Author Topic: Game Show Box Art (Read 5606 times)

Jeremy Nelson · « **on:** March 18, 2005, 01:29:54 PM »

Does anybody know of any shows that have really good or really dismal box art? I have a collection of about 100 games, and from what i have, this is what I think is the best and worst- I'm not inclusing PC because most of those covers used actual shots from the show.

The Best-
1. Classic Concentration
2. Family Feud (Dawson Era)
3. The Price Is Right 86
4. Simpsons Jeopardy! (Nice spoof of the 1986 box cover)
5. Match Game 1974 (1st edition)
6. Card Sharks 2002

The Worst
1. The $25,000 Pyramid 1986 (Come on, they could have done a lot more to this one)
2. Concentration 1998
3. Family Feud 3rd Edition (Endless Games)

Agree? Disagree? Let me know what u think!

***Side Note*** What was the need for Pressman releasing new versions of Wheel and Jeopardy? They are the EXACT SAME GAME as the ones from the 80's, except with a few minor color changes!

BrandonFG · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2005, 01:51:59 PM »

First, welcome to the board. :-)

I can't think of anything bad off-hand, but I always liked a board game that used a cheesy (but accurate) cartoon depiction of the set. Most MB and Pressman games come to mind, and I'd say my faves were Wheel and Jeopardy (both mid-80s), and maybe TPiR86.

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' date=\'Mar 18 2005, 01:29 PM\']***Side Note*** What was the need for Pressman releasing new versions of Wheel and Jeopardy? They are the EXACT SAME GAME as the ones from the 80's, except with a few minor color changes!

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Prolly the same reasons game shows updated their games so often in the 70s and 80s. I mean, there was what, 8 or 9 Feud games during Dawson's run? About 20-some odd Concentrations, Passwords, and Jeopardys! during the 70s. I'm guessing it's to keep game material fresh, that way, you can't say, "Hey I remember this question/survey/puzzle!!!"

Pure speculation, BTW. ;-)

(after checking Michi-Matt's site)
24 Concentrations and Passwords
13 Jeopardys (Fleming)
8 Dawson Feuds
and a partridge in a pear tree.

cmjb13 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2005, 02:00:58 PM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' date=\'Mar 18 2005, 01:29 PM\']***Side Note*** What was the need for Pressman releasing new versions of Wheel and Jeopardy? They are the EXACT SAME GAME as the ones from the 80's, except with a few minor color changes!

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$$$

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2005, 03:45:18 PM »

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Mar 18 2005, 03:00 PM\'][quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' date=\'Mar 18 2005, 01:29 PM\']***Side Note*** What was the need for Pressman releasing new versions of Wheel and Jeopardy? They are the EXACT SAME GAME as the ones from the 80's, except with a few minor color changes![/quote]$$$[/quote]
Precisely. The game manufacturers aren't creating these things as museum pieces. If Pressman thinks they can sell a bunch of copies of something two decades after they first put it out, more power to them.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2005, 03:55:25 PM »

Even when I was a small child I recognized that MB had the best games with the best cover art, though at age six or so, I would take issue with their age recommendations.

"Shenanigans" was my fave. The various "Concentration" and "Password" editions and their TPIR and Pyramid games of the early 70s were all very good.

The worst of MB was better than the best of all the others.

Neumms · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2005, 05:42:01 PM »

The best to me was the original Password with the cartoon, not that the quip was particularly funny. Beat the Clock was always pretty good, too.

An observation about board games in general--does anybody else feel boxes and designs have really gone downhill? I blame it on Parker Brothers being purchased by Hasbro. I always thought Parker's games way cooler than MB's, and I'm guessing Hasbro put the MB people in charge and sacked Parker's. More's the pity.

pyl85 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 18, 2005, 07:45:25 PM »

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***Side Note*** What was the need for Pressman releasing new versions of Wheel and Jeopardy? They are the EXACT SAME GAME as the ones from the 80's, except with a few minor color changes!

The latest Jeopardy from Pressman used question material that's 20-years-old? Probably a stupid question, but $25,000 Pyramid from Endless did...

-Greg

JasonA1 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 18, 2005, 07:58:46 PM »

Actually, the newest Jeopardy game has wonderful, new material.

