Here are some of the more memorable games of the 60's & 70's.

Mouse Trap

A popular board game first published by "Ideal" in 1963 for two or more players. Players travel as mice from one end of the board to the other, moving in turn, guided by a six sided die. Upon landing on a square, they either retrieve a piece of cheese, or assemble a piece of the Mouse Trap contraption. The contraption has gears, a marble which rolls from end to end down a miniature staircase, ramps, rubber bands, diving men, and ends of course in a mouse trap, specifically a dome-shaped cage which clatters down a toothed pole. Upon reaching the end of the board, all players travel in a circle, ending up underneath the 'net' of the trap, or on a space to 'trip' the trap.

First launched in 1966
"Twister"

Yeah! It's a Twister! (Twister! Twister! Twister!) Yeah, all the girls and homeboys Playin' Twister! (Twister! Twister! Twister!) Spin the spinner and call the shot. Twister ties you up in a knot. That's Twister. Yeah, Twister! Check it! Right foot blue! (Right foot blue!) Left hand red! (Left hand red!) Left! Right! Yellow! Blue! Green! Yeah, Twister! Now, everybody's chillin' With the Twister. (Twister!) Wherever things are illin', You'll find Twister! (Twister! Twister!) That's Twister. Yeah, Twister! Yeah buddy! You gotta get it. Yeah Twister! From M.B.!

More than three million copies of Twisters were sold during its first year of release.

  • Skill-and-action games were popular because they intrigued both adults and children. They satisfied a kid's natural tendency to by hyperactive, and made a unique addition to adult parties - after all, grown-ups need to have fun, too.

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    Ker Plunk

    Ker Plunk was one of my personal favourites. As the box said - "It's the game where you take your pick and pull a stick. If all the marbles fall, you lose it all! You're only sunk if they go...Ker Plunk!"

    This classic game of skill can be learned in seconds, but it offers a fun test of hand-eye coordination that is challenging to people of all ages and skill levels. As a result, Ker Plunk was a popular favorite among skill-game enthusiasts throughout the 1960s and '70s.

    The game consists of a clear plastic tube, 30 thin sticks, and 32 marbles. Play begins with the players inserting the sticks through the tube and then pouring the marbles into the top of the tube. The sticks act as a web that block the marbles at the top of the tube. At this point, the players begin to carefully remove the sticks one by one. The goal is to get the stick out without making any of the marbles sitting on top fall through. If any marbles fall through, the person who made them fall collects them. Once the last marble has fallen, players count their collected marbles, and the player with the fewest marbles wins the game.

    Ker Plunk was first published by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967
    Hands Down

    I remember this being a fast moving game & one that was easily broken due to over-enthusiastic young players, slapping their hands down on the not so strong plastic hands.

    "It's Fast-Action Slap-Happy Fun!" "Hands Down"
    Object: "Play the most card pairs by slapping your Slam-O-Matic hand."
    The object of the game is to make the most pairs. If you are the last person to 'slap-in' after as a pair is played ['Hands Down'] then you lose a card from your hand.

    First published in 1964 by the Ideal Toy Company