Review This Reviews!

Showing posts with label Monopoly. Show all posts

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Barbie Board Games: A Discussion and List

Here's a collection and a list of new, used and vintage Barbie board games complete with a list.

Anyone who loves Barbie and board games might find themselves wondering, as I did, what Barbie-themed board games are available. A simple search revealed the short list of Barbie-themed games that I review here on this page. However, the more I looked the more games I found and so you will also find on this page a longer list of games at the bottom of this page. This list may help you if you are seeking a particular game from a specific time period. Most of the games on this page (including on the list) are vintage but there are a couple of new games that were released along with the hit Barbie movie in 2023.

THE BARBIE GAME QUEEN OF THE PROM (1961 and 1994)

First up is the game with a blue cover shown above called simply, The Barbie Game. It was released by Mattel in 1960 and could well be the first game ever made. Beware that there are two versions of Queen of the Prom as it was re-released in 1994. Both are vintage games but have a decidedly different appearance.

The description of the game on the box of the newer version reads, “You are Barbie. Win if you are the first crowned Queen of the Prom. To win you must have a steady boyfriend, a prom dress and be elected president of a school club. Midge, Skipper and Ken share the fun.”

What fun it is to see the original game in this 1960s television commercial:

TAKE A PERSONAL APPEARANCE TOUR WITH BARBIE GAME (1980)

This vintage 1980 game was released by Whitman. The description on the back of the box reads, “Travel with Barbie by car and plane on her tour and visit movie studios, grand openings, charity telethons and more. If you are first to appear three times and then reach the awards presentation, you win.” It evokes all of the excitement of a glamorous life in the 1980s.

DREAM DATE (1992)

The Barbie Dream Date game was released by Golden in 1992. In this game, “…girls play the Dream Date Game with Barbie and Ken! Ken picks out beautiful gifts for Barbie and might take her horseback riding, snow skiing or maybe even to a ball! Players collect gifts for Barbie, moving around the board and taking photos of their dates. At midnight, the individual with the most gift and date cards wins!” The cover definitely reminds me of the 1990s.

BARBIE DRESS UP GAME (1993)

Another Golden release, this game was created in 1993. In this one you “play with a Barbie doll trying to be the first player to collect all of Barbie’s fashion accessories without getting a broken heart.” This game would be especially fun for anyone who loves fashion.

MONOPOLY BOUTIQUE AND MONOPOLY MOVIE (2007 AND 2003)

Monopoly has released hundreds or more likely thousands of board games on every theme you can possibly think of. Monopolyland says estimates range between 300 and 7,000 games and that the largest known collection of Monopoly games claims to have 3,500 games. Anyway, when I looked, I could find two Barbie versions.

This is the official Barbie Monopoly board game that was released in conjunction with the 2023 movie, Barbie.

The first version was the Barbie Boutique Edition from 2007, which was packed in a pretty pink box. Finding a description of it proved difficult though pictures show that it was beautifully presented in a jewelry-style box.

The second version was official movie merchandise that was released in tandem with the movie Barbie. It is widely available and the box reads, “You can be anything with Barbie…Follow your dreams around the board. Buy famous streets, build DreamHouses and draw Dream Closet and Dream Career cards for extra twists. Flex your unique skills, dream a bit, own it all and be anything!” I expect a lot of people received this version of the game for Christmas in 2023. If you are interested, you can find Barbie Monopoly on Amazon by clicking here.

A LIST OF BARBIE BOARD GAMES

As I was reading about the games mentioned above, I kept discovering more new, used and vintage Barbie-themed games. I guess that is not really surprising given the length of time that Barbie has been around. The gaps in years tells me that this list is not likely complete but here’s my list, not definitive, but definitely long, arranged in chronological order:

Queen of the Prom Game (1960)
Keys to Fame Game (1963)
Skipper: Barbie's Little Sister (1964)
The Barbie World of Fashion game (1967)
Miss Lively Livin’ (1970)
Take a Personal Appearance Tour with Barbie. (1980)

