Cootie
There was a bit of a risk in bringing Cootie home from the store. No
matter how many times you looked around before walking inside, no
matter how carefully you shielded the name on the box, there was always
the unshakable fear that somebody would spot you and spread the word:
“Cooties! You really do
have Cooties! I saw it! Cootie Cootie Cootie!” But oh, was it worth it…
Designed for pre-schoolers, Cootie hit its mark with fun play, colorful
parts, and bugs (That’s right, bugs. Now wasn’t that worth the risk?)
Each Cootie box came with enough parts to make 4 complete Cootie
bugs. A roll of the die was the only was to build your bug, parceling
out parts depending on the number on the die. A finished bug had one
body (a roll of 1), one head (a roll of 2), one tongue (5), two
antennae (3), two eyes (2) and a whopping six legs (6, and you’d better
learn how to make that die land 6-side-up or you’re in for a long
Cootie game). Players took turns (in theory), and the game went on
until some lucky soul completed a happy, colorful Cootie. Some moms
insisted the kids keep playing until everyone’s bug was done, but these
moms obviously didn’t understand that I won, Kenny lost, and he just
needs to stop crying over it, okay?
Herb Schaper invented Cootie back in 1948, whittling the parts from
wood. It was a long process, but according to Cootie lore, Schaper
hand-crafted some 40,000 Cootie games before the mass-manufacturers
took over. Cootie was a consistent smash, a favorite from the 40’s to
today, and as long as the tykes are willing to take a chance on
something called “Cootie,” the game will be entertaining youngsters
(and causing giggling fits) for years to come.
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