B (2:18)

You're listening to Forever Ago from Brains on Universe. I'm your host, Joy Dolo, and I'm here with Ava from West Melbourne, Florida.

C (2:27)

Hi, Ava.

A (2:28)

Hey, Joy.

B (2:29)

Today's episode was inspired by this question.

A (2:32)

My name is Alice. I live in Toronto, Canada. My question is, what is the history of board games? Hello, my name is Adelaide. I'm from Vancouver, B.C. and my question is, what is the history of board games?

B (2:46)

Thanks for sending in this question. Today we're focusing on one board game in particular. Candy Land.

A (2:53)

Gumpy's favorite.

B (2:55)

That's right, Ava. Do you like board games?

A (2:57)

I love board games.

B (2:59)

Do you know the game Jumanji?

A (3:01)

Yes. Wait, I don't know the game, but I've seen the movies.

B (3:03)

Yeah, with Robin Williams and stuff. So if you could be Jumanjied into any board game, which one would you choose?

A (3:10)

Candyland.

C (3:12)

Duh.

A (3:12)

That's my favorite.

B (3:14)

Okay, so if you could be a Candyland character, which one would you be?

A (3:19)

My favorite one is the lollipop girl like that? That one?

B (3:22)

Yeah.

A (3:23)

So probably her. But, like, if I were making my own, then it would definitely be something to do with chocolate, because I love chocolate. The chocolate Princess or something like that.

B (3:31)

Oh, yeah, that sounds good. Candyland is one of the most colorful, sweetest games around. The board has a long rainbow road that winds around different delightful destinations, each with their own candy characters.

A (3:45)

Like Mr. Mint, who walks around the

B (3:47)

Peppermint Forest, or Queen Frostine, Queen of Ice Cream and My Heart.

A (3:53)

Players take turn drawing cards to move along the board. The cards have different colors or characters on them.

B (3:59)

If you picked up an orange card, you'd move forward to the closest orange space.

A (4:03)

Or if you picked up a card with Mr. Mint, you would go directly to his spot on the board.

B (4:08)

Whoever's the first to make it to the candy Castle at the end of the board will wins. Kids of almost any age can play Candy Land. Even if you don't know how to read or write.

A (4:20)

All you need to know is how to recognize different colors or characters, like

B (4:24)

how to pick out Mr. Mint or Queen Frostine on the board.

A (4:27)

Queen Frostine is pretty hard to miss.

B (4:29)

So true. Her beauty, poise, and brilliant platinum hair are unmatched.

A (4:35)

Candyland was one of the first board games made for really little kids.

B (4:39)

It all started back in the late 1940s in the U.S. world War II had just ended, bringing lots of soldiers back home to the States. Cars were becoming pretty common, and many homes recently got hooked up to this new stuff called electricity.

A (4:57)

A lot of people used that electricity to power their first television, but the screens were pretty small and the pictures were still black and white.

B (5:06)

Families were already enjoying board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, and Risk.

A (5:11)

But board games for little kids weren't really popular yet.

B (5:15)

At the same time, there was also a disease that was spreading across the world called polio.

A (5:20)

Polio was considered one of the most dangerous diseases at the time.

B (5:24)

Polio was a very contagious type of disease, meaning it could be spread easily from person to person.

A (5:30)

It could also have a really serious effect on the body.

B (5:33)

Polio attacked people's nervous systems.

A (5:36)

That's the system your brain and body uses to message each other.

B (5:39)

In extreme cases, polio could cause breathing issues or stop people from being able to move certain limbs, leaving them paralyzed. All sorts of people got polio even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt or the artist Frida Kahlo.

A (5:54)

But polio mostly affected children, especially little kids younger than 5 years old.

B (5:58)

Some of you listeners might remember when the COVID 19 pandemic first started. People had to stay home from work and school, avoid gathering in public places and social distance.

A (6:09)

Some similar things happened during the big polio outbreaks back in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

B (6:15)

Here are some news clips from back then.

