Thursday, August 9, 2012

A Clue from My Childhood

I think my love of cartoon modern began with the Clue game board my sisters and I used when we were kids. I'm not sure when it was first designed, but clearly, it's from some time in the 1960s.

The outside of the box, with its giant magnifying glass, has a lot of visual impact.

1960s Clue box, gold with huge magnifying glass and thumbprint
And the character designs are so stylish.

Contents of Clue box with character cards shown
I was fascinated by Miss Scarlet's dress (who knew a woman could be made from two triangles!), though it was probably Professor Plum who had more influence on my fashion sense.

Close up of Miss Scarlet, Professor Plumb, and Mrs. White with their cartoon modern styling

P.S. -- This box isn't actually from my basement. I saw it at the Hixton (Wis.) School House Antique Mall. I love that store because it fills an entire small high school, including the linoleum-tiled gymnasium that also served as the seating area of the auditorium. It even fills the stage itself.

It makes me sad and glad to walk through the maze of rooms, looking at 20th century detritus, while imagining the students who spent the formative years of their lives there. I wish I knew where Hixton's children go to school now.

2 comments:

Daughter Number Three said...

It just occurred to me that the students of Hixton couldn't have practiced for a play at the same time as basketball or any other indoor sport. Huh. I guess they only did plays during fall and spring.

Michael Leddy said...

I remember this set from a friend’s house. The yarn-like hair seems to have been a staple of commercial illustration at some point.