Hobbies And Interests
Trivial Pursuit
In 1979, Montreal friends Chris Haney and Scott Abbott were playing "Scrabble" when some missing game pieces inspired them to invent a game. It combined a board game with trivia questions selected from a variety of categories. Their attempts to sell "Trivial Pursuit" were disappointing until they secured a deal with the Selchow &Righter company to produce and market the game for the United States. By 1984, 20 million copies of "Trivial Pursuit" had been sold in the U.S. alone.
Scattergories
"Scattergories" from 1988 was a fast-paced word game in which players randomly choose a specific category from a group of cards, such as "things found in a refrigerator." Each player wrote out a list containing answers that fit the category and started with a randomly-selected letter. The answers had to be written out within a three-minute time limit. Points were scored for any answers not matched by other players. The game became so popular that it spawned a short-lived game show in the early 1990s.
Pictionary
The party game "Pictionary" made its debut in 1985. It can be played by as few as three players or as many as 16. "Pictionary" took the basic premise of charades and added a drawing element. In rotating order, one member of each team selected a card with a word printed on it. That team member then tried to draw an image of that word. His teammates had to guess what it was to win that round.
Fireball Island
"Fireball Island" from 1986 featured a three-dimensional board made of molded plastic that simulated a deserted island. A plastic "tiki" idol was placed at the mountaintop in the middle of the board. Players had to move their game pieces around the board to reach the idol and retrieve its giant ruby. If the player triggered the game's volcano, it would spew out fireballs in the form of marbles. Any player touched by a "fireballs" would lose his place on the board.
Electronic Talking Battleship
In 1989, Milton Bradley released an updated version of the classic "Battleship" game. This new edition followed the same format. Players placed their battleships on a square grid demarcated by numbers and letters, and tried to guess where their opponent placed his. The 1989 version added a sound chip that emitted phrases such as, "Battleship hit!" In addition, players could also play solo against the computer.
Girl Talk
"Girl Talk" from 1988 was aimed at young girls. It essentially took the premise behind "Truth or Dare" and put it in a board-game format. Players spun a wheel and followed the instructions on the section selected. The player may have been forced to act out something or divulge a secret. The game had cards that covered career, marriage, children and special moments. The first player to collect cards from all four won the game.