Before Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett and Colonel Mustard gathered on a game board to claim their first victim—wielding a revolver, a rope or a lead pipe -British musician Anthony Pratt was watching murder-mystery scenarios unfold in European country mansions, where he played piano. Long before that game board became a global multi-million-seller and was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame, Pratt was taking mental notes as guests in these elegant homes play-acted dastardly crimes involving skulking, shrieking, and falling ‘dead’ to the floor.
Years later, during World War II, Pratt recreated those murder-mystery parlor games in miniature, as a board game called Murder! (later Clue). The longtime Birmingham resident, who worked in a local munitions factory during the war, invented the suspects and weapons between 1943 and 1945, as a way to pass the long nights stuck indoors during air-raid blackouts. His wife, Elva, assisted, designing it on their dining-room table.
By that time, Pratt had become something of a crime aficionado. HIs daughter Marcia Davies said her father was an avid reader of murder fiction by Raymond Chandler and others. “He was fascinated by the criminal mind,” Davies said of her father. “When I was little he was forever pointing out sites of famous murders to me.”
In 1947, Pratt patented and sold it to a U.K.-based game manufacturer named Waddington’s and its American counterpart, Parker Brothers. But because of post-war shortages the game was not released until 1949—as Cluedo in England and Clue in the United States. In both versions, the object is for players to collect clues to figure out the murder suspect, weapon and location. The game took place in a Victorian mansion. The victim’s name? Mr. Boddy.
Cool! I never knew the history behind that. One of my favorite games!
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i haven’t played in a long time, but i always enjoyed it )
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Very cool! Such history!
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thanks, d1. i loved his story
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Great post! A well-remembered and enjoyed game of my youth. I think it was Professor Beth, in the Writing Room, with her glasses off! 😁
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i’ll never tell!
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Great information 🙂
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thanks, daniel. i found the story so interesting.
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Thanks for keeping us filled in, Beth!
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ha, absolutely!
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Fantastic post. Thank you. While I don’t love this game, my sister and her best friend used to spend hours playing it.
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i loved the backstory of how it was created and the eccentric who created it – my pleasure
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I have heard that as more of us are stuck inside, that board games are being dusted off and played. Your post was very timely. Keep up the good work.
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yes, i have found this to be true, thanks –
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Wow, how interesting. Thank you. Clue is, or was, such a fun game.
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i also loved true crime and mysteries too, so i loved trying to ‘solve’ this game –
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I understand that. I always loved the secret passageway. LOL I’m sure everyone did. It’s still fun, in spite of the electronic games everyone plays today.
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ooh, yes!
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🙂
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Both are not good. But scared is worse.
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i think so, too
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Yes!
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Bored is worse. And I love Clue
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i’m going to start playing again
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We have an electronic version we love because you play two player
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nice!
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That was the only game the whole family played, even my dad. Cool!
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truly fun for all ages
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Thanks for sharing the history! I didn’t know that. It’s my favourite board game…I now own the Golden Girls version too!
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me too! my friend gave it to me for my last birthday
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Not only one of my favorite board games as a kid, but the 1985 movie is among my favorite comedies! Thanks for all the background info on Clue….
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that was a fun film and my pleasure )
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How fantastic! What an interesting read! Thank you so much!
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my. pleasure
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Fantastic!
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It’s been a long time since I played Clue, but I remember it being one of my favorite games…
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i always loved it
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Fascinating. I’ve never played this game, but I think I’d love it!
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all ages seem to enjoy it, i haven’t played it in a while, but my friend gave me the game again for my birthday.
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Mr. Boddy—that’s classic! I didn’t know there was a Toy Hall of Fame, but Clue does belong there. My cousin’s wife worked for a toy company. Her job (she’s now retired) was to create new toy ideas. Imagine being an adult who gets to play with toys all day.
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what a great job! i do feel lucky too that i teach 3-5 year olds and get to play each and every day )
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Time for board games, I love them. Don’t really need a virus to play them…. 🙂
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Me too!
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A great board game. Did you know that in 2016 Dr. Orchid, replaced Mrs White
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That’s cool
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Fascinating! Bravo!
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Brilliant game….it actually inspired me to write a blog post on it, linked to innovation: https://thinkingfuturethoughts.com/2020/02/26/who-killed-innovation-in-your-office/
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Wow, I had no idea! Loved the game as a kid, and murder mysteries too. I remember a school librarian in my elementary years who turned me on to mystery authors, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I was hooked from then on.
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I always loved them, too
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Fascinating! Though I could never get into the game. I love the story of it.
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It is a good one…
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I loved Cluedo as a child, and played it with my children when they were growing up. I’ve recently started playing with my grandchildren. What joy! It’s a great game to play when schools are in lockdown. So many skills are needed for playing. And children could make up their own characters and weapons and perhaps a different board too. No need to be bored then. 🙂
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exactly! glad you enjoy it too –
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🙂
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It would seem that Pratt was rather clueless.
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Perfect
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I remember playing this as a kid. Thanks for the background story.
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my pleasue, ali-
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Interesting!
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i loved his story
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Great postm
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Thanks
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Fascinating bit of history. Thanks for sharing this. I never thought about the background for board games. Now I wonder about Monopoly’s history. Enjoyed this!
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ooh, that would be good to know –
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I never knew the history. Wonderful story!
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It is really interesting
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🙂
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Used to play this all the time , interesting to learn !
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i used to love it too !
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