Hello lamppost, what’cha knowing
I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’
Ain’t you got no rhymes for me?
Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy– Simon & Garfunkel – Feelin’ Groovy
David Day, a graphic designer and ephemera collector in Seattle, found these funky, pop art paper games when rummaging through second-hand shops for books and other printed paper artefacts from the 1960s and 70s.
We’ve featured his collection before on Flashbak, looking at Peter Max’s groovy letter people, the cosmic calendar and Marilyn Monroe in the fantastic day-glo designers’ guide. And now we look at games found in books with a focus on David’s particularly soft spot for the unique style of pop art-infused psychedelia created by Hallmark and American Greetings that showcase stupendous mid-century design and illustration.
The image above from the groovy pychedelic graphics games AQUARIUS II, a home “computer” astrology kit by Hoi Polloi. In the 1970s, the Zodiac fad was huge. The pickup line “Hey babe, what’s your sign?” has become a 1970s cliché; however, the extent to which the whole astrology/zodiac bit permeated western culture is not to be underestimated. From “Age of Aquarius” at the top of the charts to horoscope booklets in every supermarket line, astrology was everywhere.
Let’s see some more:
FIZZOG by Ken Garland. James Galt & Co. Ltd., 1969.
GREAT TO-DO NUMBER 1 from 1972.
1972 Charlie Chaplin card game by Edu-Card.
MIRROR MANIA
“The Look in, Look Around, Look Out Game! It’s an Optical Match!” Mattel, 1969.
Lady bug dominoes by Big Box by Fernand Nathan.
DISET LOTTO from Spain. Diset International
THE POCKET BOOK OF BOARD GAMES designed by John Astrop. Kestral Books, 1980.
PUNCH-A-ROO CIRCUS – Whitman, 1969.
PUNCH-A-ROO CIRCUS
Unpunched activity book. Whitman, 1969.
PSYCHEDELIC MOTHER GOOSE PUZZLE – A series of small 7” circular puzzles designed and illustrated by Larry Bowser. Springbok/Hallmark, 1970.
Box and board from Whitman’s “Race Around” board game. Whitman/Western Publishing Co., 1975.
3M GAMETTES – Box covers from a series of card games by the 3M Company. 1970-1971.
Peanuts
BRAIN DRAIN ☜ “Blend! Twist! Turn on your mind!” Brain Drain puzzles by Mattell, 1969.
PEANUTS PROJECTS – Peanuts activity book by Determined Productions. Designed by Jim Young. 1963
OPINION – 1975 party game by Selchow & Righter Co.
CAT AND MOUSE – Parker Brothers’ 1964 “The Game of Cat and Mouse” featuring a 3-D game board.
POP ART PUZZLES
Promotional booklet by the American Can Company, ‘Puzzles to Solve Problems’
JEEPERS! CREATURES! -1971 board game – Whitman, 1971.
SPACE MODEL ROCKET – A 3-dimensional push-out book. Designed by Arnold Palmer. Treasure Books, 1960.
PSYCHE-PATHS – Psychedelic puzzle game by KMS Industries, 1968.
TOUCH – Parker Brothers Touch, a game of palmistry.
Bonkers game board and box. Parker Brothers, 1978.
Via : The Peculiar Manicule
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