
Friends came over for a game night and we played the 1957 version of Go to the Head of the Class.
I discovered the game when cleaning out the basement where many of my husband’s childhood toys are buried. The game, still in its original packaging, was covered with dust, dirt and some mold. While cleaning it up, I had to take two allergy pills to stop sneezing.
The game is straightforward. The playing board features images of 99 desks divided equally from kindergarten to 8th grade. The teacher has the quiz book with 792 questions and answers. There are three quiz levels: junior, intermediate and senior. . A correct answer allows the pupil to move up 6 spaces or desks. A wrong answer and the pupil goes back 2 desks.
The game includes tokens with the names and images of mommy, daddy, brother, sis and a few friends. In keeping with the social milieu of 1957, all are white and all resemble the Cleavers from the Leave it to Beaver sitcom.
I divided my ten guests into teams of two. I figured the game would go quickly and had Pictionary on stand-by.
I started the game with senior level questions. But questions like “What is another name for the basswood tree?” (Linden) and in the Fairy Tales category “Who ended up a weathervane on a steeple for refusing to help the stream, the fire and the wind? “ (The Half-Chick) proved too difficult . After an hour of play, most teams were still stuck in kindergarten.
It was time to switch to easier questions but the Junior level proved equally challenging. The categories of, Its Rhyming Time, Who’s Who in the Funny Papers and Silly Riddles (What tree is a well-liked girl? Peach ) all stumped the players.
Another hour into the game and no teams had gotten past fourth grade. So in accord with modern educational principles, I reduced the academic standards. Instead of moving forward 6 for a winning answer, pupils advanced 10 spaces. Penalties for wrong answers were eliminated.
More time passed and advancement on the board was still painfully slow. Clearly, academic standards needed to be tweaked again. This time winning answers gained 20 spaces I skipped questions requiring knowledge of current events in 1957 like “Golden Hawk is my model name, so what make of car am I?” The answer is Studebaker which closed automotive production in 1969.
Finally, the team represented by “mommy” won. Winning a board game was nice for mommy because in 1957 she faced difficult challenges. She couldn’t get a credit card unless her husband cosigned the application.. The birth control pill was only approved for “severe menstrual distress.” Many colleges did not accept female students. About the only place mommy could go to the head of the class was the board game.
There was no interest in playing another round. I returned mommy, daddy, sis, brother and friends to the game box. Forever trapped in the 1950’s, mommy will have to be satisfied with limited life options. Maybe daddy will buy her a Golden Hawk.
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