{{Short description|Board game}} {{about|the board game||Candyland (disambiguation)}} {{italic title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox game | name = Candy Land | subtitle = | logo = | logo_size = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | image = Candy land mb cover 1949.jpg | image_size = 250 | image_alt = | caption = Cover of the original 1949 edition | width = | label_width = | other_names = | AKA = | manufacturer = | designer = Eleanor Abbott | director = | illustrator = | writer = | actor = | voice_over = | publisher = Milton Bradley<br>Hasbro | date = {{Start date and age|1949}} | years = 1949–present | genre = Board game | language = English | system = | parent_game = | series = | players = 2–4 | setup_time = | playing_time = 30' | random_chance =Complete | ages = 3+ | skills = | materials = | movement = | media_type = | blank_label = | blank_data = | related = | website = | isbn = | isbn_note = | footnotes = }} '''''Candy Land''''' is a simple racing board game created by Eleanor Abbott and published by Milton Bradley in 1949. The game requires no reading and minimal counting skills, making it suitable for young children. No strategy is involved as players are never required to make choices; only following directions is required. Over 50 million copies of Candy Land have been sold.<ref name=tt/>
==History== The game was designed in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott, a primary school teacher in her 30s who was recovering from polio in a San Diego, California area hospital. She created it for the children who were in her ward in the hospital and later submitted the game to Milton Bradley Company. The game was bought by Milton Bradley and first published in 1949 as a temporary fill-in for their then-main product line, school supplies. ''Candy Land'' became Milton Bradley's best-selling game, surpassing its previous top seller, Uncle Wiggily, and put the company in the same league as its main competitor, Parker Brothers. The original art has been purported to be by Abbott, although this is uncertain.<ref name=tt>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jftapGDTmYUC&q=eleanor+abbott+candyland&pg=PA80 |title=Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them |author=Tim Walsh |pages=80–83 |publisher=Andrews McMeel |year=2005 |isbn=9780740755712 |access-date=5 March 2013 |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721141940/https://books.google.com/books?id=jftapGDTmYUC&q=eleanor+abbott+candyland&pg=PA80 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1984, Hasbro purchased Milton Bradley.<ref name="CompanyHistory">{{Cite book |last1=Grant |first1=Tina |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Milton-Bradley-Company-Company-History.html |title=International Directory of Company Histories |last2=Pederson |first2=Jay P. |publisher=St. James Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-55862-362-0 |volume=21 |location=Detroit, Michigan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215005246/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Milton-Bradley-Company-Company-History.html |archive-date=15 February 2011 |url-status=live |via=Funding Universe}}</ref> Landmark Entertainment Group revamped the game with new art that same year, adding characters and a storyline.<ref name=thr>{{cite news|last1=Gardner|first1=Eriq|title=Sony's Adam Sandler Candy Land Film Threatened in Lawsuit|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/sonys-adam-sandler-candy-land-719285|access-date=18 March 2016|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=17 July 2014|archive-date=26 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326031417/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/sonys-adam-sandler-candy-land-719285|url-status=live}}</ref> Hasbro produces several versions of the game and treats it as a brand. For example, it markets ''Candy Land'' puzzles, a travel version, a personal computer game, and a handheld electronic version.<ref name="tt" />
''Candy Land'' was involved in one of the first disputes over Internet domain names in 1996. An adult web content provider registered candyland.com, and Hasbro objected. Hasbro obtained an injunction against the use.<ref>{{cite web|title=Injunction|url=https://cyber.harvard.edu/metaschool/fisher/domain/dncases/hasbro.htm|publisher=Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School|access-date=1 May 2017|archive-date=27 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227141233/https://cyber.harvard.edu/metaschool/fisher/domain/dncases/hasbro.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, Hasbro announced a film, which triggered a lawsuit by Landmark Entertainment Group over ownership and royalties owed for the characters and storyline introduced in the 1984 edition.<ref name="thr" /> There was previously a direct-to-video film in 2005, called ''Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure''.<ref>{{Citation |last=Doi |first=Davis |title=Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure |date=2005-03-08 |type=Animation, Adventure, Family |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429732/ |access-date=2024-10-05 |others=Jane Mortifee, Alberto Ghisi, Britt McKillip |publisher=Hasbro, SD Entertainment}}</ref>
==Gameplay== {{More citations needed section|date=May 2023}} The race is woven around a storyline about finding King Kandy, the lost king of Candy Land.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://instructions.hasbro.com/download/A4813_en-nz_candy-land-game.pdf |title=Candy Land |publisher=Hasbro |year=2015 |access-date=11 May 2023 |archive-date=9 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909065012/https://instructions.hasbro.com/download/A4813_en-nz_candy-land-game.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The board consists of a winding, linear track made of 134 spaces, most red, green, blue, yellow, orange, or purple. The remaining pink spaces are named locations, such as Candy Cane Forest and Gumdrop Mountain, or characters, such as Queen Frostine and Gramma Nutt.
