This multi-faceted colorful bilingual game was issued without charge to schools and citizens who requested a copy from the Commissioner of Official Languages of the Canadian Federal Government's Language Development Program. Three copies were added to the Museum's collection in 1979, 1980, and 1985 respectively.
This game appears to be a modified later version of an earlier game - From Coast To Coast, but an earlier version of The Great Game Of Canada. You can see these games by clicking on the titles and then using your "back button" to return to this page.
All of the components of the game fit into the cardboard game board, which when closed is a large envelope that is 35.7cm long x 31cm wide. Note the "flaps" on both sides of the open game board in the photograph. The game was created by Madeline Knonby and illustrated by Geo Boka, copyrighted 1974(?).
The game board when open is 35.7cm long x 62.3cm wide and about 1cm thick, and is a stylized map of Canada. Each province and territory (of the time) is in a different color and major cities are indicated on the map appropriately. In addition there are colorful scenes depicting various activities across Canada. Some places are indicated with their names in English and others indicated with their names in French. Different types of lines between cities illustrate modes of transportation between cities. For example, the dotted black line at the bottom between Winnipeg and Regina indicates a railroad, while the double red lines from Winnipeg going east indicates a highway; the yellow line from Churchill going northwest indicates an air-route and the white and black line going northeast indicates a water-route! The "legend" at the lower-left side of the board (in the top photograph) indicates these transportation modes as well as moves of players during the game.
The spinner on the board indicates the transportation modes a player must use while attempting to travel across Canada. The 32 page included bi-lingual book contains instructions for playing the game and other bi-lingual information. The game is for four players (illustrated in circles on the front of the book), each of whom is represented during play by a 1.5cm diameter plastic disc of white, green, red, or yellow.
A 33 1/3 RPM phonograph recording (17.8cm diameter) is included in the package and features 2 songs in both English and French.
There is also a glossary of phrases in both languages (in the top photograph below the recording) which includes phrases such as: "It's snowing", "I am a girl", "eight", etc.
Last update March 23, 2010