D (6:17)

We do know that we must accept this challenge of polio. It has closed the gates on normal childhood. It has swept our beaches, stilled our boats, and emptied our parks. The drastic cleanup is ordered as polio and allied diseases show alarming increase. Even streams come in for disinfecting. And in the parks, precautions are taken to prevent gatherings of youngsters.

B (6:44)

Public pools and playgrounds shut down. Big events like state fairs were canceled. Some schools delayed learning.

A (6:51)

One school in Chicago even did school lessons over the radio.

B (6:55)

That's some retro remote learning.

A (6:57)

So what does polio have to do with Candyland?

B (7:00)

We'll connect the dots in a bit, but first, I have a sweet, sweet hankering for

C (7:07)

things first.

B (7:12)

This is the game where we take three things from history and try to put them in order of which came first, second, and most recent in time. Today's three things are other board games. We've got Monopoly, chess, and Connect 4. Ava, do you know these games?

A (7:28)

Yes, I do.

B (7:29)

Have you played them before Monopoly?

A (7:31)

I have. I was not very good at it.

C (7:34)

Chess.

A (7:35)

A lot of people have tried to teach me, but I just can't comprehend how to do it. Yeah, Connect 4 I've definitely played, but I'm not very good at it.

B (7:44)

I've lost a lot of Connect4Games with my sisters and Monopoly, actually. And did you know that when I was in middle school, I used to be in the chess club? So it. I'll tell you what, it is a difficult game to learn. It's not easy. Okay, so which one do you think came first, second, or most recently in history?

A (8:01)

I think that chess came first, and I think that Monopoly came second, and I think Connect4 came third.

B (8:13)

All right, well, I got to ask. What's the logic behind all of this?

A (8:15)

Chess kind of just has this feeling that's, like, old or something, you know? Yeah, it's hard to explain. And then Connect Four, you like? I don't know. It feels like it's very, like, new. And I just know that Monopoly is old. So, like.

B (8:31)

Yeah, yeah, it does seem like chess has been around for a really long time. You know, I feel like there's, like, a lot of people that play this game, and that's why a lot of people want to learn it. Right. Because it's always around. And then Connect4 definitely seems like something that might have come out in, like, the 90s or something, you know, Definitely newer.

A (8:48)

Yeah.

B (8:48)

All right, so I'm going to lock it in. We have chess as the oldest monopoly, and then Connect4 is the most recent.

A (8:54)

Yes.

B (8:55)

All right, we'll hear the answers at the end of the episode, right after

A (8:58)

the credits, so stick around.

B (9:06)

Hey, friends, we're working on an episode about slang words. You know, fun words like chill and vibing, both of which describe me perfectly. Did you know you can just make up slang, like doing a dolo, which is when you're chilling and vibing at the time.

C (9:22)

Same.

B (9:22)

Same time. Okay, Ava, what's a word you'd want to invent?

A (9:26)

Maybe like smad, which is mad and sad. I'm probably not the first person who's come up with it, but, like, it would be cool to have it like an official word so that when you're mad and sad and you don't really know how to describe the feeling, you have a word.

B (9:40)

There it is. I'm smad Listeners, make up your own slang. Record yourself and send it to us@brainson.org click contact. Thanks. I should have been in the circus. I can't do the trapeze, but I'm really good at juggling. Juggling scripts, preparing auditions, taking care of our dog, who is also our child. I mean, it's no wonder. By the time I get home, I'm beat. The last thing I want to do is use the few precious brain waves I have left to think up a menu and go to the grocery store, wait in line, drive home, and all together. That's where everyplate comes in. Every plate is the smart, approachable meal kit that delivers crave worthy food right to your door without the stress, the extra cost, or mental load. Now, we can enjoy an easy, crispy chicken parm with marinara sauce right at home. And I don't know about you, but we have a lot of clean plates around here, and that makes me feel real good. Especially when you have picky eaters with over 35 weekly meals to choose from. You could have some caramelized onion burger burgers. Or choose from many delicious veggie dishes. Dinner's on the table in 30 minutes, and there's less prep, less cleanup, and more time to spend with your family. And with clear pricing, you don't have to worry about going over your budget. With everyplate being half the price of takeout delivery, you can save for something you really want, like that family vacation or weekend getaway with your girlfriends. I loved my Every Plate experience, y'. All. And you will too if you're like me and you like no message, no hassle, and saving money. Every plate is for you. Try every plate and get $2.99 per meal on your first box plus 10% off for a month. Go to everyplate.com podcast and use code FOREVERAGO299 to claim your offer. That's code FOREVERAGO299@every plate.com podcast to get 2 dollars 99 cents per meal on your first box plus ten percent off for a month. Ditch the dinner time dilemmas with every plate. At Great Wolf Lodge, there's adventure for the whole family. You and your pack can splash away in the indoor water park where it's always 84 degrees. There's a massive wave pool, a lazy river and tons of water slides for your pack to enjoy together. And the fun doesn't stop there. Get ready to explore and play at Adventure packed attractions from Magiquest, a live action game that takes place throughout the lodge, to the Northern Lights Arcade. There's also a bunch of great dining options and complimentary daily events like nightly dance parties, all under one roof. And the best part? With 22 lodges across the country, you're always only a short drive away from adventure. So bring your pack together at a lodge near you. Book your stay today@greatwolf.com and strengthen the pack.