Players take turns removing the top card from a stack, most of which show one of six colors, and then moving their marker ahead to the next space of that color. Some cards have two marks of a color, in which case the player moves the marker ahead to the second-next space of that color. The deck has one card for each named location, and drawing such a card moves a player directly to that board location. This move can be either forward or backward in the classic game. Backward moves can be ignored for younger players in the 2004 version of the game.
Prior to the 2006 edition, the board had three colored spaces marked with a dot. A player who lands on such a space must remain there and continue to draw one card per turn, but may not move ahead until they draw a card with the same color as that space. In the 2006 version, dot spaces were replaced with licorice spaces that cause the player landing on it simply to lose the next turn. Two shortcut paths are marked on the board; if a player lands on the space at the start of a shortcut, they may move directly to its end.
The game is won by landing on or passing the final square and thus reaching the goal of the Candy Castle. In the original version, that final square is purple, but the official rules specify that any card that would cause the player to advance past the last square wins the game. Many people, however, play with a rule that one must land exactly on the last square to win. The 2004 version changed the last space to rainbow color, meaning it applies to any color drawn by a player, which renders the rule superfluous.
In 2013, ''Candy Land'' was redesigned to have a spinner instead of cards, where the spinner included all outcomes that were previously on the cards. This change only lasted one year before the game reverted back to cards.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mortensen |first1=Eric |title=History of Candy Land: Timeline of the Changes to the Classic Board Game |url=https://www.geekyhobbies.com/history-of-candy-land-timeline-of-the-changes-to-the-classic-board-game/ |website=Geeky Hobbies |access-date=26 December 2025}}</ref> As of 2025, the game uses cards to direct players' movements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Rules and Instructions for Candy Land Board Game |url=https://instructions.hasbro.com/en-us/instruction/candy-land-board-game-2025-edition |website=Hasbro |access-date=26 December 2025}}</ref>
==Adaptations== The Candy section of Toys "R" Us in New York City's Times Square maintained a ''Candy Land'' theme until losing its license for the characters in 2006.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moss |first1=Mark Howard |title=Shopping as an Entertainment Experience |date=2007 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-1681-4 |page=101 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojIoeYe8a1sC&q=Candy%20Land |language=en}}</ref> The theme included a colored pathway that mimicked the board for the game, several ''Candy Land'' characters, and candy-themed shelving and ceiling decorations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Toys 'R' Us seeks 'sense of glee' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-candy-land-at-toys-r/148699572/ |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=November 16, 2001 |page=8c |language=en |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
An animated feature, ''Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure'', was released in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/candy-land-the-great-lollipop-adventure-1200527732/|title=Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure|work=Variety|first=Joe|last=Leydon|date=February 22, 2005|access-date=August 1, 2021}}</ref>
In February 2009, Universal Pictures announced plans for a film based on the ''Candy Land'' board game:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clevver.com/videos/2012/02/01/movies/candy-land-movie-to-star-adam-sandler/|title=Candy Land Movie to Star Adam Sandler|work=Clevver|access-date=22 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709091712/http://www.clevver.com/videos/2012/02/01/movies/candy-land-movie-to-star-adam-sandler/|archive-date=9 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Etan Cohen was hired to write the screenplay, and Kevin Lima was set to direct.