From June 9, 2018
Before the advent of video games featuring blood and guts flying all over the screen, children had to be content with benign, peaceful, harmless games–like this one.
Remco put out “Melvin the Moon Man” in 1959, and it was a hit. My parents got it for us for Christmas, and it was simple enough for all three of us to play: my sister, age 4, my brother, 7, and me, 10. If we had had a cat, he probably could’ve played, too.
You spin the handle of the unique Tumblebum dice glass (that, and the colorful graphics, were the game’s big selling points), and your plastic Spaceman traveled around the United Craters of the Moon collecting Moonbucks. The one with the most Moonbucks wins. No tactics or strategy involved. Just follow the map according to the roll of the dice.
I don’t know what Melvin cost in 1959, but it’s selling on eBay today for up to $150. In 1959 anything over $5 was a major expenditure for my father which my mother would have to weigh carefully. They really must have loved us to buy us silly stuff like this.
And that’s what makes this memory so sweet.
A lot better than video games.
You got me again, Lee. I don’t remember this one, but it sounds like a lot of board games from that era. I’ve always liked board games 🙂
Melvin the Moon Man is a new one on me as well. I liked Parcheesi and Ropes & Ladders. Our favorite was Monopoly. My neighborhood friends and I played it over and over – we all became Capitalists.
Interesting window into the past for me, being that I’m a Millennial and all..
I guess that makes you the nucleus of our Kiddie Korps. Recruit some more Millenials for us, OK?
Lol I’m trying
I enjoy your comments here. It’s obvious from your blog that you are living your faith.
Thank you for that encouragement; it’s all by the grace of God.
Wise words.
These are challenging times, but it’s good to know that subsequent generations still have people of faith.
I loved this game as a kid in Seven Hills, Ohio. I probably received it for Christmas or birthday in 1960 when I was 7. I loved the astronaut game pieces and moon bucks and played the game to death with my brother and friends for years.
Me, too, Tom.
It is fun to read the comments I made on Lee’s past posts – and also those of Phoebe and Unknowable.
Yes, it is really interesting.
Wholesome games. How did we survive without computerized games? Quite well, I’d say.
I do mourn the disappearance of board game. We have a ton of them. Some are probably collectible.
We’ve lost much, when games moved to computers. We need face to face. The older I get, the smarter the Amish get.
True, too true.
There’s a stunning loss of face to face interaction, these days.
Even I don’t get out as much as I used to, with online shopping, etc. I am resolving to do more when it warms up a little.
I’ve had to become proactive in this, ever since the lockdown. This remoteness has harmed a lot of people.
We also have the problem of inclement weather, especially at this time of year.
That can be restricting. I had family who lived far enough north in Minnesota that winters could be very confining. They all lived in one little town, so they kept in touch with one another and at least had some socialization.
Weather can be a real problem in the North between the cold and the very short days.
One reason I live in the southwest is because of the blue skies. When I lived in Minnesota, I felt very confined during the winter months. I need to see the sky, and the sun. This is very unusual for where I live, but we’ve had a fair number of cloudy days lately, and I’m feeling the effects. I feel uneasy, and want to go somewhere, anywhere.
This morning, I drove into town to check out what was on sale at the farm store. As it turns out, there were some great clothing items at great prices, but the sizes they had in stock tended to be larger than what I wear. But, at least I got out of the house, and I needed to get away. Yesterday, I did some serious branch cleanup in the yard, and I have enough mesquite trash out there to keep me busy for quite a while. It definitely helped to relieve the cabin fever.
I get very tired very quickly of dark cold short days.
I always notice when the days begin to get longer. Just last night, I realized that it was still light at 5:47 PM. A ray of hope.