The murder/mystery game was invented to pass the time in underground bunkers during air raid drills in 1944 by Anthony Pratt an English solicitor's clerk. The patent was granted in 1947 but didn't launch until 1949. At this time it was also purchased by Parker Brothers and named CLUE in the U.S.
The characters/game pieces are unforgettable. Especially when you laughed and quibbled with your siblings over the character they picked or when they ended up being the murderer.
Miss Scarlet
Colonel Mustard
Mrs. White
Mr. Green
Mrs. Peacock
Professor Plum
And the weapons:Candlestick
Knife
Lead Pipe
Revolver
Rope
Monkey Wrench
Then in a game of trial and error you set up a character and a weapon in a room to rule out the weapons and characters and eventually the room.
Rooms:
Kitchen
Ballroom
Conservatory
Dining Room
Billiard Room
Library
Lounge
Hall
Study
I loved the secret passage for corner to corner on the board. But my favorite room was the Conservatory. When we first received the game I hadn't a clue what the room was but I loved the name. My favorite character was Professor Plum) because he was purple). My favorite weapon was a candlestick because it seemed so chic. LOL
What were your favorite pieces, weapons or rooms?
Was this your first realization you loved solving puzzles and started your love of mysteries?
14 comments:
I've never played the game but have always wanted to play.
Oh Savannah, It's never too late! You should go buy the game and play with your family or friends. As soon as my grandkids are old enough I'm each family the game for Christmas.
I loved clue! Still do.
Lauri, Me too!
I love this game, and I just found out there is an electronic version to play on the go!
I always stay away from Professor Plum because he is usually the murderer in our house. Doesn't matter how well you shuffle either.
My daughter usually grabs Miss Scarlet. I go for Mrs Peacock and my son prefers Colonel Mustard. As you can guess, we play fairly often.
I have no preference for weapons of individual destruction, but my favorite room is the Library.
MSBjaneB, Yes, when I was looking up the info on the game I saw that. Not a good thing for me... I don't need any more distractions. ;)
Alison, It's such a fun game for using powers of deduction and just plain having fun.
It used to be called Cluedo when I was young. Thanks for the memory.
If you like puzzles you might like to check out this series of posts I did on solving cryptic crosswords. I find them much more satisfying than ordinary crosswords. Solving Cryptic Crosswords
Carole you must have been playing a British version as it was called Cluedo.
Thanks, I'll check out your posts.
I always liked Professor Plum. We also used to give our characters accents and went over board on the drama when we questioned another player. Sometimes it got pretty ridicules. Fun game.
I love playing Clue. I had always like Miss Scarlet and Mrs. Peacock. I also loved the Conservatory room. I didn't really have a favorite weapon. I miss playing it.
I love this game. I played it a lot as a child with my brother and friends. I always wanted to be Miss Scarlett. She seemed rather glamorous.
I think it's wonderful that this game has endured over so many years. I had no idea about it's history. Thanks for sharing that.
Kathy, Accents! I love it!
Becky, Thanks for commenting.
Gabriella, I agree, Miss Scarlet did seem glamorous. That must be why my older cousin always wanted that piece. Thanks!
Mr. Plum was always my fave too. Any weapon will do when you're in a hurry to get a murder over with though. Ha! I don't know what happened to the Clue game we had when I was a kid. I'll have to buy a new one when my boys are old enough to play. Fun post!
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