Blockhead! is a simple tabletop game suitable for children four years of age or older. It was invented in 1952 by G.W. "Jerry" D'Arcey and developed by G.W. and Alice D'Arcey in San Jose,

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. Originally consisting of 20 brightly colored

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block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

s of varying shapes, the object of the game is to add blocks to a tower without having it collapse on your turn.

Rules

The first player sets one of the blocks on a flat surface; this is the only block allowed to touch the base. Each player then takes turns adding a single block until the tower collapses. The player that knocks over the tower on their turn loses. A player who loses three times is eliminated. The last player remaining wins. Blockhead! uses

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

terms with a block theme: A player who has lost once is called a "

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

"; a player who has lost twice is a " character"; a player who loses three times and is eliminated is a " blockhead".

History

The game was first published by G.W. "Jerry" D'Arcey in 1952. In 1954 Saalfield Publishing Company released the first 25-block version of the game. The design of the blocks has remained consistent through each edition, the only change being modifying the yellow “double hump” to be more heart-shaped. Currently, the game is produced by Pressman Toy Corporation.

Editions

*1952: G.W.D'Arcey square box *1954: Saalfield tall box #7563 *1954: Saalfield square box #7563 *1969: Saalfield Executive Edition #6163 *1969: Saalfield Giant Edition #7625 *1975-76:

Parker Brothers Parker Brothers (known as 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. It remained family owne ...

*1982: Pressman *1992: Pressman Super Blockhead! - 30 Pieces *2001: Pressman Cylindrical Box *Current: Pressman ''Blockhead!'' was voted into Games Magazine's Hall of Fame and appears on the GAMES 100 list.

Reception

Games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

'' included ''Blockhead'' in their "Top 100 Games of 1982", calling the game "Very addictive" and declaring that "We know of no better equalizer of children and adults, game fanatics and non-gamers."

Reviews

*1983 Games 100

References