COLLECTOR’S CORNER:

The Wonderful Game of Oz

by W. Neal Thompson

Originally published in The Baum Bugle, vol. 62, no. 1 (Spring 2018); revised and updated March 2022

Citations

Chicago 17th ed.:

Thompson, Bill. “Collector’s Corner: The Wonderful Game of Oz.” Baum Bugle 62, no. 1 (2018): 23–28.

MLA 9th ed.:

Thompson, Bill. “Collector’s Corner: The Wonderful Game of Oz.” The Baum Bugle, vol. 62, no. 1, 2018, pp. 22–24.

“The Wonderful Game of Oz” box label.

Have you finally reached that pinnacle in your Ozzy pursuits where it is simply impossible to find a single book or knick-knack to fill a gap in your collection? Well—neither have I. If you have not already done so, perhaps it is time to branch out, anyway, and add a game or two to your collection.

When Parker Brothers of Salem, Massachusetts, first published The Wonderful Game of Oz in 1922, every Oz book from George M. Hill, Reilly & Britton, and Reilly & Lee claimed L. Frank Baum as author. It should not come as a surprise, therefore, that the game board, copyrighted in 1921, is sprinkled with illustrations redrawn from the first thirteen of these books. Although no credit is given to the publishers, W. W. Denslow, or John R. Neill, there is no doubt that the design and images were used with permission because the Oz books were at the height of their popularity, and this new game was free publicity.

“The Wonderful Game of Oz” game board.

The Wonderful Game of Oz is similar to many other board games, such as Candy Land, Uncle Wiggly, and The Game of Life, where the object is to get from the start point to the finish by counting spaces on a winding path, all the while dealing with setbacks and shortcuts, requiring an exact count at the end to achieve the goal. These other games work with cards or a spinner to determine how far each playing piece will advance during each player’s turn.

To play The Wonderful Game of Oz, each player chooses a piece representing either Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, or the Cowardly Lion, which may advance along the path after a throw of the six WIZARD cubes. These cubes resemble dice but with the letters W-I-Z-A-R-D on their six faces.

One of the fun aspects of collecting The Wonderful Game of Oz is the number of variants of the game that Parker Brothers issued between 1922 and 1939 and the difficulty in finding complete examples of any of those variants. The game was issued in four identifiable formats, and collectors and dealers alike have been cobbling together playable sets ever since it went “out of print.”

Let’s talk about when the variants of The Wonderful Game of Oz were issued and the components that make up each game set. To begin with, even though the game board bears a 1921 copyright, the book of rules was not copyrighted until 1922, which makes it very unlikely that that game was manufactured and sold before that year.

Figure 1. A 1922 advertisement for Parker Brothers’ new game.

The earliest known Parker Brothers advertisement that mentions the game is from 1922, and it gives a very good picture of the game and its parts (see Fig. 1). In the 1925 Parker Brothers catalog the price was $2.00, but it went up to $2.25 the following year, where it remained until 1932, when dwindling sales reduced the price back to $2.00. The price was reduced again to $1.50 in the 1933-1934 catalog. In the 1934-1935 catalog a new “Popular Edition” of the game, priced at just $1.00, was issued piecemeal for the first time with only a small box for the playing pieces. This catalog and the next one contained the final listings for the original configuration of the game. The Popular Edition was replaced in the 1939-1940 catalog by the final Parker Brothers variant, also priced at $1.00, a return to the full-size box with everything inside to capitalize on the release of the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz, That same year, a Canadian edition was issued by the Copp Clark Company, Limited, of Toronto, Ontario, which is identical to the 1939 Parker Brothers game, except for copyright notices on the box, board, and booklet of rules.

For every variant of the game, there are six components (listed here using the terminology from Parker’s “Rules for Playing”):

1. The Box
2. The Game Board
3. The “Rules for Playing” Booklet
4. Four Playing Pieces
5. Six WIZARD Cubes
6. The Shaking-Cup

After learning about the various components, you’ll also want to know how and where to find a set.

The Box

There are four main variants of the box that Parker Brothers provided with each game set, plus one for the Copp Clark edition. The first and last Parker Brothers editions were packaged in full-size boxes that contained the entire game set. However, starting in 1934, a customer who purchased The Wonderful Game of Oz might have gone home with a shopping bag containing three items: a game board, a small box, and a booklet of rules – the Popular Edition of the game. The Parker Brothers catalog stopped listing the set with full-size box by in 1936. The only thing unusual about this piecemeal distribution process is that the box was too small to hold the booklet. From the early 1910s through the 1930s, Parker Brothers issued many of their popular games, such as Pollyanna, Monopoly, Tell It To The Judge, and Camelot, in piecemeal fashion, with the board separate from a smaller accessory box.

• BOX A (1922 – circa 1936): The full-size two-part box measures 19 3/8 inches by 10 15/16 inches by 2 1/4 inches deep. The flaps on the top section are only 1 inch wide, so they extend only partway down the sides of the bottom section. Each half of the box is covered in textured paper, which has been seen in three colors: medium blue, very dark blue, and black. The top surface is covered by a full-color pictorial label (inside back cover). This label, meant to be viewed from one end of the box, reproduces a painting by an unknown artist that depicts Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion together on the bank of a small pond or stream with a large castle on a hill in the distance. The title “THE | WONDERFUL | GAME of | OZ” appears at the top of the label, and the copyright information appears at the bottom left: “COPYRIGHT 1921 BY | PARKER BROTHERS INC. | SALEM, MASS., NEW YORK, LONDON | Registered U. S. Patent Office.” In the bottom right corner, there is an image of a three-masted sailing vessel and the words “MADE IN SALEM, MASS., U. S. A .”
  
  

  Figure 2. Full-size game box (A and D) interiors.

  Internally, there are two equal-sized plain pasteboard platforms that support the game board (see Fig. 2—left). The central gap between these platforms accommodates the shaker and another two-part box (color-matched with the outer box) for the playing pieces and Wizard cubes that measures 3 3/4 inches by 2 5/8 inches by 2 inches deep; the top section has 3/4-inch flaps.
  Note: Some game sets have been seen with mismatched colors between the top and bottom section of the outer box or with mismatched inner and outer boxes. These mismatched color pairings may have been achieved accidentally at the factory if the production line handled more than one color scheme at a time, but it just as likely that the pairings are the result of putting “good” pieces together from partial games later on.

• 

  Figure 3. The small game boxes (B and C) and relevant utensils.

  BOX B (circa early 1934 – 1938): The small two-part box, for the accessories only, measures 4 7/8 inches by 3 5/8 inches by 1 11/16 inches deep. The box is covered in medium red paper printed in light gray with the image and most of the lettering from the rule booklet (Fig. 3–left). Internally, a 7/8-inch plain pasteboard platform raises the playing pieces and Wizard cubes, leaving a hollow for the shaker at one end (Fig. 3—center).

• BOX C (circa mid-to-late 1930s): Exactly like Box B, except that the color of the box has been seen in both a brighter red and a darker red than before, and it is printed in black (Fig. 3—right).
• BOX D (circa 1939 – 1942): The full-size two-part box measures 19 5/8 inches by 10 3/8 inches by 2 inches deep. The flaps on the top section extend all the way to the bottom of the box. The top half of the box is covered in textured paper, which has been seen in a range of shades from slate blue to a slightly purplish blue. The bottom half is covered in plain white paper. Internally, there a single pasteboard platform tinted a light purplish blue that supports the game board. This is supplemented by a 1 5/8-inch pasteboard trough for the shaker and other accessories (Fig. 2—right).
• 

  Figure 4a. Copp Clark imprint on box.

  COPP CLARK BOX (1939): Exactly like Box D but with the Copp Clark imprint on the label (Fig. 4a); it reads “MANUFACTURED IN CANADA BY | The COPP CLARK CO., Limited, Toronto | PRINTED IN U. S. A.”

The Game Board

The playing surface is adapted from the map of the Land of Oz by Professor H. M. Woggle-Bug, T. E. that was included as a folded insert with each of the most recent Reilly & Lee Oz books. The Emerald City section is a rich green with a gleaming cut stone at its center. One first notices the inset picture of Dorothy and Toto on the right, and that’s where we find a red arrow labeled “START HERE” that points to space #1 of the winding path that leads to the Emerald City. The playing surface did not change over the years that Parker Brothers produced the game, but changes were seen in its construction and presentation.

• BOARD A (1922 – circa 1936): Backed in medium blue textured paper with a black cloth hinge, the board folds game-side out and measures 18 7/8 inches by 9 1/2 inches when folded and 18 7/8 inches by about 19 inches when open.
• 

  Figure 5. Game boards (B and C) with labels.

  BOARD B (circa 1934): Similar to Board A, but backed in red textured paper, and it now folds game-side in. The same label that graced the original box cover has been applied to one side of the folded outer covering, but it has been die-cut around the towers and other background elements of the image. The lettering that occupied that space on the label has been reproduced and printed in gray on the red board cover itself (Fig. 5—left). The gray in the lettering matches the printing on the small accessory box paired with it.

• BOARD C (circa late 1930s): The same as Board B, except that it uses the complete label, thus simplifying the board’s manufacture (Fig. 5—right). One known variant of the paper backing is a darker, more deeply textured red, almost maroon.
• BOARD D (circa 1939): Similar to Board A but a little longer and narrower, it measures 19 inches by 9 3/8 inches when folded and 19 inches by 18 3/4 inches when open, and it is folded game-side out. This board has been seen backed in dark red, dark green, and light blue, all of them lacking the reinforced black cloth hinge. They fit well in Box D, but they are too long for Box A.
• 

  Figure 4b. Copp Clark imprint on game board.

  COPP CLARK BOARD (1939): Similar to Board A but backed in black textured paper with a red or black cloth hinge. It is about the same size as Board A, but variations have been seen with examples that measure about 1/16 inch more or 1/16 inch less in width when folded. The Parker Brothers copyright information has been replaced by the same Copp Clark information seen on the box top label. Examples have been seen with the board folded game-side in, but it is unclear whether this was the manufacturer’s intent.

The “Rules for Playing” Booklet

The rule booklet was issued in two formats: with and without a color cover. A 1922 Parker Brothers advertisement shows the black and white rule book without the color cover, but that does not rule out the possibility that the color cover was introduced later during the years in which that first edition of the game set was being manufactured. The color cover version of the rule book has been seen with many examples of the game having Box B and Board B. While it is true that both Booklet A and Booklet B have been seen with examples of every other Parker Brothers issue of the game, too, the predominance has been Booklet A with the other editions of the game and Booklet B with the first small-box edition. If we believe the 1922 advertisement that shows Booklet A, we must surmise that Booklet B came later. How much later? That’s anyone’s guess, and it may have been introduced before production of the second edition was issued.

• 

  Figure 6. “Rules for Playing” booklets.

  BOOKLET A (1922 – circa 1936 and circa 1939 – circa 1942): Eight-page wire-stitched black and white booklet measuring 5 inches by 4 1/16 inches. Printed on plain paper, the lettering on the front reads “Rules for Playing | The | Wonderful Game of | OZ” beneath which is a boxed, captioned depiction of the Cowardly Lion copied from the Munchkin Country section of the game board. At the bottom it reads: “COPYRIGHTED 1922 BY | PARKER BROTHERS INC. | SALEM, MASS., NEW YORK, LONDON” (Fig. 6—top).

• BOOKLET B (possibly late 1920s – early 1930s): Similar to Booklet A, but a color cover printed on stiffer coated stock has been added, making it a twelve-page booklet including the cover (Fig. 6—bottom). The booklet has been cut larger, increasing the outer margins somewhat. It now measures 5 3/8 inches by 4 1/8 inches. The original front cover has become the title page of this booklet. The new front cover takes the original design and enhances it with a 1/16-inch blue border; inside is a red double-ruled box with curlicues in the corners. The main panel now has a pink background, and the central lion’s image is now colored the same as on the game board. The words “GREAT | FUN | FOR | OLD | AND | YOUNG” have been added in blue around the boxed image of the lion. The back cover has a similar outline as the front but with more curlicues in the center top and bottom. An inset image of Dorothy and Toto is a copy from the starting point of the game board.
• 

  Figure 4c. Copp Clark imprint on rules booklet.

  COPP CLARK BOOKLET (1939): The same as Booklet A, except that the Parker Brothers copyright information has been replaced with “COPYRIGHT 1939 | THE COPP CLARK CO., LIMITED | TORONTO, CANADA” (Fig. 4).

The Four Playing Pieces

Each game set includes four playing pieces described in the rule booklet as representations of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion.

• 

  Figure 7. Game utensils: shaking-cups, playing pieces, and WIZARD cubes.

  FIGURINE SET A (1922 – early 1930s): Four 1 1/2-inch figures of the Fab Four cast in pewter (Fig. 7—let). Many examples of these figurines have been seen with vestiges (or more) of a silvery coating, but it is probably not true “plating” since, on most of them, it has rubbed off except in the recesses. Most of these figurines are seen with only a dark patina, even in the crannies, which implies that the coatings were applied to the figures for only a limited time during the game’s production.

• FIGURINE SET B (mid-to-late 1930s): Four turned counters colored red, blue, green, and yellow respectively (the colors of four of the five sections on the map of Oz), each measuring 1 5/8 inches tall and 5/8 inch in diameter at the base (Fig. 7—right).

Sometime in the late 1950s, an enterprising fan created a new set of molds from the original pewter figurines and cast an unknown number of replacement playing pieces (Fig. 7—center). These are recognizable by their lighter coloration and more predominant seam lines, most easily seen on the bottom of each figure. Justin Schiller offered a similar (but apparently better-made) set of the four figurines cast in solid bronze for $5.00 per set in the Christmas 1959 issue of The Baum Bugle. A set of these can be seen at the Bird Library Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries, where it has been paired with a circa 1939 edition of The Wonderful Game of Oz. These bronze figurines have been seen, often mixed in with others, in several collections.

The Six WIZARD Cubes

Each game set includes six 1/2-inch wooden cubes with the unserifed letters W-I-Z-A-R-D occupying the six faces of each (Fig. 7—foreground). The design of these cubes did not vary during the two decades of the game’s production.

The Shaking-Cup

• SHAKER A (1922 – circa 1936): Made from a light-colored wood and shellacked on the outer rounded surface only. It is decorated with three narrow grooves, stained brown, that encircle the cup near the top, middle, and bottom. The cup measures 3 1/4 inches tall and 1 1/2 inches in diameter, but it is very gently tapered so that it has a slightly narrower girth in the middle (Fig. 7—back left). The inner lip of the opening is steeply beveled.
• SHAKER B (circa 1934 – 1938): This variant is the same overall size as Shaker A, but in a slightly simplified form with straight sides (no taper). Pairs of grooves are turned more deeply into the wood than with Shaker A (Fig. 7—back center). It is painted light green (several shades have been seen), and the bevel at the opening is shallower.
• SHAKER C (circa late 1930s): A variant of Shaker B, often seen with the final Parker Brothers game set, is painted black with red crackles (Fig. 7—back right). The variant shown has small (1/16-inch to 1/8-inch) islands of black between narrow-lined crackles. Other variants have much larger areas of black and thicker-lined crackles.

Game Set Match-Up

You have assembled a playable game set of The Wonderful Game of Oz, but now you want to aim higher and make sure you have all the components that belong together. Here is a quick summary of the game sets as they were issued over time (subject to some debate on a few points) or, at least, close enough to avert most challenges:

Got Game? Where to Find It

Incomplete examples of the Parker Brothers variants of The Wonderful Game of Oz come up on eBay or Etsy from time to time, but it is rare to find either of the large boxes in good condition or with the platform(s) intact. The small-box variants are more commonly seen, but they usually lack the inner platform. Playing pieces from other games often stand in for the lost originals, so attention should be paid to their shape. The larger-cut version of the rule booklet is often seen without its color cover; the paper on which it is printed is stiffer than the booklet’s inner pages, so it can crack around the staple and fall off. Components of the Copp Clark edition are very difficult to acquire, but Google finds a couple of very nice examples in a blog and at a site that specializes in auction results called WorthPoint.com. One can sometimes find the game at online markets like ABEbooks.com and WonderfulBooksOfOz.com and at auction houses such as Pacific Book Auction Galleries of San Francisco, California, and Swann Auction Galleries of New York, New York.

A vary accurate modern replica of the game has been seen recently on eBay. It is about one-half size in every dimension: the game box resembles Box D, but its sides are a green that looks more like blue in the pictures. Watch out for this one on eBay because the pictures and description give no indication of the difference in size. The lettering on the WIZARD cubes is serifed, so that is a giveaway.

The easiest and most economical way to assemble a game set of The Wonderful Game of Oz is to collect the component parts in piecemeal fashion. When a family throws out games or gives them to the local thrift store, it is not uncommon for a family member to save those interesting pewter figures or dice and throw them into a drawer. The most fragile part of each set is the box, which creates another situation where the remaining parts end up in that drawer. Instructions get lost or fall apart, the dog chews on the wooden parts, the hinge fails on the board, and the pieces scatter. Yet the cover graphic and the game board are so pretty and the pieces so unusual that collectors have been assembling game sets from cast-off parts for a very long time. Don’t be surprised if, one day, you suddenly go from possessing a bunch of mismatched components to owning a couple of complete games sets. It’s a bit like drawing to an inside straight, but it happens!

Good luck and happy hunting!

W. Neal Thompson is a software engineer in Rochester, New York, and the auctioneer for the International Wizard of Oz Club.

He would like to thank Jane Albright, Judy Bieber, Paul Bienvenue, Sarah K. Crotzer, Freddy Fogarty, John Fricke, Atticus Gannaway, Peter Hanff, David Kempel, Barbara S. Koelle, and David Maxine for their contributions of facts, measurements, and memories, without which this article would be much less useful.