Each Month, I will try to highlight
a particularly neat game, and provide as many photos, and as much info, as I can.
DR. SEUSS FISH-A-MA-JIGGER GAME - by Mattel, 1970. Hoo boy, what a rare game! As far as I know, NO ONE thought there were any other vintage Dr. Seuss games other than Revell's 1959 YERTLE THE TURTLE GAME. And, judging from the look of the thing, there may have been a whole series of Seuss games.
Similar in style to Mattel's 1969 MYSTIQUE FORETELL CARDS Game, the game is in a 14" tall vinyl case, that unfolds into the game and gameboard. Once inside, the board is replete with tons of Dr. Seuss characters like Horton the Elephant, Yertle, Cat in the Hat, Thidwick, Bartholomew, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and others. There's also a embossed plastic "Bait-box/Fishin' Pond" that contains all the playing pieces. Instructions to play the game are imprinted on the back of the case.
Using elements of CANDYLAND, players take one of the 4 included figures (Foon, Who, Wumbus, and The Grinch) and move them according to the color that they spin (for example, spinning yellow would move the player to the nearest Parachute Fish space). Once on a space, they take the enclosed plastic fishing pole and try to catch a "fish" (looks more like a blue whale) from the Fishin' Pond. On the back of each of the 16 fish is a character illustration. Unfortunately, this seems to have little to do with the game, as the winner is the first one who reaches the end.
There is a faded sticker on the cover of the game that says a free Dr. Seuss poster was included inside. This game is so cool, and so rare, and so jammed packed with characters, that I nearly fell over when I received it. It must have been made at the time when Mattel was creating all the stuffed Dr. Seuss talking dolls (and even those are rare). It has all the elements you'd ever want in a collectible game, and then some. If anyone knows of any other versions of this game, please let me know... Value: $100 - $150
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