This popular situation comedy was telecast from 1957 through 1963. The continuing story was about a 7 year old boy "Theodore (Beaver) Cleaver" and his 12 year old brother "Wally Cleaver". The rest of the cast were the people in their day-to-day experiences, their parents, their friends, their school teachers, etc.
Beaver is pictured on the game box above.
The principles in the cast were:
Beaver - Jerry Mathers
Wally - Tony Dow
June Cleaver (mother) - Barbara Billingsley
Ward Cleaver (father) - Hugh Beaumont
The game based on the telecast was produced by Hassenfeld Brothers, Inc., Rhode Island, U.S. in 1959. It was donated to the Museum in 1991. Hassenfeld Brothers became the Hasbro Corporation, and produced a series of "Beaver" games in 1959.
The game box (42cm x 22cm x 3cm) photographed above includes a game board, a spinner, player markers, and play money. The cardboard game board (photo on the right) is 41cm x 41cm x 2cm. It folds in half to fit in the box. The game appears to be a typical "track" game. A chance device - in this instance is a "spinner" - it is used to move players from "start" (lower left of the board) to "home".
The 20cm metal spinner on a cardboard backing has the numbers 1 through 6. "Profit and Loss" cards (8cm x 5.25cm) are placed in the area on the board designated as "Playing Cards". The game is for 2-4 players and there are a red, green, blue, and orange markers - one for each player. There is also a "stack" of play money.
A player spins, and moves their marker the number of spaces on the "track" indicated by the spinner. Typical of Beaver's activities on the telecast, a player may stop at one of the spaces with instructions about the activity and then draws a card which indicates if the player "made money" or "lost money" on the activity. The winner is the one who first reaches "home" with the most money.
Last update May 29, 2010