Video Village

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This early audience participation quiz show was telecast during 1960. The edition of the game pictured on the left was donated to the Museum in 1991. It was licensed by Milton Bradley Company, and produced in Canada by Somerville Industries.

The television show was a "living board game". The set was designed like a giant board game, and the contestants were the playing pieces. The night time version was replaced with a daytime version in 1961-62, and also with a Saturday morning children's version.

The box in which the actual board game pieces were housed is 46.5cm x 34cm x 5cm. The red and white cardboard game board is approximately the same size as the box. However, the playing pieces for insertion into slots in the game board were made of plastic of various colors. An oversized "bird cage" holds a pair of large dice, used for player chance movement around the board. There is an orange plastic three step bridge (6cm x 2cm) that is inserted into the board. There are two playing card holders - Black Card (2cm x 3cm) and Red Card (4cm 5cm) which offer players movement instructions, penalties, and prize choices. There are cutouts of a man and a woman which represent the players on the game board. There is a stack of paper money of various dominations used as prizes.

How The Game Is Played

The boxed game is played in much the same manner as the telecast. Here are the detailed instructions as to how both the boxed game and the telecast were played.

"A fun-filled, suspenseful game, played in a fabulous television town by two or more players. The game is quite simple (anyone can play . . . men, women, even children). It is played by two contestants who, ruled by luck (the roll of a die in a bird cage and the fortunes of the board), try to walk their way through the streets of VIDEO VILLAGE as quickly as they can, winning as many prizes and cash as possible. First contestant through plays the next opponent."

SETTING UP THE GAME:

1. Take the game board out of the box, and remove the die-cut part from the store windows.
2. Raise the Bird Cage up into the upper slots in its stand with the red caps at the top and bottom. To operate: Using the handle, turn the cage upside down so that the Die in it tumbles into the lower half of it, landing on the red cap. Use the number uppermost on the Die for moving the playing pieces.
3. Carefully break apart all of the cards. Turn all of them TITLE SIDE (the red printing) UP on a flat surface and mix them. There is an assortment of each kind so that no two games will be alike.
4. Without looking at the reverse side, place the cards WITH ONLY THE RED TITLES SHOWING as follows:

• Put 5 BUS STOP cards in the "Bus Stop" rack.
• Put 5 DO IT YOURSELF cards in the "Do It Yourself' rack.
• Put 5 TAKE A CHANCE cards in each of the two "Take a Chance" racks (on Money and Bridge Streets).
• Place 1 TOWN COUNCIL card, title side up, on the "Town Council" space on Bridge Street.
• Put 5 AUCTION BLOCK cards in the "Auction Block" rack on Bridge Street.
• Place 1 FINDERS KEEPERS card, title side up, on the "Finders Keepers" space on Bridge Street.
• The 5 stores along the Magic Mile each have ONE Key Card. Slide the card down in back of each store so that the red title shows through the window and the Key shows above the roof. The CAMERA CARD in the Camera Shop, the BANK CARD in the Bank, etc.

1. At the start of the game, the Banker has all the money.
2. The extra cards are set aside to be used in the following games.

This game is played as "Video Village" is played on television.

DIRECTIONS:

1. The game is played by two contestants at a time. Other players take part, one acts as Mayor, who is Master of Ceremonies and referees the game; and another as Banker, who holds the money and pays the contestants. There can be a partner for each contestant, who will turn the bird cage for him. Any other may join the group as the audience who vote on different decisions that must be made as the game is played. NOTE: When there are only two players refer to "Special Rules for Two Players."
2. Players take turns playing. The one who rolls the higher number on the Die in the Bird Cage plays first.
3. Each spot on the Die counts as one space.
4. Players move from START, counting the $5 space as the first space.
5. Something happens on every space on which a player lands.
6. Banker pays the amount shown in these spaces when a player lands in one of them.

