twister, which the company released six years earlier.
GAMEPLAY
The object of Swivel was to be the first team to knock down all of their opponents’ pins.
Players formed two teams of two: red and yellow. Each team aligned itself with two large tear drops on the playing surface that matched their assigned colour. Six pins (three of each colour) were placed on the mat’s small teardrops. Finally, players on each team were joined together at the waist by ropes. Each length of rope included two integrated hip pads and a sliding buckle, and the rope was attached to a Swinging Striker dangling over the middle of the playing surface.
Players placed their hands on their hips and the action started when one player uttered, “Swivel!” Each conjoined duo attempted to knock down pins by swiveling their hips side to side while not touching the target mat or venturing outside agreed-upon boundary lines.
The movement free-for-all continued until three pins for one team were knocked down. The winning team scored one point for each of their own pins that remained standing. A team at the end of any round with an accumulated total of five or more points was declared the winner.
IN THE BOX
A complete Swivel game included a plastic mat, six pins (three yellow, three red), and a complete Swing Striker (rope, red plastic base, yellow plastic striker, eight hip pads, and four sliding buckles. Assembly instructions were printed on the bottom of the box, while gameplay instructions were printed inside the box cover.
COLLECTOR’S CONSIDERATIONS
Swivel was only on the market for two years, disappearing from store shelves in 1974. Despite its limited shelf life, the game is readily available in pre-owned condition. Be sure your copy includes all parts and a mat without rips, tears, or holes.
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