After having been sequestered in a San Diego polio ward herself, Abbott was searching for a way to keep the children of the polio ward happy and entertained across the many weeks and months theyвЂ™d be required to stay there. These two facets together make this game much hated by adults, who have to suffer through a game devoid of strategy that could go on for more than an hour.Д«ut, these aspects of the game were intentional design choices made by the creator of Candy Land, Eleanor Abbott. At the same time, the rules of the game are simple enough for even young children to understand. If you grew up playing Candy Land then you already know that game can go on for a quite a while. All of the enticement of sugar, combined with the simplicity of the game conceal today why and how the game was created in the first place: to entertain children on polio wards. Entranced by a mythical dimension of sweets, kids often gravitate towards the brightly-colored box and game pieces.

The popular game focuses on a world made of chocolate and gumdrops, much like the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory would decades later. This version involves a child falling asleep and fantasizing about a land populated entirely by fat chefs.Since the 1950s Candy Land has been a staple in the game closets of schools and homes alike. The most obvious direct predecessor is a 1935 animated short actually titled вЂњ CandylandвЂќ produced by Walter Lantz for Universal Studios.

However, the song wouldnвЂ™t become really popular as childrenвЂ™s entertainment until Burl Ives recorded a cover in 1949 changing elements like alcohol and cigarettes into soda and candy. More recently in American history the 1928 folk song ' Big Rock Candy Mountain' by Harry McClintock depicts a hoboвЂ™s food paradise. The candy-based houses also call to mind the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel as recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, albeit without the sinister undertones. The Old Testament describes paradise as a ' land of milk and honey.' In medieval folklore the land of вЂњ CockaigneвЂќ was a popular peasant fantasy about a realm of delicious food and no labor. It is unclear how many of these works were sources of inspiration, and very possibly none of them were, but they are worth mentioning as predecessors. The concept itself belongs to an interesting artistic tradition of food-based paradise imagery and related cautionary tales. The evolution of Candy Land can be seen as a fascinating cross-section of American artistic sensibilities. In the decades since Abbott created her original version the game has been rereleased and updated many times, including spin-offs and promotional tie-ins with other works. Hasbro would later buy Milton Bradley in 1984 and revamp the game to include a storyline and characters, titled The Legend of the Lost Candy Castle. Milton Bradley produced a commercial version in 1949 which became a huge surprise hit. The original version of the game was designed in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott, a school teacher seeking to amuse children in her polio ward. It began as a board game but the premise has been expanded into books, cartoons, merchandise, a reality cooking competition, and video games. Candy Land is an internationally popular multi-media franchise.

Dora candy land board game