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They still make them you know

A Milton Bradley original dating back to 1964. The game components of the early TWISTER game were of much better quality than today's cheap imports. This was, of course, widely advertised on Saturday cartoon and teen dance shows. One in particular I have from a kinescope of "Where The Action Is (1/17/67, ABC)," one of the best TWISTER ads with the catchy jingle. "Right Foot Blue, Left Hand Red, etc."

From the Saturday morning cartoon vault: The very first Twister commercial (different singers do the jingle). This aired on a rerun of "Top Cat" over NBC (5/21/66), and featured an entire family playing. Milton Bradley began development in 1964. Game came out in May, 1966.Some religious groups in the south tried to have it banned, claiming that playing Twister would lead teens into something sexual. There were toy-store boycotts, and some TV ad revenue was lost. The overall impact was minimal, and Twister was an instant hit, both here and in England (game was made in UK by Arrow Games, licensed by MB). The 1966 Sears Wish Book listed Twister for $4. Today's Hasbro version is around $18 (with the same vinyl mat and spinner). The box design changed every few years, with live people replacing the cartoon players in 1972.

Found an Australian edition of Twister, dated 1967. Licensed by Milton Bradley, and manufactured in Sydney by the Jack Sands Company. Spinner and game rules (printed inside box top) are nearly similar to the U.S. version. Vinyl mat had slightly different dimensions. A J.S. logo replaced that of M.B. on all components.

Parker Brothers came out with a game bearing a Twister "twist." The game was Funny Bones, and instead of a mat and spinner, large instruction cards were used. The game seems more geared toward adults than children. Two couples participated. Card instructions included, "Connect Ear Bone to Shoulder Bone' and "Connect Hand Bone to Knee Bone" (kinky, huh?). The couples continued drawing cards and following directives until one couple quit. Points were scored for each successful "connection." The end result was sort of like Twister... a mass of twisted bodies. The original game (1968) was in a purple box. A second (1969, with new cards) set was in a blue box. The intent was to get couples to laugh, and (possibly) get more romantic.

From the weekend TV vault, A Twister TV commercial filmed at Malibu Beach. Groups of swimwear-clad teens seen spreading the game mats on the sand and getting tangled on each other. The jingle has a different vocal team than the 1966 version. This aired on "American Bandstand" over ABC (5/18/68). By this time, Dick Clark worked solo. His longtime announcer, Charlie O'Donnell, left to work for Merv Griffin's company, doing announcing work on different game shows. Other commercials included Polaroid Big Swinger camera, a peppy Dr. Pepper, and Clark promoting Breck Shampoo. The Young Rascals were featured on the show.