Historical dolls and board games

[moderator]

Julia's subject of "Fun For Girls - AG games online" made me wonder--what boardgames would the historical girls have played? For example, Addy has Mancala, but what about the other American Girls?

I'd like to make doll-sized versions of a Kirsten-appropriate game. The only thing I can think of that she might have played is checkers. But the problem is: I don't like checkers! [img]wink.gif[/img] Any other ones that were around back then?

This page shows some interesting versions (some historical) of boardgames which might be helpful in making miniature ones:
http://www.tradgames.org.uk/features/board-games.htm
Anyone know what ones here that Kirsten might have played? Or the other historical girls?

[JAdder]

I was thinking chess for Kirsten as well. Also a wel known game is Monopoly and it gaine populaty durring the depression. Kit would have deffinalty played that game. It was fun for people out of work to pretend they were millionares.

[QNPoohBear]

I can answer that question! back in the good ol' days AG used to sell a packet with three games from Kirsten, Sam and Molly's time. Kirsten's is a board game about vice and virtue, Samantha's is like MAD LIBS where they give you a story and a set of cards and you shuffle the cards and each player picks up a card and a key moment in the game and says whatever is on the card. Molly had a board game about collecting scrap metal. I have the games and Sam's is the most fun!
Sam also would have played charades and other "parlor" games.

[BasenjiMama]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by QNPoohBear:
Sam also would have played charades and other "parlor" games.</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh, this made me think... how about tableax vivants? I was reading Jane Eyre last week and they play them in there, so it would be a game any of 19th century girls (and Samantha too, maybe) might have played. It's like charades, but a bit different. You pick a scene from a book or from history, act it out with costumes and props and the audience has to guess what it is.

It might be kind of fun to play this with scenes from AG books!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 16, 2003 10:49 PM: Message edited by: *Jane* ]</font>

[moderator]

I remembered after posting this that I have a book from Klutz that's called "Board Games." It lists when games came out:

Checkers -- France in the 12th century
Fox and Geese -- It says hundreds of years before 1800 (how's that for vague? [img]wink.gif[/img] )
Go -- Japan, 7th century
Hex -- 1940s
Brax -- 100 years old
Mancala -- Thousands of years old
Nine Men's Morris -- 3,000 years old
Backgammon -- 2,000 years old
There are other games, but they don't tell when they were invented. The site in my first post is more helpful than this, though this book provides rules and might work as a guide if you want to make little wooden versions for your dolls.

Unfortunately, they don't say when the games made their way to the US, though. And the site I found is a UK site. [img]wink.gif[/img]

I'm surprised AG doesn't have more board games than just Addy's. It seems like little girls would have lots of fun pretending to play with their dolls, or having a friend and her doll come over the play one of the games mentioned in this thread.

Jane, that game is mentioned in one of the AG party books! It looks like so much fun.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 16, 2003 11:53 PM: Message edited by: Melissa ]</font>

[BasenjiMama]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Melissa:
I remembered after posting this that I have a book from Klutz that's called "Board Games." It lists when games came out:

Fox and Geese -- It says hundreds of years before 1800 (how's that for vague? [img]wink.gif[/img] )

Nine Men's Morris -- 3,000 years old
</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

I went to a castle in France once that had medieval furniture still in it. I'd say 15th century maybe? In one table were inlaid the game boards for Nine Men's Morris and Fox and Geese.

Funny, I haven't thought of that in probably twenty years. LOL!

[baltassar]

Kirsten might have played Fox-and-Geese. The website you pointed to includes information about this game. Scandinavians of Kirsten's period also might have played chess and backgammon.

Dominoes has been around for a long time, but I don't know if Kirsten's family would have known about it.

[BasenjiMama]

I found these while poking around online:

Very pretty Nine Men's Morris and Fox and Geese boards for sale here, along with other traditional games

Online Guide to Traditional Games - including lots of non-European information.

Just thought I'd share. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[QNPoohBear]

Felicity also would have played with a Jacob's Ladder and a wooden hoop, ball and stick,and other wooden toys. You can Buy
children's sized Colonial Games in Williamsburg. BTW if you go to the Colonial Williasmburg Foundation Website and click on clothing-you can see pictures of a real fashion doll! I think the new doll for Felicity is more authentic.

Kirsten would have played physical games like hopscotch, tag, blind man's bluff

They all would have played jacks.

Here is another link to Early American themed toys

I bet if you go to the websites for the museums which have American Girl programs you can find out more about what games they would have played.

[moderator]

I'm really enjoying looking at all the links! Were the ball&stick game and hoop&stick game popular in Kirsten's time, if you know? I think one of Kirsten's books has a drawing of a man making one (hoop)...that might be an easy toy to make.

I made a little board game for Kirsten. I took a 4.5x4.5" piece of wood and drew a 9x9 grid for checkers. I drew this in watercolor pencils, then went over it with water and (after that dried) varnish, so the wood looked weathered.

On the other side, I drew a Fox and Geese game grid. (Now I need to read the instructions to find out how to play. [img]wink.gif[/img] ) Wood furniture plugs, half painted blue, half left normal, and a red wood piece for the fox, made up all the pieces. I sewed a mini gingham drawstring bag to hold the pieces.

I think it's sad that AG is getting away from having the girls' games and pasttimes! Hopefully that will be something they'll bring back sometime...and mini board games especially would be so much fun! Can you all tell I'm a board game nut? [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 17, 2003 11:04 PM: Message edited by: Melissa ]</font>