Beany & Cecil Match-It Game (Mattel, 1961)

Another interesting Mattel item that was made for Beany & Cecil.  This is a large and colorful game, and I must confess when I first got it, I thought the goal was to fit pieces in that matched adjacent pieces all the way 'round, and once I read the instructions, I found out that wasn't the case.  (Nevermind that, if it worked the way I thought it did, it would be a pretty impossible kids' game!)

 

Besides the matching element of the game, it also had a board game component, as players advanced on a track of their color for each match they were able to make.  The playing pieces punched out of (and were stored in) the game board itself, which is always precarious for posterity...but somehow, they are all still here.

The instructions are below.  And like I said, it looks like the player only has to match, at least, one side, and more if possible (which moves you farther along the game board to victory).