• FREE TURN: Turn bird cage again. Player moves ahead that many more spaces in that turn.
• BUS STOP: Player takes one of the 5 cards from the rack and does what is printed on its reverse side.
• SAFETY ZONE: Player cannot be "Tagged" otherwise penalized while he is in this place.
• JEWELRY STORE: First player here takes KEY CARD from window. Following player gets nothing.
• LOSE 1 PRIZE OR BACK TO BENCH: Player must choose between putting one of his KEY CARDS back in its window, or keeping it and going BACK TO THE BENCH, at the beginning of the Magic Mile. If a player does not have a KEY CARD, he must go back. He has no choice.
• OUTDOOR SHOP: First player here takes KEY CARD from window. Following player gets nothing. Player landing here must roll bird cage again. If 1, 2, or 3 comes up he then moves that number spaces. If 4, 5, or 6 comes up he stays there until he rolls 1, 2, or 3 in a following turn. Remember: "1, 2, 3, Go- 4, 5, 6, No".
• REVERSE-GO AGAIN: Player immediately turns bird cage and moves BACK that many spaces in the same turn. Then he must do what is required in that space.
• APPLIANCES: First player here takes KEY CARD from window. Following player gets nothing.
• EXCHANGE PLACE: Player landing here must immediately exchange places with opponent even if opponent is in safety zone. The player's turn then ends, regardless of what is called for in his new space.
• TAGGING: When a player lands on the same space as opponent, he has TAGGED him. Regardless of what is called for in that space, the player MUST choose either to take a Free Turn, or send his opponent back to the beginning of that street. On Money Street he goes to START; on Bridge Street to just outside the Jail; and on Magic Mile he goes back to the bench.
• FINISH: When a player lands on either of these two spaces the game ends. Each player adds up his winnings, including the value of the Key Cards. When there are 3 or more players, a series of games are played. One of the contestants in each new game is the player who landed in the finish space in the previous game. His opponent is a new player. The series continues until all contestants have played at least one game.
• WINNING THE SERIES: The player who lands in either Finish space in the last game gets a bonus of $100. All players total all of their winnings. The one with the most money is the WINNER.
• SPECIAL RULES FOR TWO PLAYERS: When there are only two players, each turns the bird cage for himself etc. One acts as Banker. When a DO IT YOURSELF card is drawn, give it to your opponent to read. If it shows (**) for the answer, draw another card with a printed answer as (1) or (Norway). When an AUCTION BLOCK card is drawn, without looking at it, player turns bird cage. $10 times the number that comes up is the amount of the bid. Player may accept this bid or collect value of card in cash. Winning The Game: The player finishing first gets a bonus of $50. Both players total their winnings, including the value of their Key Cards. The player with the most money WINS THE GAME.
• DO IT YOURSELF: Player takes one of the cards from rack, without looking at it to read and does what it tells him to do. If he has a stunt to do, the referee (or audit: decides whether he gets the reward or not. (See Special Rules for Two Players.)
• GO TO JAIL: When a player lands on this space, he is immediately put into Jail. (Sometimes both playing pieces are in Jail). In order to get out of Jail, a player must make a guess in a following turn, as to whether the dice roll will be odd (1, 3, 5) or even (2, 4, 6). If he guesses right he gets out of Jail and moves as many spaces along Bridge Street. If he guesses wrong he stays in Jail.
• TAKE A CHANCE: Player takes one of the cards in the rack and does what is printed on the reverse side.
• TOWN COUNCIL: When a player lands on this space, the Mayor picks up the card and asks the question on the back of it. If the majority of the Town Council (the group enjoying the game excluding his opponent), agrees with the player's answer, he gets $10. If they disagree, he gets nothing. If the vote is tie, or there are only two players, he turns the bird cage again. If an odd number (1, 3, 5 or even number (2, 4, 6) he gets nothing. First player only gets the card in this space.
• $25 OR FREE TURN: A player landing here must decide to take the $25 or turn the bird cage again and move that many spaces ahead.
• WISHING WELL: A player landing here chooses a number from one to six. The number comes up, he goes immediately across the bridge to the Bench; if not, he I his next turn.
• AUCTION BLOCK: Player takes one card from rack, without looking at it, hands him what he will bid for it. (Value on card may be from 0 to $100). Player may accept the Mayor's final bid in cash, or reject the bid. If he rejects the bid he gets the amount printed on card in cash. (See rules for two players).
• FINDERS KEEPERS: First player only landing here gets what is on the card in cash.
• U-TURN: Player landing here turns the bird cage again. His OPPONENT then moves ahead that many spaces; even though it moves him: a. Out of Jail and up Bridge Street. Across the BRIDGE and down the MAGIC MILE. Onto or across the two FINISH spaces to end the game.
• CROSS BRIDGE: Player must land on either of these two spaces by exact count to go over Bridge to Bench. Do not count Bridge or Bench as spaces.
• CAMERA SHOP: The first player here takes KEY CARD from window. Following player gets nothing.
• LOSE 1 TURN: Player loses his next turn.
• BANK: First player here takes KEY CARD from window. Following player gets nothing.

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