A (12:48)

You're listening to Forever Ago. I'm Ava.

B (12:50)

And I'm Joy. Before the break, we learned a little bit about the board game Candy Land,

A (12:56)

the colorful, candy filled game made for kids of all ages.

B (12:59)

We also learned about polio, one of the most dangerous diseases in the 20th century.

A (13:04)

But what do those two things have to do with each other?

B (13:07)

Well, without polio, it's very possible that Candy Land would never have been invented. It starts with a woman named Eleanor Abbott.

A (13:17)

Eleanor was a schoolteacher in San Diego, California.

B (13:20)

In 1948, Eleanor was diagnosed with polio and had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. She was around a lot of other folks who also had polio, mostly small children.

A (13:31)

Life for these kids with polio was very difficult.

B (13:33)

It could be very isolating and lonely. At the hospital, many children couldn't see their family or friends because they didn't want to risk spreading the disease to more people.

A (13:42)

That's When Eleanor had an idea.

B (13:44)

What if I made a game for all the children here in the polio ward? Eleanor set out to design a simple game all kinds of kids could play in the hospital. A game filled with imagination that could transport patients out of the polio ward to somewhere much sweeter.

A (14:01)

And that's when Candyland was born.

B (14:04)

The story goes that Eleanor first sketched out the Candyland board on some butcher paper. She shared the game with other patients, and soon it was an absolute hit at the hospital.

A (14:16)

Ms. Eleanor, could I please play the game you drew? Can I play too? Me sweet.

B (14:22)

The game was so popular, Eleanor brought it to the Milton Bradley Game Company in 1949. They came up with the slogan Candyland. A sweet little game for sweet little folks.

A (14:35)

The original board looked really similar to the colorful candy filled boards we see today.

B (14:39)

There were a few differences, like how at the start of the board, there was a little boy with a leg brace. Some polio patients wore these to help them walk or stand.

A (14:48)

The end of the game was also different. Instead of ending at a candy castle, players finished by returning home.

B (14:54)

Maybe that was a little shout out to the polio patients wishing to return home to their family and friends.

A (15:00)

So that's how a deadly disease ended up inspiring one of the sweetest board games around.

B (15:10)

In 1955, just a few years after Eleanor created Candy Land, the polio vaccine was invented by Dr. Jonas Salk.

D (15:18)

An historic victory over a dread disease has dramatically unfolded at the University of Michigan. Here, scientists usher in a new medical age with the monumental reports that proved the Salk vaccine against crippling polio to be a sensational success.

B (15:32)

The polio vaccine, much like Candyland, was an enormous hit. Within a matter of years, the number of polio infections shrank from tens of thousands to just a few hundred.

A (15:43)

Meanwhile, Eleanor went on to live a long life after recovering from polio.

B (15:48)

She even donated a lot of the money she made from the board game right back to buying school supplies for kids in her community. What a sweetheart.

A (15:56)

Today, Candy Land is one of the most successful board games for kids. It has sold over 50 million copies.