Charms the World (1985)
Barbie Meets Ken in the Game of Their Dreams! (1987)
Just Us Girls (1989)
Shopping Spree Card Game (1991)
We Girls Can Do Anything (1991)
Dream Date (1992)
Fun Fashions Memory Game (1992)
Butterfly Princess (1995)
Dress Up Game (1995)
Sparkle Kingdom Game (1996)
Go Shopping! (1999)
Enchanted 3-D Game (2001)
Barbie Says (2002)
UNO: Barbie (2002)
Barbie of Swan Lake (2003)
Rapunzel (2003)
The Nutcracker Playset Game (2003)
UNO: Barbie California Girl (2004)
The Princess and the Pauper Game (2004)
Guess the Look! (2004)
Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006)
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus (2005)
World of Models (2008)
Race to the Party Game (2010)
Shopping Day (2011)
Charmed Travels (2011)
Fashion City (2011)
Gems! (2012)
Bring The Bling Game (2012)
Shop with Barbie (2013)
UNO: Barbie The Movie (2023)
Monopoly: Barbie Movie (2023)

WHERE TO BUY VINTAGE BARBIE GAMES?

If you are searching for any of these games, new, used or vintage, I suggest following this link to eBay's collection of new, used and vintage Barbie board games. There you will find many of these games in assorted condition. New games that are out of production will likely cost more. However, if you shop carefully, you can likely find a used game that is in good condition.

Have I missed a Barbie game that you used to play?

See you
At the toy store!
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Reviewing Monopoly Deal - A Playing Card Game

Monopoly Deal is the Playing Card Version of the Classic Monopoly Board Game.

Package image of the Monopoly Deal card game

We are all familiar with the board game, Monopoly, which has been around in its current version since 1935. Over the years, the classic version has grown to include nearly 1300 variations, many of them theme-based. For a list of these, check this link.

Monopoly has become one of the most popular games of all time. I remember spending hours playing it as a child, then with my own children, and now my grandsons enjoy it just as much. And now it is available in a quick version card game form called Monopoly Deal.

A Favorite Version of the Monopoly Board Game

While visiting my 14-year-old grandson, Ryan, in Iowa in June, we played his Star Wars Monopoly game in board game form, which he absolutely loves to play.

At the end of my visit, it was decided that Ryan would come back home with me for a visit to Coastal Georgia and the beach. He wanted to bring his Star Wars Monopoly Board Game, but there wasn't room in the car. Instead, he discovered that there is a card game version of Monopoly, which he purchased before we left.


Grandson Ryan (c) Wednesday Elf

Let me tell you, Ryan and I have become very expert at this Monopoly card game, playing 3 and 4 games per day most days! This Monopoly Deal card game takes only about 15 minutes to play, as opposed to 3 and 4 hours to play the board game version of Monopoly. And since it doesn't take up any more room to pack in your suitcase than a deck of cards, it is the perfect game to take on a vacation or trip.

Monopoly Deal Card Game

Monopoly Deal comes with 110 cards consisting of the familiar Property Cards (like Boardwalk and Park Place), plus hotel and motel cards, money cards, and action cards which include rent cards and cards that let you steal property from the other players.

Monopoly Deal Money

The Money Cards are a tad different than what you are used to in the Monopoly board game. The denominations begin at One Million and go up to 10 Million dollars. At first it seems strange dealing with what appears to be such a large amount of money, but one quickly adapts to playing a Rent Action Card and saying things such as "Pay me $7 Million Dollars for my property"

Instead of 'Passing Go" and collecting $200, as in the board game, there are Pass Go cards which allow you to draw two more cards.

The "Just Say No" cards have become a favorite, as they prevent another player from stealing your property or having to pay a large amount of 'rent' on a property set with a house and a hotel!

Monopoly Deal Rules

Each turn you draw two cards and can play up to 3 cards. Fortunes can change in a minute, depending upon what cards you draw and play. To win you need three complete sets of Property Cards.

The game can be played with 2-5 players, which made it perfect for Ryan and Grandma to play a quick game or two between trips to the beach or my apartment pool those hot summer days here in southern Georgia. It's also a quick game to play between dinner and bedtime. The more we played it, the more we enjoyed it. It's truly an addictive card game. If your looking for a fun family/friend game, Monopoly Deal is it.