The Game of Life

Did any of you play "The Barbie Game" when you were little? It was a game that came out in the 1960's, and it was subtitled "Queen of the Prom." My grandmother had the game at her house, and it was a favorite of my sisters, my cousin, and myself. The object of the game was to become the queen of the prom, but before you got there, you had to have a boyfriend, a dress, and be president of a club. (In barbie world there are much stricter standards for attending the prom than there were at my high school. All we had to have was a ticket.)

We each had dresses that we coveted the most, boyfriends we preferred (God forbid you ended up with Poindexter!), and the drama club was the best. You had to work for allowance to pay for your dress, and the rest of the girls better not get caught at the soda shop with your boyfriend.

The game (with real life appeal for all girls!) was one of the things I remember most fondly from growing up. Sadly, the game was thrown out or given away years ago after my grandparents passed away. But a few years ago, I discovered a reproduction of the game in a toy store in downtown Greenville. I can't remember being that excited about a game before, as I happily bought it for my sister for Christmas.

The busyness of adult life keeps us from playing the Barbie Game for hours like we used to do, but my sister and I still sometimes like to get it out and play a round. If any of you are up for a cutthroat game of "Queen of the Prom," let me know and I will get the game board ready.

What were your favorite games to play as a child?