C (16:04)

To think, I'm not in one single version of Candy Land yet.

A (16:10)

Gumpy, you're back.

C (16:11)

I am. I mailed my idea for Gumpy's Bubblegum Bayou to the board game bosses. Hopefully, I'll hear back soon.

B (16:19)

Congrats, Gumpy.

A (16:20)

Nice work.

C (16:21)

In the meantime, I've got to keep my Candyland knowledge up. What do you say we play a game?

B (16:27)

Let's do it right after we Check the mailbag. We love hearing from you. Your drawings make me dance. Your comments make me think. Your questions make me hungry. Oh, wait. Oh, hold up. I am hungry because of this specific question right here.

A (16:51)

My name is Emerson from Toronto, Canada. Stouffville. I want to know what is the origin story of french fries and where does it gets his name?

B (17:03)

I love history with a side of curiosity. Turns out no one really knows how fried potato strips got the name french fries. Some say they actually come from Belgium, where in some places they speak French. People mistook the area for France and called the tasty food French fries. Others say these spuds are indeed from France. No matter where they come from, I know where they are going. My mouth. Thanks for the question and the dinner idea. Send me your questions or ask me. For advice. Just go to brainzon.org contact thank you. I'm Joy.

A (17:58)

I'm Ava.

C (17:59)

And I'm Gumpy, the talking pile of old gum and Candy Land's biggest fan. I have a game to test your Candyland knowledge. This is Candyland character palooza. Cha cha cha cha.

B (18:20)

Oh, that really rolls off the tongue.

C (18:22)

In this game, I will give you a name of a Candyland character from some point in history, and you have to tell me if you think it's a real Candyland character or a fake character I made up. Makes sense.

B (18:35)

It makes sense.

A (18:36)

Yep, I got it.

C (18:37)

All right, listeners, you play along too. The first character is Gloppy. Real or fake?

B (18:47)

Hmm.

A (18:47)

Real.

B (18:48)

That sounds real to me.

C (18:50)

Final answers?

B (18:52)

Yes. Yes. Plug it in.

C (18:54)

Gloppy is real. Woo. Cloppy is described as a kind of molasses monster who is more gooseme than gruesome. You know what I mean?

B (19:04)

Totally.

C (19:05)

I know what you're thinking, but no, we are not first cousins.

B (19:10)

Oh, I totally thought you were.

A (19:12)

Same.

C (19:13)

I get that a lot. Ready for the next one?

B (19:15)

Totally.

A (19:16)

Yep.

C (19:17)

Okay. Lady Licorice, real or fake?

A (19:21)

Fake.

B (19:22)

That doesn't sound real to me. Yeah, I'm going fake on that one.

C (19:25)

Are you sure?

A (19:27)

Yeah.

B (19:27)

I'm never sure of anything, Gumpy, but I know you'll steer me the right way.

C (19:31)

Lady Licorice is fake. You're right. Ha ha.

B (19:38)

Air five.

C (19:39)

My. My high fives are a little sticky. That was a little tricky because Lord Licorice was a real character. Sometimes I'm a trickster.

B (19:48)

Gumpy, you play around too much.

A (19:51)

Yes, you do.

C (19:51)

Okay, all right, enough playing. Here's another grandma nut. Real or fake?

A (19:58)

That's definitely real.

B (19:59)

Oh, yeah, that's real.

A (20:01)

I've played so many Candyland games. I definitely know this is real.

B (20:05)

You're never gonna stump us, Gumpy.

C (20:07)

Oh, it shucks. You're right. Grandma Nut is a real character. Ta da. She lives in a house made of peanut brittle. That track's for Grandma. Do you want one last character?

B (20:18)

Bring it on.

A (20:19)

I'm having fun.

B (20:20)

Yeah.

C (20:21)

Okay, one last one. This is a rhymer. Plumpy, Real or fake?

B (20:28)

Oh, that's real. That's a real one.

A (20:31)

That is. That's real.

C (20:33)

Yeah, Plumpy is a real character. You're right.

B (20:37)

Yeah.

