''The Grape Escape'' is a

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...

released in 1992 by

Parker Brothers Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products wer ...

(now Hasbro) and licensed by Rehtmeyer Inc. The game was intended to entertain younger audiences of 5+ years old. In 2010, Hasbro released a game called ''Smashed Potatoes'' with the same game play, but with potatoes instead of grapes (probably because of Parker Brothers being part of Hasbro, who owns the rights to

Mr. Potato Head Mr. Potato Head is an American toy brand consisting of a plastic model of a potato "head" to which a variety of plastic parts can attach — typically ears, eyes, shoes, hat, nose, pants and mouth. Mr. Potato Head was invented and manufact ...

). However, ''Smashed Potatoes'' was eventually discontinued. The game consisted of playing pieces constructed of various colored ''Grape Goop'' ( Play-DohGrape Escape instructions
from Hasbro) that were fashioned after grape-like action figures. Game play consisted of maneuvering clay playing pieces through several plastic obstacles on a board that were aimed to physically disfigure or decapitate the playing piece; destroying the ''Grape Goop'' figure often resulted in losing the game, but sometimes resulted in the affected player re-mold their ''Grape Goop'' figure using one of the included grape mold templates and returning to the start space. The obstacles included: crank/rubber band operated scissors, a steam roller, a large saw blade, and a

grape stomping Grape-treading or grape-stomping is part of the method of maceration used in traditional wine-making.Clarke, Oz (2009). ''Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2010.'' Sterling Publishing Company, Cheap, BA (2010). ''Mr. Cheap's Guide to Wine.'' Adams Me ...

boot activated by lever and rubber band. (In Smashed Potatoes, the grape stomping boot was replaced with a french fryer.)

Game play

Each player rolls the die in turn. (In Smashed Potatoes, the die was replaced with a spinner.) They then move their grape the number of spaces indicated on a factory conveyor belt style board. The hazard stations are counted as a place as well. The ''Grape Leap'' roll allows the player to jump ahead one space of the grape in the lead. If a player rolls ''Turn Crank'' they can operate the apparatus and take out any grape on one of the four stations (in which case, the affected player must re-mold his or her grape piece and start over). Should a player land on the same place as an opponent's grape, that grape is pushed to the next hazard station. The first grape to reach the finish wins.

Advertising

''The Grape Escape'' was advertised primarily through television commercials aired during children's television programs. The commercials consisted of animated claymation figures being crushed or sliced while children played the game. The theme song was set to the tune of the Italian song "

Funiculì, Funiculà "Funiculì, Funiculà" (, en, "Funicular Up, Funicular Down") is a Neapolitan song composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco. It was written to commemorate the opening of the first funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius. It was pr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grape Escape, The Board games introduced in 1992 Children's board games Parker Brothers games Roll-and-move board games