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MEMORIES:
Tasha remembers...I loved this game as a child. I remember playing with a few friends of mine at my birthday party. ... More »
Posted on 04/22/08
PHOTOS:
Manufacturer:
“The game that ties you up in knots!”
So what was it about Twister that made it so darn cool? Was it the need for skill and dexterity? Was it the laughing good times? Was it how easy it was to get a little flirting in during the game? No matter what the reason, Twister easily became one of the most popular games to come out of the 20th century, with great thanks going to pop culture icons like Johnny Carson and Weird Al Yankovic.
After Milton Bradley released Twister in 1966, their competitors launched a ridiculously aggressive campaign against the game and its maker. “Sex in a box” many were calling it, and though the shouts and cries would settle after a few years, after Johnny Carson demonstrated the game, along with the vivacious Eva Gabor, on his popular late night program, The Tonight Show, the publicity machine went into overdrive, as did sales of the game. Three million copies of Twister flew off store shelves and Milton Bradley had a bonafide hit.
The story of Twister is about as twisted as the game itself. One version, which is the story of the guy who gets the money for Twister, runs along the lines of Reyn Guyer inventing the game, and this is heavily disputed – especially since his name isn’t on the patent. Nonetheless, it was from him that Milton Bradley bought the rights to the game. At the time, the grid on which the colored dots were on was called “Pretzel.” Guyer’s “Pretzel” was a hit with the bigwigs and after a quick name change, some rules were drawn up and a hit was born.
The play is incredibly simple. Two to four players can join in on the fun and best of all, there were no pieces to lose. Oh, and the mat was made of vinyl in case someone’s drink got spilled on the way over. Each player spun the wheel and placed their hands and arms accordingly. One spin might mean right-foot blue and the next might be left-hand green. Either way, you had to make it work and do your best not to fall. But don’t worry – even if you take a tumble, few remain up on all fours after that, preventing the gloating that can happen with most other board games.
Twister’s an easy-to-play G-rated game when you’re young, and slowly the ratings and the creaks and cracks of the joints begin to grow. Oh, but who thinks about age when you’re having so much fun? Even better if someone you’ve got a shine for is on the mat with you.