-Jason

DjohnsonCB · « **Reply #8 on:** March 18, 2005, 09:17:00 PM »

Whitman's cover art for their Pay Cards! game doesn't even accurately depict the actual contents, although they score points for getting the logo right. I remember seeing this game in a store in 1969 and my mother dismissing it as juvenille because of how the people playing it on the cover looked.

As for two of the best from MB, Password covers were generally good, but they took a turn for the lackluster with the two subsequent editions that came before #14. But the 17th was a nice recovery (this was the edition they played in the classic Carol Burnett sketch where Tim Conway tells the the conjoined elephant story). And Concentration's covers were always good as well, especially editions 5 through 10 with that large arrow pointing toward the puzzle changer. But there were two things about them I couldn't quite understand: (1) Why didn't MB use the funky-type lettering for the "Concentration" title that NBC used beginning in 1963? and (2) Why was the Eighth Edition identical in every way to the Seventh, color scheme and all, except for the actual "Eighth" notation; also, what was with that creepy slight variation on the letter font and/or spacing of the letters in "Eighth"?

The Ol' Guy · « **Reply #9 on:** March 18, 2005, 09:27:15 PM »

Interesting question and some good choices, Rollercoaster. One I found a bit strange was the first MB Sale Of The Century, where the faces on the (publicity?) photos were altered (Pencilled glasses on Jack Kelly?? And let's say hello to our panel of department store mannequins!). Probably cheaper than paying royalties or using models like MB did with their Wheel Of Fortune, but it sure came off cheesy. Overall, you're right, Jimmy - MB did most of the best. Lowell's pretty straight ahead stuff wasn't bad, either.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2005, 12:08:15 PM »

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[Last sig. Beginning next week: a game show called "Break the Bank."]

Oddly enough...I think the 1977 "Break the Bank" game had great cover art.

alfonzos · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2005, 05:14:19 PM »

The glasses were drawn onto Jack Kelly's face so Milton Bradley wouldn't have to pay to use his likeness on the box. When Mr. Kelly balked anyway, the box art was redesigned to cover that part of the picture.

Getting back on topic: I would judge the box art as suitable for framing if it weren't covered with logos and other words to sell the product. That having been stated. Family Feud, Milton Bradley edition is the winner by far. Shenanigans' original box a distant second. Classic Concentration is third.

I agree, using the Concentration logo from the late sixties would have a nice touch.

chris319 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2005, 02:33:45 AM »

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Why didn't MB use the funky-type lettering for the "Concentration" title that NBC used beginning in 1963?

Think it through. You're a business with a profit motive. You've already got a mold with the old typeface on it. What will it cost to have a new mold made with the new logo, and how many units will you have to sell to recoup that cost? Will the added cost be justified in terms of the "user experience" and will it help sell more units?

DjohnsonCB · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2005, 03:25:18 AM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Mar 20 2005, 02:33 AM\']

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Why didn't MB use the funky-type lettering for the "Concentration" title that NBC used beginning in 1963?

Think it through. You're a business with a profit motive. You've already got a mold with the old typeface on it. What will it cost to have a new mold made with the new logo, and how many units will you have to sell to recoup that cost? Will the added cost be justified in terms of the "user experience" and will it help sell more units?

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I didn't necessarily mean the plastic board, just the box covers which changed from year to year with each new edition. The plastic "Jeopardy!" boards didn't use the TV-style lettering, and that never bothered me either...but they used it in all their box covers. They did, eventually, go to the trouble of updating the MB logo on the bottom of the plastic Concentration boards in later editions.

Another curiousity about some MB games: when they were in the process of switching from the black square with white lettering in their logo to the more modern red/blue MB sometime around 1963 or 1964, they sort of "eased into it" with some of their home game editions. The You Don't Say! game has the red/blue MB on the sides, but on top it's the old BW version. They also did this with the Sixth Edition of Concentration and the Second Edition of The Match Game. They also used what looked to be a prototype version of the red/blue MB on just the sides of the first Match Game edition and the non-TV game Lolli-Plop.

Mike Tennant · « **Reply #14 on:** March 21, 2005, 11:30:43 AM »

While we're on the subject of logos, I always found it interesting that MB used the Ferranti-Packard Feud logo rather than the cross-stitched "sampler"-type logo used at the top of the show.

I can think of two reasons for this:

1. It fit on the box better.

2. Audiences were more familiar with it because they saw it throughout the show.

Other thoughts?