Page 6 - september-23

Publisher’s Corner

Fun & Games journalofantiques.com

very year since 1998, The Strong National as do games that use dice for chance. Publisher
Museum of Play in Rochester, NY inducts beloved The earliest known board game Maxine Carter-Lome
Etoys from our past into its Toy Hall of Fame. published in the U.S. is a simple journalofantiques@gmail.com
Like other Hall of Fame museums, making the list is the map game, likely inspired by similar Maxine Carter-Lome
Business Manager
pinnacle of success. In 2022, that included the Top, Lite- games from England. The Travellers Jeffrey Lome
Brite, and Masters of the Universe action figures. While Tour Through the United States is dated circa 1822. Dice jeffreylome@gmail.com
this year’s list is not yet out, a look at past inductees on were frowned upon for children’s games due to their
page 19 is like a walk down Memory Lane. association with gambling, so movement was determined Managing Editor
Judy Gonyeau
The Strong Museum of Play is the legacy of using a teetotum – a spinning top with numbers. The
Margaret Woodbury Strong, who grew up in Rochester, first commercial board game in the U.S. dates to 1843 editorial.journalofantiques@gmail.com
NY, as an only child in a wealthy family of collectors. and was produced by George Fox in England. It was Art Director
Her father, John Charles Woodbury (1859–1937), called the Mansion of Happiness and was essentially a “race Lynn Cotterman
collected coins and recorded life events in scrapbooks. game” similar to Ludo (Parcheesi).
Production
Her mother, Alice Motley Woodbury (1859–1933), The success of George Fox’s Mansion of Happiness
collected 19th-century Japanese objet d’art. Her admired paved the way for hours of new family fun. The 1840s– Lynn Cotterman
aunt collected bookplates. 1920s are known as The Golden Age of board gaming in Judy Gonyeau
As early investors in the Eastman Kodak Company, America as the entrepreneurs behind such companies as
Jill Montague-Kaitbenski
the Woodburys’ fortunes grew alongside those of George McLoughlin Brothers, Parker Brothers, and Milton
Eastman, and their wealth afforded Margaret many Bradley introduced children and families to worlds and
unique opportunities to indulge her passions, including skills beyond their everyday experiences in the new games 508-347-1960
building a collection of dolls from her travels around board they were churning out. Toll free:
the world. Monopoly (created in 1903 and initially named 888-698-0734
By the 1960s, Margaret’s collecting interests ranged so The Landlord’s Game), arguably one of the most popular
Fax: 508-347-0911
widely and her methods assumed such aggressive propor- and successful board games in American history,
Mailing:
tions that she had amassed more than 27,000 dolls and a was conceived by a woman named Lizzie Magie as an
P. O. Box 950
seemingly endless number of middle-class American educational tool to illustrate the negative aspects of
Sturbridge, MA 01566
household objects spread over more than 50 categories. concentrating land in private monopolies; however, it

The vast majority of her collections, however, related in was George Swinnerton Parker of Parker Bros. who,
journalofantiques@gmail.com
some way to play, and she earned a particular reputation when offered The Landlord’s Game, turned the nature of
for her outstanding collection of dolls and toys. the game into empowering players to beat, not be beaten
UPS and FedEx
As her accumulation grew, Margaret began to think of down by, the system. He also changed the name of the
Shipping Address:
her collections as a museum. To house her acquisitions, game to Monopoly.
113 Main Street, Unit 2
she added two gallery-like wings to her 30-room It is said that Parker “hated ethics and morality in Sturbridge, MA 01566
suburban Rochester residence. When people came to games” and believed that games should be played for
visit, she asked them to sign a guest book and record their enjoyment, not education. That was literally a game- Journal of
impressions. In December 1957, the Rochester Times- changer for that time. It became okay for games to be Antiques and Collectibles
Union reported on her dollhouses and noted, “These are played just for the fun of it. It is the memories of that is published monthly in digital
only a few of the highlights of this stupendous collection enjoyment—playing games with family and friends just and quarterly in print by
which will soon be open to the children of Rochester for the fun of it—that keep these toys alive and makes Weathervane Enterprises, Inc.
and the general public.” A year later, the Rochester them so much fun to collect. 113 Main Street, Unit 2
Historical Society sponsored the first public showing of Sturbridge MA 01566
the dollhouses, with 100 on view. Two months later,
Periodicals postage paid at
Hobbies – The Magazine for Collectors, publicized the Sturbridge MA
event nationally.
In her will, Margaret left her collections and most Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher
of her financial resources for the establishment of a POSTMASTER:
museum, and 13 years later, in 1982, the Margaret Send address changes to
Woodbury Strong Museum, known as The Strong, SEPTEMBER 5-10 The Journal of Antiques
opened to the public. Today, it spans more than 285,000 BRIMFIELD
SHOW GUIDE
SEPTEMBER 5-10, 2023 and Collectibles
square feet and houses, among other things, the National
Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, Look for the ISSN: (1539-5618)
the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the P.O. Box 950
Woodbury School, and the American Journal of Play. BRIMFIELD Sturbridge, MA 01566
Many of the toys, games, and dolls housed in SHOW GUIDE The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
The Strong and found on the list of past inductees are Published by Journal of Antiques and Collectibles JournalofAntiques.com reserves the right to reject any advertising that
20th century iterations of toys and board games that are on show fields, does not comply with our standards. The
Journal will not be liable for any errors or
millennia old. in our bright red omissions but will print a correction in the
02/23
One of the most ancient toys for adults and children following issue if notification of such error is
sent by the appropriate deadline. Original
is the ball, which was used in both sacred and secular “Take One” boxes manuscripts are welcomed by qualified
games. The earliest known board games, estimated at writers. We assume no responsibility for loss
of unsolicited material.
5,000 years old, were played by the Egyptians. Toys such along Route 20, and at
Copyright 2023
as dolls, kites, and yo-yos, along with games such as Go, JournalofAntiques.com All rights reserved
Chess, and Backgammon, also have ancient global roots,
4 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles