Magnificent Obsessions # 3,299
October 11, 2010 5:33 AM Subscribe
The art of Clue suspect cards through the years, courtesy of The Art of Murder, a comprehensive Clue fan site.
Neat! I sure am glad they stopped sticking human heads on top of game pieces. It did not look great.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 5:48 AM on October 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 5:48 AM on October 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
I loved seeing how Green kept going back and forth being a man of the cloth and how Ms. Scarlet morphed from a bobshell blonde, to a femme fatale brunette (and often asian).
posted by piratebowling at 5:55 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by piratebowling at 5:55 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Needs a Jane Wiedlin card.
posted by mykescipark at 5:59 AM on October 11, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by mykescipark at 5:59 AM on October 11, 2010 [6 favorites]
Our game from the 90s must have been a 'classic' style. I'm pretty sure our player cards had the original heads-on-pieces look.
posted by harriet vane at 6:05 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by harriet vane at 6:05 AM on October 11, 2010
Reverend Green seems to be the name that changes the most - interesting to see when they thought the reverend part might be offensive.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:23 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:23 AM on October 11, 2010
I would love a set from the movie. I didn't see one listed. Surely there was a merchandising opportunity there.
posted by gc at 6:34 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by gc at 6:34 AM on October 11, 2010
It looks like in a few cases a few decades were knocked off Peacock's original age.
posted by pointystick at 6:54 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by pointystick at 6:54 AM on October 11, 2010
Used to have quite the little kid crush on the US 1972 Miss Scarlet ... and I could've sworn I got Clue as a gift around 1980 or so.
posted by grabbingsand at 7:02 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by grabbingsand at 7:02 AM on October 11, 2010
Cluedo.
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 7:04 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 7:04 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
We have the Simpsons 2000 edition and as a general rule fight over who gets to be Smithers dressed as Mrs. White.
A friend gave us the 50th anniversary set as a gift, but we've never played it. There's just a part of me that finds it wrong to play with anything other than the 1972 original cards, as mentioned above.
posted by librarianamy at 7:15 AM on October 11, 2010
A friend gave us the 50th anniversary set as a gift, but we've never played it. There's just a part of me that finds it wrong to play with anything other than the 1972 original cards, as mentioned above.
posted by librarianamy at 7:15 AM on October 11, 2010
Is it my imagination or does that UK Cluedo Junior 1994 set seem to be ripping off Scooby Doo? A licensed tie-in (like the Simpsons or Disney ones) might have been appropriate here but this similar-but-different art just feels kinda skeezy.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
US 1986, apparently. That's wonderfully exhaustive, though it's a shame the images themselves are so small.
Reverend Green seems to be the name that changes the most - interesting to see when they thought the reverend part might be offensive.
I didn't check this thoroughly, but it seemed to follow a general regional pattern: UK had Reverend, US had Mister. Expression of the difference in the perceived socio-religious dynamics of e.g. Church of England vs. Catholicism, I'm guessing.
What I found particularly interesting was the whole new sets used for some foreign language editions. I suspect there was some point in my childhood where, if someone had explained that there's a person whose job it is to come up with puns for the German version of a boardgame I'd played to death, I would have resolved then and there to grow up to be that person.
posted by cortex at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2010
Reverend Green seems to be the name that changes the most - interesting to see when they thought the reverend part might be offensive.
I didn't check this thoroughly, but it seemed to follow a general regional pattern: UK had Reverend, US had Mister. Expression of the difference in the perceived socio-religious dynamics of e.g. Church of England vs. Catholicism, I'm guessing.
What I found particularly interesting was the whole new sets used for some foreign language editions. I suspect there was some point in my childhood where, if someone had explained that there's a person whose job it is to come up with puns for the German version of a boardgame I'd played to death, I would have resolved then and there to grow up to be that person.
posted by cortex at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2010
On review, I missed that there actually was a licensed Scooby Doo game. So it was on the table at some point, anyway.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 7:20 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 7:20 AM on October 11, 2010
I find the Clue board game pretty tedious. The Clue card game shares all the deductive features and plays much faster.
posted by demiurge at 7:48 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by demiurge at 7:48 AM on October 11, 2010
What the heck is a cluedo? Do people in the UK really tell each other to "Get a cluedo?" Hit each other with Cluedo-by-fours?
posted by Eideteker at 7:55 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Eideteker at 7:55 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Wait, D&D clue? It is using the iconics, so it was released since 2000, why did I not know about this? It makes sense since Hasbro owns WoTC, so no rights payments I guess...
posted by Canageek at 8:01 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by Canageek at 8:01 AM on October 11, 2010
@Eideteker: The game was invented in the UK, and originally called "Cluedo" - a play on the game "Ludo". It was renamed "Clue" in the USA since "Ludo" is called "Parcheesi".
posted by salmacis at 8:13 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by salmacis at 8:13 AM on October 11, 2010
Should have called it Cluecheesi I guess. Or Parclue?
Anyway, Super Cluedo Challenge is way better than regular Cluedo (despite the silly-sounding name), and includes extra characters.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:41 AM on October 11, 2010
Anyway, Super Cluedo Challenge is way better than regular Cluedo (despite the silly-sounding name), and includes extra characters.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:41 AM on October 11, 2010
Should have called it Cluecheesi I guess.
Or Clucchese.
"The Gambino soldier - in the night club - with a baseball bat!"
posted by Iridic at 8:47 AM on October 11, 2010
Or Clucchese.
"The Gambino soldier - in the night club - with a baseball bat!"
posted by Iridic at 8:47 AM on October 11, 2010
I was also surprised to see D&D clue listed. It only makes sense, though, as everyone knows Mr. Body was killed by an attack of opportunity.
posted by kaibutsu at 9:01 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by kaibutsu at 9:01 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
I had the US '72 art in my Clue game. I wanted to be Prof. Plum when I grew up...
posted by Mister_A at 9:02 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Mister_A at 9:02 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh man, I love this.
One of the defining memories of my childhood was finding "Clue Master Detective" (with the extra pieces and characters and rooms) at a thrift store. I was a big fan of the Clue books at the time (although about halfway through they switched writers and everyone became jerks), too.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:04 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
One of the defining memories of my childhood was finding "Clue Master Detective" (with the extra pieces and characters and rooms) at a thrift store. I was a big fan of the Clue books at the time (although about halfway through they switched writers and everyone became jerks), too.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:04 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, Lisa as Miss Scarlet and not Prof. Plum? Weird.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:06 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:06 AM on October 11, 2010
Switzerland has "Madame Curry" for yellow. That's great.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:52 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:52 AM on October 11, 2010
Why oh why do you yanks have to change the goddamned name of every goddamned thing? Why can't you just let the goddamned thing have the goddamned name it started with?
posted by Decani at 10:26 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Decani at 10:26 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think Clue is much more evocative. Cluedo sounds like a martial art or something. Ya limey.
posted by Mister_A at 10:29 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by Mister_A at 10:29 AM on October 11, 2010
Oh my god, this is awesome. I loved Clue so much growing up. We had the '86 version, the Master Edition, the Museum Caper, and Travel Clue. And maybe Clue Jr, I think.
I don't know if everyone plays this way, but I always pretend that I'm a real smart-ass detective. I ask questions that I already know the answers to. I ask for clues that I already have in my hand. When I have to show someone a clue, I pretend like I'm trying to decide which one to reveal when I only have one. I take notes on other people's turns. I act all frustrated by what someone shows me and then make the game-winning accusation.
Sometimes on my first turn, I ask for three clues that I have in my hand. Then when no one shows me anything, I simply say, "Interesting," and scribble a lot of notes. And everyone looks at each other like, "Did he just win on the first turn?" It's great fun.
posted by Sibrax at 10:47 AM on October 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
I don't know if everyone plays this way, but I always pretend that I'm a real smart-ass detective. I ask questions that I already know the answers to. I ask for clues that I already have in my hand. When I have to show someone a clue, I pretend like I'm trying to decide which one to reveal when I only have one. I take notes on other people's turns. I act all frustrated by what someone shows me and then make the game-winning accusation.
Sometimes on my first turn, I ask for three clues that I have in my hand. Then when no one shows me anything, I simply say, "Interesting," and scribble a lot of notes. And everyone looks at each other like, "Did he just win on the first turn?" It's great fun.
posted by Sibrax at 10:47 AM on October 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
We had the '72 version. I wanted to be Miss Scarlet!
posted by katillathehun at 10:59 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by katillathehun at 10:59 AM on October 11, 2010
US 1963 (fifth from the top).
I remember seeing one of the sets that uses photographs and I thought it was awful, but no doubt it's all about what you're used to. No idea there were so many variations -- cool post.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 11:01 AM on October 11, 2010
I remember seeing one of the sets that uses photographs and I thought it was awful, but no doubt it's all about what you're used to. No idea there were so many variations -- cool post.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 11:01 AM on October 11, 2010
Sibrax, you play Extreme Clue, just like me! The old "fake question" thing is a great way to misdirect.
posted by Mister_A at 11:52 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by Mister_A at 11:52 AM on October 11, 2010
Mystery of the Abbey is worth mentioning; it's basically Cluedo with a Name of the Rose re-skin and some extra rules. Quite a good game.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 2:58 PM on October 11, 2010
posted by aeschenkarnos at 2:58 PM on October 11, 2010
This is neat -- thanks for posting. (Just recently I was talking to a friend about the game and we were figuring out which versions each of us had. Knowing this site would have come in handy.)
When I bought Clue many years ago, it turned out to be an odd hybrid. The box and the board had the 1972 designs, but the cards used the 1986 designs! It was a little strange to become familiar with the characters on the box cover and then see different faces on the cards while playing. I also remember thinking back then that the newer room designs shown on the cards were an improvement over the rooms on the board.
it's a shame the images themselves are so small.
It's not as extensive or as well-organized, but the Clue gallery at boardgamegeek currently has a few larger images of suspect cards and other game elements (e.g. Brazilian 1972 cards).
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 9:49 PM on October 11, 2010
When I bought Clue many years ago, it turned out to be an odd hybrid. The box and the board had the 1972 designs, but the cards used the 1986 designs! It was a little strange to become familiar with the characters on the box cover and then see different faces on the cards while playing. I also remember thinking back then that the newer room designs shown on the cards were an improvement over the rooms on the board.
it's a shame the images themselves are so small.
It's not as extensive or as well-organized, but the Clue gallery at boardgamegeek currently has a few larger images of suspect cards and other game elements (e.g. Brazilian 1972 cards).
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 9:49 PM on October 11, 2010
I'm pretty sure the Cluedo set I grew up with is not on that list. (New Zealand, in the 1980s). I'll have to check next time I visit my family.
posted by lollusc at 1:01 AM on October 12, 2010
posted by lollusc at 1:01 AM on October 12, 2010
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posted by vacapinta at 5:48 AM on October 11, 2010 [11 favorites]