Marvel was smart with its licensing in the early years, and by the time of my childhood, there was a boom in super-hero items and collectibles--everything from school supplies to dishes to clothes (only upstaged by, well, NOW). This was wise, because through simple items, like this card game for example, they solidified their position in the minds of many children, and created some fond memories in the process.
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| Card back of all cards (except Instructions) |
This card game is, for all practical purposes, "Old Maid," except with Doctor Doom substituted for the Old Maid (there's a thought). The oversized cards are approximately 3.5 x 5.25", and there are 40 cards in the set: 19 pairs of Super-Hero cards, one Doctor Doom, and one two-sided Instruction card:
As you could guess, the object is to make matching pairs, and not be left holding the Doctor Doom card. (Like that's a bad thing!)
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| And........Kirby dots! |
The Super-Hero cards are typical stock art for 1978, and also have the normal logos used for their names...and they are great. Take a look:
Really, the only problems in the artwork are: The Thing has no "whites of his eyes," and, two, The Scarlet Witch is, well, purple!
I just searched this up because I was remembering the deck from my childhood. Thank you very much for posting all the images.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange seeing them again now that I have at least a little experience with all the characters. When I was 7 years old, I knew they were from comics but they were these mysterious figures, gods from a pantheon that I didn't know the stories for.
But going just by appearance Silver Surfer was my favorite.
You are so welcome! I really enjoyed your analogy of "gods from a pantheon that I didn't know the stories for". I know that feeling! I still have it occasionally!
ReplyDeleteAbout ten years ago, my youngest came home from day care holding a Mr. Fantastic card from this set. Apparently the daycare (or somebody) had an incomplete set and they were giving them out to each kid! As soon as I saw that, my memory was quickly jogged, and I made it a point to track down a complete copy of the game!