C (20:38)

Four for four. Not a snore. Plumpy looks like a furry green troll who watches over the gingerbread plum trees. Kind of like the Lorax of Candy Land. What do you think?

B (20:51)

Oh, that's great. That was so fun. And also made me a little hungry.

A (20:55)

Definitely.

C (20:56)

Yeah. Thanks for playing. And just like that, I've completed another lifelong dream to be a game show host. Hurrah.

B (21:06)

Yay. Comfy.

A (21:07)

Woo hoo.

C (21:08)

Sweet as can be. Does anyone want to try my latest invention? Cheesecake Cheesesteak? It's the world's first dessert cheesesteak sandwich.

B (21:24)

The board game Candyland was invented by schoolteacher Eleanor Abbott, who contracted polio in 1948.

A (21:31)

Eleanor created the game to make something fun for children who also had polio at the hospital.

B (21:37)

Polio was one of the most dangerous and isolating diseases of the 20th century. It especially affected a lot of children.

A (21:44)

The polio vaccine was invented in 1955 after Candy Land's debut.

B (21:49)

This episode was written by Ruby Guthrie. It was produced and fact checked by Nico Gonzalez Whistler and edited by sand and Totten. Engineering help from John Aguila with sound design by Rachel Breeze. Original theme music by Mark Sanchez. Special thanks to Luna, Carys and Lulu.

A (22:06)

And if you want access to ad free episodes and special bonus content, subscribe to our Smarty pass.

B (22:12)

Okay, Ava, are you ready to hear the answers for first things first?

C (22:15)

Yes.

B (22:16)

Yes. Okay, so as a reminder, we're putting these three board games in order. And you said the oldest was chess, and then Monopoly and then Connect Four. Are you ready? Drum roll. That's my mouth drum. Oh, wow. Oh, okay. Well, you did. You did the best you could, Ava. Oh, yeah. You got them all right. Yay. You got it right off the bat. Way to go.

A (22:47)

I feel so smart.

B (22:48)

You are so smart. So chess is the oldest. It's over 1500 years old, dating back to the 6th century in India. The chess game we know and love today is based on an Indian board game called Chantarunga. Which also used pieces based on a battle formation. So chess was banned from time to time throughout history by different kings and religious leaders. But his popularity persisted despite this. That's wild.

A (23:16)

Yeah.

B (23:16)

And then next up we have Monopoly. So that was invented by Lizzie Maggie in 1904, where it was first called the Landlord's Game. Oh, that makes sense.

A (23:27)

Yeah.

B (23:28)

Funnily enough, Lizzie was against monopolies, which is when a few people own the majority of properties or resources. She wanted her game to teach people how unfair realty could be and encouraged gameplay where everyone worked together to collectively own all the properties equally. In 1935, salesman Charles Darrow came across Lizzie's Game while unemployed during the Great Depression. He made his own version of the game and patented it as Monopoly, which went on to sell millions of copies. Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

A (24:00)

Yep.

B (24:00)

He had a monopoly on Monopoly. And last but certainly not least is Connect4. And that was invented by Howard Wexler in 1974. He was a former teacher, social worker, and school psychologist. So Howard realized that all games play on a horizontal plane and wanted to try inventing a game that played vertically instead. So here's a mind blowing fact. Even though there's only 42 spaces on the Connect 4 grid, there are over 4.5 trillion possible configurations of the game. Wow. I did not know that.

A (24:33)

That's really cool.

B (24:34)

Yeah. And also, like, it explains, explains why I lose so much because there's so many configurations. What was the most surprising fact out of these three?

A (24:44)

The. The chess one where like, it was made in India and how it was like banned by different religious leaders. I think that's like, really cool how it's like so old and we still play it today.

B (24:57)

Yeah. Yeah. The resistance of chess. So maybe, maybe if you, if you'd like, you could go back to it and see if it. If it's more fun now that you know the history of it.

A (25:06)

I can barely play chess, so I'm not sure about that.

B (25:09)

It's not for everybody. Maybe we'll just stick with Connect 4.

A (25:13)

Yeah.

B (25:15)

Join us next week for a new episode about the history of daylight saving time.

A (25:19)

Thanks for listening.