Mystery Date (game)
A board game about matching outfits to dates.
Mystery Date is a board game first released by Milton Bradley in 1965. It was dreamed up by Marvin Glass and built by Henry Stan. Aimed at girls aged six to fourteen, the game has seen new editions in 1970, 1999, and 2005, and often shows up as a cultural reference in television and movies.
The game works for two, three, or four players. The goal is to land a good date and steer clear of the "dud." Players roll a die to move around the board, picking up, trading, or discarding cards to build a three-piece outfit in one of four colors. Once a player has a complete outfit in a single color, they can open a big plastic "mystery door" in the center of the board. Behind it are five possible dates: a formal dance date, a bowling date (swapped for a picnic date in the 1970s version), a beach date, a skiing date, and the "dud." Which date appears is decided by spinning the doorknob before opening the door. The dud is a sloppy figure with messy hair, stubble, and rumpled clothes. If the player's outfit doesn't match the date shown, or if the dud pops up, the door closes and play goes on. When the dud appears, the player must toss the three outfit cards and draw three new ones. The first player to reveal a date while wearing the matching outfit wins.
The 1999 version added an electronic talking phone for chatting with the dates. The box shows Chris Evans—later known as Captain America—using the phone as "Tyler," the beach date. In the 2005 edition, the dud was replaced by "the nerd," and the phone was dropped.
The book *Timeless Toys* called Mystery Date a cross between "Barbie in all her high-fashion glory" and the game show *Let's Make a Deal*, praising its "simple, yet ingenious" design typical of Marvin Glass. It's now seen as a highly collectible game from the 1960s. Michelle Slatalla of *The New York Times*, who played it as a child, later described its premise as "politically incorrect." In 2013, "Weird Al" Yankovic posted a parody of the original 1965 commercial on YouTube, starring himself as "the dream" and Adolf Hitler as "the dud."
- Release Year
- 1965
- Publisher
- Milton Bradley Company
- Conceived by
- Marvin Glass
- Created by
- Henry Stan
- Target Audience
- Girls 6 to 14 years of age
- Reissues
- 1970, 1999, 2005
Lore & Background
Mystery Date can be played with two, three, or four players. The object of the game is to acquire a desirable date, while avoiding the 'dud'. Players acquire cards to assemble outfits in four different colors by rolling a die to move around the board, then drawing, discarding, or trading cards as dictated by the spaces where they land. After assembling a three-piece outfit in a single color, the player can open a large plastic 'mystery door' set into the center of the board to reveal one of five different dates: the 'formal dance' date, the 'bowling' date (replaced by a 'picnic' date in the 1970s version), the 'beach' date, the 'skiing' date, and the 'dud', chosen at random by spinning the doorknob before opening the door. The date to be avoided is the poorly dressed 'dud', who wears slovenly attire, has tousled hair, and a beard shadow.
Reader's Guide
The book Timeless Toys described Mystery Date as if it were the result of crossing 'Barbie in all her high-fashion glory with 1965's biggest game show, Let's Make a Deal'. Calling it an example of 'simple, yet ingenious' quality typically associated with Marvin Glass, it is now considered 'one of the most sought-after games from the '60s'. Having played it as a child, Michelle Slatalla of The New York Times in the 2000s retrospectively called the game's premise 'politically incorrect'. In 2013, 'Weird Al' Yankovic made a parody of the 1965 commercial on YouTube, featuring him as 'the dream' and Adolf Hitler as 'the dud'. The 1999 version includes an 'electronic talking phone' to converse with the dates, and future Captain America actor Chris Evans is on the box using the phone as 'Tyler', the 'beach' date. The 2005 version replaces 'the dud' with 'the nerd' and does not include a phone.
Did You Know?
- The game was conceived by Marvin Glass and created by Henry Stan.
- The 1999 version includes an electronic talking phone, with Chris Evans pictured as the beach date.
- The 2005 version replaces 'the dud' with 'the nerd' and omits the phone.
- In 2013, 'Weird Al' Yankovic made a YouTube parody of the 1965 commercial featuring Adolf Hitler as the dud.
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