The Game of Cootie is a children's game for two to four players. The object is to be the first to build a three-dimensional bug-like object called a cootie. The game was invented by William H. Schaper in 1948. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association included Cootie on its "Century of Toys List" of the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century.[1]
 Original box cover and game components, 1949 | |
| Designers | William H. Schaper |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Hasbro |
| Publication | 1949 |
| Players | 2 to 4 |
| Setup time | 2–4 minutes |
| Playing time | 10–20 minutes |
| Chance | Entirely |
| Age range | 3 and up |
| Skills | Matching |
History
editThe game was invented in 1948 by William H. Schaper, a manufacturer of small commercial popcorn machines in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. It was likely inspired by an earlier pencil-and-paper game where players drew cootie parts according to a dice roll and/or a 1939 game version of that using cardboard parts with a cootie board.[2] Schaper's cootie, which was originally wooden and sold at the Schaper family's Robbinsdale Bakery,[3] was commercialised in 1949[4] and moved to a plastic construction for wide distribution. Over 1.2 million game units were sold by 1952, and over 25 million by 1971.[5]
In 1986, Hasbro acquired the game from Tyco Toys.[6]
A "Cootie" statue was exhibited in Robbinsdale in 2018.[7]
Game play
editThe game is played with a die ("Cootie cube"), game board, and Cootie bug parts. The purpose of the game is to be the first to build a complete Cootie. To collect parts, players roll the Cootie Cube (die). Each number on the die has a corresponding Cootie bug part. Players must first collect the body with a 1 roll, then the head with a 2, and then the remaining parts in any order. Players reroll when collecting a part; their turn ends if they already have the rolled part.
External links
edit- Cootie game rules
- Cootie game today
- The Man Behind the Bug: The Inventor of the Game of Cootie (Hennepin History Museum)
References
edit- ^ "Toy Industry Association Announces Its 'Century of Toys List'". Business Wire (Press release). January 21, 2003. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Curt (18 May 2019). "Robbinsdale toy innovator Herb Schaper gave the world Cooties". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Gibbs, Carol Williams (4 October 2021). "The Robbinsdale Bakery and the Cootie Bug". Robbinsdale Historical Society. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Hoffmann, Frank; Jr, Frederick J. Augustyn; Manning, Martin J. (8 October 2013). Dictionary of Toys and Games in American Popular Culture. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-41846-5. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Brown, Curt (18 May 2019). "Robbinsdale toy innovator Herb Schaper gave the world Cooties". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "COOTIES : Hasbro Has 'Em". Los Angeles Times. 25 September 1986. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Rooker, Alain (May 16, 2018). "Careful around that Cootie!". Sun Post. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
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