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Michael|title='Candy Land' coming to bigscreen|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/features/candy-land-coming-to-bigscreen-1117999578/|access-date=18 September 2011|newspaper=Variety|date=4 February 2009|archive-date=28 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828083508/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117999578|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, screenwriting was taken over by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who compared their approach to ''The Lord of the Rings''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Labrecque|first=Jeff|title='Candy Land' screenwriters: 'We envision it as 'Lord of the Rings,' but set in a world of candy'|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/23/candy-land-movie/|access-date=18 September 2011|newspaper=Entertainment Weekly|date=23 May 2011|archive-date=14 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814125316/http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/23/candy-land-movie/|url-status=live}}</ref> By January 2012, the project had moved to Columbia Pictures, with Adam Sandler's Happy Madison in final negotiations to develop the film; Sandler would both star and co-write the screenplay with Robert Smigel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Mike|title=Hasbro's 'Candy Land' Lands With Adam Sandler|url=https://deadline.com/2012/01/hasbros-candyland-lands-with-adam-sandler-223641/|access-date=31 January 2012|newspaper=Deadline|date=31 January 2012|archive-date=1 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201194913/http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/hasbros-candyland-lands-with-adam-sandler/|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2014, a lawsuit by Landmark Entertainment Group took place over ownership and royalties owned for the characters and storyline introduced in the 1984 edition, halting pre-production on the film.<ref name=thr/>
''Candy Land'' was one of several Hasbro properties featured in the 2011 one-shot comic book ''Unit: E'', which attempted to revamp and tie together several of Hasbro's dormant properties. Princess Lolly is seen in one page, with Synergy (from ''Jem''), the son of Acroyear and his servant Biotron (both from ''Micronauts'') discussing her and other fairies that have crossed over from their land onto Earth more than once. Synergy believes the creatures of Primordia (an attempted reworking of ''Inhumanoids'') may have been the result of someone angering the fairies in the past, though she admits she's uncertain if this is in fact the case.<ref>{{Cite web |last=OAFE |title=What is UNIT:E? {{!}} OAFE – Blog |url=http://www.oafe.net/blog/2011/10/what-is-unite/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |language=en-US}}</ref>
A cooking competition show, which was based on the game and hosted by Kristin Chenoweth, premiered on Food Network on November 15, 2020. Teams of dessert chefs competed over six weeks for a $25,000 grand prize.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pomranz |first1=Mike |title=A 'Candy Land' Competition Show Is Coming to Food Network |work=Food & Wine |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/food-network-candy-land-show-kristin-chenoweth |publisher=Food and Wine |access-date=11 November 2020 |archive-date=10 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110025339/https://www.foodandwine.com/news/food-network-candy-land-show-kristin-chenoweth |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Patrick |title=Kristin Chenoweth heads to 'Candy Land' in Food Network's board game-inspired baking show |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/10/13/kristin-chenoweth-candy-land-food-network-baking-competition-tv-exclusive/5968543002/ |publisher=USA Today |access-date=11 November 2020 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109233449/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/10/13/kristin-chenoweth-candy-land-food-network-baking-competition-tv-exclusive/5968543002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Reception== The Toy Industry Association named ''Candy Land'' as the most popular toy in the US in the 1940s.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gUK_AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |title=A Board Game Education |first=Jeffrey P. |last=Hinebaugh |page=25 |publisher=R&L Education |year=2009 |isbn=9781607092612 |access-date=14 March 2020 |archive-date=5 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305013142/https://books.google.com/books?id=gUK_AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2005, the game was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/5020432 |title=An Underdog Favorite Makes Toy Hall of Fame |last=Elliott |first=Debbie |website=NPR |date=19 November 2005 |access-date=14 March 2020 |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721141942/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/5020432 |url-status=live }}</ref> About one million copies per year are sold.<ref name=tt/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://instructions.hasbro.com/en-us/instruction/Candy-Land-Game Candy Land Game] | Hasbro * {{bgg|5048}}
{{Milton Bradley}} {{Hasbro}}
Category:Board games introduced in 1949 Category:Children's board games Category:Milton Bradley Company games Category:Race games Category:Roll-and-move board games Category:Candy Category:Fiction about confectionery