Candyland
Editorial Review
“Once upon a time, King Kandy, the Imperial Head Bonbon and Grand Jujube of Candy Land disappeared.” Thus begins the magical journey of Milton Bradley’s classic Candy Land board game. Captivated by the story of a kidnapped king and eager to help find him, little ones move their gingerbread pawns along a rainbow path and through a land of candy characters, all subjects of King Kandy’s realm. Playing cards thoughtfully designed for non-readers are coded with colorful squares matching the jeweled stepping-stone path or an occasional token matching one of the characters’ symbols: draw a blue card, move to the nearest blue stepping-stone; draw a snowflake and earn a visit to Queen Frostine’s iceberg. There are occasional pitfalls, too: land on the wrong square and you might be stuck in Molasses Swamp until a red card is drawn. With all these enticing, sugarcoated images (and King Kandy plainly visible at path’s end), children can’t help but be delighted by Ca…
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…there are several good reasons why “Candy Land” is the first board game children learn to play:
First, the game does not require children know how to read. They do not even need to know their numbers as they do in “Chutes and Ladders.” Movement is based on a child being able to recognize colors and symbols. What could be easier than that?
Second, the game is based on luck (or chance or divine intervention or however you want to characterize it), which means it is a great equalizer. This is a game where a kid has the same chance of winning as their parents, older siblings, grandparents, babysitters or whoever. Children are not going to be interested in playing a game they cannot win, which is why “Candy Land” is where they begin instead of “Monopoly” or “Trivial Pursuit.”
Third, the game teaches the basic skills of board games. The hardest lesson kid have to learn with this game is to…take turns. Yes, this might be one of the first times in their young lives when kids are confronted with the regiment of structure that will afflict them the rest of their lives. But from board games like “Candy Land” to sports like baseball, structure and rules are a basic consideration. Strategy and tactics come later, but learning to take turns comes first (and I could argue is a basic lesson in civil behavior).
Therefore, I would respectfully submit that “Candy Land” remains the ideal choice for the first board game you play with your children. Just pick a card, move to the appropriate square, and proceed to have a great life.
I’m not sure how long “Candyland” has been on the market, but I played it when I was a kid and I’m pushing 44. My wife and I bought this game for our then-three-year-old son (he’s now four), unsure if it would hold his Nintendo-infatuated attention. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who is playing with him), it does, so much so that his record at one sitting is 17 straight games. Still a classic of its kind, “Candyland” is easy to learn and fun for kids and adults (sheesh, I’m beginning to sound like a commercial here). One minor complaint: the cards aren’t very durable and perhaps need to be made of thicker material to facilitate multiple shuffling and to endure the often rough touch of little hands.