Candy Land
Candy Land (also Candyland) is a simple racing board game published by Hasbro, under the brand of its subsidiary, Milton Bradley. The game requires no reading and minimal counting skills, making it suitable for young children. No strategy is involved as players are never required to make choices; only following directions is required. About one million copies per year are sold. Gameplay. The race is woven around a storyline about finding King Kandy, the lost king of Candy Land. The board consists of a winding, linear track made of 134 spaces, most red, green, blue, yellow, orange or  purple. The remaining pink spaces are named locations such as Candy Cane Forest and Gumdrop Mountain, or characters such as Queen Frostine and Gramma Nutt. Players take turns removing the top card from a stack, most of which show one of six colors, and then moving their marker ahead to the next space of that color. Some cards have two marks of a color, in which case the player moves the marker ahead to the second-next space of that color. The deck has one card for each named location, and drawing such a card moves a player directly to  that board location. This move can be either forward or backward in the classic game; backward moves can be ignored for younger players in the 2004 version of the game. Prior to the 2006 edition, the board had three colored spaces marked with a dot. Two of these spaces were designated as "cherry pitfalls" and the other was situated in Molasses Swamp. A player who lands on such a space is stuck (all cards are ignored until a card is drawn of the same color as the square). In the 2006 version, dot spaces were replaced with licorice spaces that  prompt the player landing on it to simply lose the next turn. The game is won by landing on or passing the final square and thus reaching the goal of the Candy Castle. The official rules specify that any card that would cause the player to advance past the last square wins the game, but many play so that one must land exactly on the last square to win. The 2004 version changed the last space from a violet square to a rainbow space, meaning it applies to any color drawn by a player, thus resolving any dispute about exactly  who wins the game. , "Candy Land" is being sold by Hasbro with a spinner instead of cards. The spinner includes all outcomes that were previously on the cards. History. The game was designed in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott, while she was recovering from polio in San Diego, California. The game was made for and tested by the children in the same wards on the hospital. The children suggested that Abbott submit the game to Milton Bradley Company. The game was bought by Milton Bradley and first published in 1949 as a temporary fill-in for their then main product line , school supplies. "Candy Land" became Milton Bradley's best selling game surpassing its previous top seller, "Uncle Wiggily", and put the company in the same league as its main competitor, Parker Brothers. The original art has been purported to be by Abbott, although this is uncertain. In 1984, Hasbro purchased Milton Bradley. Landmark Entertainment Group revamped the game with new art, adding characters and a story line in 1984. Hasbro produces several versions of the game and treats it as a brand. For example, it markets "Candy Land" puzzles, a travel version, a personal computer game, and a handheld electronic  version. "Candy Land" was involved in one of the first disputes over Internet domain names in 1996. An adult web content provider registered candyland.com, and Hasbro objected. Hasbro obtained an injunction against the use. In 2012, Hasbro announced a film which triggered a lawsuit by Landmark Entertainment Group over ownership and royalties owned for the characters and storyline introduced in the 1984 edition. Reception. The Toy Industry Association named "Candy Land" as the most popular toy in the US for the 1940s. In 2005, the game was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong Museum in  Rochester, New York. About one million copies per year are sold. Versions. At least four versions of the "Candy Land" board game were made. The first dates from 1949. This version, and other early versions had only locations (Molasses Swamp, Gumdrop Mountains, etc.) and no characters. A board copyrighted in 1962 shows a track layout different from the more recent versions. In the first edition, the pawns were wooden but were changed in the 1967 version to plastic gingerbread men. The 1984 edition introduced a storyline and characters such as Mr. Mint and Gramma Nutt. It has the modern track  layout and ends with a purple square. Some of the characters and place names were changed in 2002. Queen Frostine became "Princess" Frostine, the classic Molasses Swamp was changed to Chocolate Swamp, Princess Lolly was changed to Lolly, and the character Plumpy was removed entirely. A VCR board game version was released in 1986. Hasbro released an electronic version of the game for Windows in 1998. An animated 2005 feature, "", was produced and later spawned a DVD game version of "Candy Land". The "Give Kids the World: Village edition" of "Candy Land" was produced by Hasbro especially for the Give  Kids The World Village, a non-profit resort in Kissimmee, Florida for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Traditional "Candy Land" characters and locations were replaced with the venues and characters of the Village, such as Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry. There are licensed versions of "Candy Land" with characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Dora the Explorer, and SpongeBob. Characters. Characters depend on the version of the game. Legacy. Motif. The Candy section of Toys "R" Us in New York City's Times Square maintained a "Candy Land" theme until losing its license for the characters in  2006. The theme included a colored pathway that mimicked the board for the game, several "Candy Land" characters, and candy-themed shelving and ceiling decorations. Film adaptation. An animated 2005 feature, "Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure", was produced. Upcoming. In February 2009, Universal Pictures announced plans for a film based on the "Candy Land" board game. Etan Cohen, a writer for comedies "" and "Tropic Thunder", was hired to write the screenplay. Kevin Lima, who directed "Enchanted", was set to direct. However, in 2011, a new screenwriting team was designated, composed of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. They said, "We  don't see it as a movie based on a board game, although it has characters from that world and takes the idea of people finding themselves in a world that happens to be made entirely of candy where there are huge battles going on. We are going for real comedy, real action, and real emotions at stake." By January 2012 Columbia Pictures, Happy Madison, and Adam Sandler were in final negotiations to develop the film, with Sandler both starring and co-writing the screenplay with Robert Smigel. In July 2014, a lawsuit by Landmark Entertainment Group took place over  ownership and royalties owned for the characters and storyline introduced in the 1984 edition. Television adaptation. A cooking competition show, which was based on the game and hosted by Kristin Chenoweth, premiered on Food Network on November 15, 2020. Teams of dessert chefs competed over six weeks for a $25,000 grand prize.