Candy Land (or Candyland) was originally designed by Eleanor Abbott who was stuck in hospital as she recovered from polio. The children on the same ward were used as game testers – they suggested that Eleanor contact Milton Bradley and pitch them the game. She was successful and the game was released in 1949.
Candy Land is a board game that I grew up seeing referenced in numerous American books and television shows, and yet I have never actually played it. The game can now be found in certain Australian stores, in addition to various countries around the world.
In 1984 Hasbro purchased Milton Bradley and took on their line of products which included Candy Land. The board game was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2005. Even to this day, up to one million Candy Land games are sold each year.
Over the 70 years since its launch, there have been over 20 different editions of Candy Land with the characters differing between them. Which Candy Land character is your favourite?
Like Monopoly there are other licensed versions of Candy Land including Winnie the Pooh, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Katy Perry’s music video for “California Girls” was heavily inspired by Candy Land. In 2020, there was even a Food Network cooking competition based on the game.
Are these tattoos inspiring you to treat yourself to a sweet Candy Land themed tattoo?
The Tattooed Archivist 