If you are a fan of board games and card games, there’s a good chance you’ve played one that was invented here in Seattle.
In addition to the big names in board games that have emerged from the Seattle area over the years (Pictionary, Cranium, Magic: The Gathering), the MOHAI collection contains some lesser-known games that were inspired by and/or invented locally.
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This souvenir from Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair is a pretty standard game: players roll the dice to move around the board, with the potential to land on spaces that send them back or forward additional spaces, or lose a turn. The colorful board features illustrations of scenes from the fair, and the playing pieces are ducks. The donor, Christina, along with her siblings, Bob, Jean, and Mercy, visited the fair when they were teens and played this game at home.
Stock Block was created by Seattle inventor John F. Majors, but he made versions for other US cities as well as a few international locations. The game is based on Monopoly, so the goal is to purchase, trade and sell stock certificates and shares of local landmark buildings with the goal of liquidating your competitors on the market.
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This particular version uses local landmarks and companies as the items to buy and sell. The most affordable buys are the local newspapers: both the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. On the pricey side of the board are the neighborhoods Laurelhurst, Magnolia, and Broadmoor, then companies Weyerhaeuser and Boeing. Other landmarks include Smith Tower, Frederick & Nelson, Kingdome Stadium, Seattle Center, and the Monorail. Unlike Monopoly there are no quirky metal playing pieces, just painted wood discs.
Stock Block Seattle wasn’t the only re-invention of Monopoly. This “Seattleopoly” from the 1980s has a much more commercial bent. It features official logos and contact information for various businesses and organizations around Seattle, not grouped by type or price.
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It seems likely that this was an advertising tool and entities purchased space on the board. KOMO 4 TV, The Victoria Clipper, and Seattle Children’s Hospital all have spaces, as well as more obscure entries like the Tlaquepaque Bar and Aurora Classic Coaches. Safeco insurance has three spaces: one for home insurance, one for auto, and one for business. There is even an ad for Pictionary, another board game that was invented in Seattle.
