Mouse Trap Game Online Free
Play Trap the Mouse at Math Playground! The mouse wants to escape. Can you trap him? Play Games Advertisement Go Ad-Free. Trap the Mouse is a quick game of logical thinking and spatial reasoning. The mouse wants to escape. Can you trap him? Trap the Mouse - Learning Connections.
| Publisher(s) | Hasbro |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 1963; 57 years ago |
| Years active | 1963 to present |
| Players | 2–4 |
| Setup time | 5–15 minutes |
| Playing time | 30 minutes |
| Random chance | High (dice rolling game) |
| Skill(s) required | Finger dexterity |
Mouse Trap (originally Mouse Trap Game) is a board game first published by Ideal in 1963 for two to four players. The game was one of the first mass-produced, three-dimensional board games.[1] Over the course of the game, players at first cooperate to build a working Rube Goldberg–like mouse trap. Once the mouse trap has been built, players turn against each other, attempting to trap opponents' mouse-shaped game pieces.
Gameplay[edit]
Original version[edit]
The basic premise of Mouse Trap has been consistent over time, but the turn-based gameplay has changed. Its concept was first invented by Marvin Glass and his company, Marvin Glass and Associates, who were later granted a US patent in 1967.[2] The original published version of the game in 1963 was then designed by Hank Kramer of Ideal Toy Company, filling in the details Glass had left open, and allows the players almost no decision-making, in keeping with other games for very young children such as Candyland or Chutes and Ladders (Snakes and Ladders). Players take turns rolling a die to advance their mouse piece along a path around the game board, from the start space to a continuous loop at the end. The Rube Goldberg-like mouse trap is assembled in the center of the board, with players adding one or more of its pieces when they land on specified 'build' spaces. The trap is always assembled in a specified order, and is attached to the board by inserting tabs into holes and locking them into place.[3]
Along the ending loop are addition 'build' spaces (in case the trap is still not completed), a 'cheese' space positioned directly underneath the trap's cage, and a 'turn crank' space. If a player lands on the 'turn crank' space when an opponent is on the 'cheese' space, the crank can be turned on the machine to launch it and trap that opponent. The winner is then the last one remaining after all the other players are captured.[3]
Mobile Soccer League is a 3D soccer game where you can choose from tons of clubs from the English Premier League, the Italian Calcio, and the Spanish league. You can play quick friendly matches, or start a league with any one of these teams. The controls in Mobile Soccer League are traditional for the genre. Realistic 3D and 2D Mobile Soccer Game Joystick and automatic controls Cups - World Cup - Europa Cup - Copa America Leagues - Major League - Spanish League - England League - Italy League - French League - Turkish League - Brazilian League Have fun. Mobile soccer league game. Play Mobile Soccer League on PC and Mac with the free BlueStacks player to enjoy crisp graphics, fun animations, and action-packed sports action anytime you want. Mobile Soccer League was made with the hardcore soccer fan in mind.
Revised versions[edit]
In 1975, the board game surrounding the Mouse Trap was redesigned by Sid Sackson, adding the cheese pieces and allowing the player to maneuver opponents onto the trap space.[4]:36 Players collect cheese-shaped tokens during the game, and if the trap space is vacant when they land on the 'turn crank' space, the tokens can be redeemed for a die roll to move an opponent.[3]
A modified version was released in the United Kingdom in 2004, featuring three mousetraps (with a specialized trigger working at random) and a completely different board and plastic components.[4]:38 Among the changed trap components in this version is the inclusion of a model toilet instead of a model bathtub.[5]
A version of the game featuring characters from the Elefun and Friends universe was introduced in 2014.[6][7] Among the changes in this version, the trap is built before the start of the game, a spin wheel is used instead of dice, and the cheese pieces and their relevant rules are not included.[8]
Also in the 2010s, Hasbro introduced Classic Mousetrap with several major changes from the previous versions. The object in this game is to collect six cheese pieces. Instead of being eliminated from the game when caught by the trap, a player only forfeits a cheese piece to the opponent. The trap machine was also modified; most notably the crank gears were eliminated, and instead the trap is launched by directly pulling the lever with the plastic stop sign.[9]
Licensing controversy[edit]
The game designer Marvin Glass (and his company, Marvin Glass and Associates) refused to pay licensing fees or royalties to Rube Goldberg, though acknowledging inspiration from Goldberg as well as the clear similarities between the game and a Goldberg drawing. Glass went on to develop two less well-known games based on Goldberg designs, Crazy Clock Game (1964) and Fish Bait (1965), neither of which credited Goldberg's influence. Elderly and near retirement, Goldberg declined to take legal action against Glass because inspiration and ideas are not intellectual property that can be protected with a copyright, trademark, or patent, and instead chose to sell licensing rights for his drawings to another toy company, Model Products, to help secure the rights to specific intellectual property that he owned and for which he might receive royalties.[10]
Television[edit]
Mouse Trap was adapted into a game show which was featured on the British children's television show Motormouth.[11][12] A life-size board game was created and the child contestants took the place of the mice.
Similar games[edit]
| Manufacturer(s) | Ideal Toy Company |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Ideal Toy Company |
| Publication date | 1964; 56 years ago |
| Genre(s) | Roll-and-move |
| Language(s) | English |
| Players | 2-4 |
| Setup time | 15 min[citation needed] |
| Playing time | 30 min |
| Synonym(s) | Crazy Clock |
Similar games by Ideal include the Crazy Clock Game (Crazy Clock) and Fish Bait Game, published by Ideal Toy Company in 1964. They were released a year after sister game Mouse Trap.[13][14]
In Crazy Clock Game, players also race to build a Rube Goldberg machine. The game comes with a pack of cards, each illustrating how one piece of the machine fits in. The deck is dealt out to the players. The player starts with the first card, card 1; players then play as many cards (install as many machine components) as they can, then pass to the next player. After fully assembling, they take turns trying to operate the machine, starting with the player who installed the last component; the winner is the one who first succeeds.[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Coopee, Todd. 'Mouse Trap'. ToyTales.ca.
- ^US patent 3298692, Glass, Marvin & Barlow, Gordon, 'Game with action producing components', issued 1967-01-17, assigned to Marvin Glass and Associates
- ^ abc'Mouse Trap (1963)'. BoardGameGeek.
- ^ abHinebaugh, Jeffrey (2009). A Board Game Education. R&L Education. p. 221. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ^'Mouse Trap (2004)'. BoardGameGeek.
- ^'Elefun and Friends Mouse Trap Games for ages 4 YEARS & UP Hasbro'. web.archive.org. November 1, 2014.
- ^'New Mouse Trap Elefun & Friends Game Review'. March 2, 2014.
- ^'Elefun & Friends Mouse Trap'. BoardGameGeek.
- ^'Mouse Trap instuctions'(PDF). Hasbro.com.
- ^Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them from Google Books
- ^'BBC Two - I Love the 1970s'. BBC.
- ^'Mousetrap - UKGameshows'. www.ukgameshows.com.
- ^'Crazy Clock Game by Ideal - Sam's Toybox'. www.samstoybox.com. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ^Knetzger, Bob (2016-03-22). Make Fun!: Create Your Own Toys, Games, and Amusements. Maker Media, Inc. ISBN9781457194085.
- ^'Crazy Clock Game'. BoardGameGeek.
External links[edit]
- Mouse Trap product page at Hasbro Games
- Mouse Trap at BoardGameGeek