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Complete History of Board Games: Schaper Manufacturing Company

By: Author Eric Mortensen

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Categories Board Games, Complete History of Board Games, Features

Complete History of Board Games: Schaper Manufacturing Company

Index

 

History of the Schaper Company

The Schaper Manufacturing Company was formed from humble beginnings. W.H. Schaper was a mailman from Minneapolis who loved making fishing lures. One day as he was designing a new lure he created a creature that he would eventually use for his first and most famous game Cootie. For more on Cootie see Cootie: The Foundation of Schaper.

Based on the success of Cootie, the W.H. Schaper Manufacturing Company was created which would later be referred to as the Schaper Toy Company. The Schaper Manufacturing Company continued to grow as the company developed several other successful games which includes Ants in the Pants, Don’t Break the Ice, Don’t Spill the Beans, and Stadium Checkers. Many other games were a lot less successful and have become obscure at this point. While the Schaper Manufacturing Company made many good decisions, their biggest mistake may have been passing on the rights to a little word game called Scrabble back in 1953. (2)

One of the main reasons that Schaper was successful was due to the company targeting their games towards younger children. At the time most companies were targeting older children so parents really latched onto games like Cootie as a game for their younger children to play and learn with. Schaper is also generally considered to be the first company to mainly use plastic for game components as most of the other games from the time period used cardboard, paper and wood.

In the 1970’s The Schaper Manufacturing Company was acquired by Kusan Inc and was operated as a subsidiary of the company. (4) In September of 1980 W.H. Schaper died. (2) In 1986 the Schaper Manufacturing Company was acquired by Tyco Toys which was then eventually acquired by Mattel. (4)

Cootie: The Foundation of Schaper

Boxes for Cootie

Of all the games from Schaper Manufacturing Company’s line of board games, by far the most well known was Cootie. Still in production today, Cootie is one of the most well known children’s games.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, Cootie is a simple dice rolling game. The objective of the game is to be the first player to assemble their Cootie bug. Players would roll the dice and would acquire body parts based on the number that they rolled. Players would first acquire the body and then the head. After that players could acquire the other pieces in any order. The first player to acquire all of the required parts wins the game.

It just so happens that Cootie was Mr. Schaper’s first game. I guess Mr. Schaper started off on a high note having his first game being his biggest hit. When your first game is Cootie though its’ not surprising that he wasn’t able to repeat its’ success.

While Mr. Schaper is generally credited with creating Cootie, it was actually based off a group of pencil and paper games which included the game Tu-Tee which was created in 1927. (1) The concept behind the game was actually created during World War 1 by soldiers stuck in the trenches. This game eventually started to be referred to as Cootie. In 1939 the first version of what is known as Cootie today was developed by Transogram. (2) This version of game used wood pieces along with a picture of the bug’s body.

In 1948 H.W. Schaper decided to use his fishing lure designs in order to make his own version of the Cootie game. Instead of using wooden pieces, Mr. Schaper started making his copies of the game with plastic pieces. H.W. Schaper brought his designs for the Cootie game to the Dayton department store chain. The games sold very quickly  and by 1952 over 1.2 million copies of the game had sold. (3) The Cootie game helped build the Schaper Manufacturing Company and was the companies greatest seller. After Schaper was acquired by Tyco Toys in 1986, Cootie and three other Schaper games were sold to Milton Bradley who still produces the game to this day.

Contents for Cootie Game

To this day the basics of Cootie have barely changed. As a matter of fact the game was manufactured with the same molds for over 20 years. (2) The only significant difference in the game is the shapes and designs of some of pieces used in the game. Over 50 million copies of Cootie have been sold as of 2005. (3)

Notable Schaper Games

Ants In The Pants

Boxes for Ants In The Pants

Ants In The Pants was developed by Schaper Games in 1969. Schaper Games made the game for 17 years until the rights were sold along with three other games to Milton Bradley. Milton Bradley still produces the game to this day.

The objective of Ants in the Pants is to shoot all of your ants into the pair of pants placed in the center of the table. The ants are designed in a way where when you press down on their backs they jump into the air. Players all play at the same time as they all try to launch their ants at the same time. Whichever player gets all of their ants into the pants wins the game.

Contents for Ants in the Pants

While I don’t believe I have ever played one of the Schaper versions of Ants In The Pants, the game has barely changed since it was first introduced. I can remember enjoying the game a lot as a child. Ants In The Pants is a perfect example of a lot of Schaper’s games. The game’s concept is simple enough that young children can play the game and unless you play the game a lot most players have pretty similar odds of winning the game. The game promotes hand eye coordination but the game also includes quite a bit of luck. While I doubt the game would keep adults entertained for long, Ants in the Pants has to be considered a classic children’s board game.

Don’t Break The Ice

Created in 1965 Don’t Break the Ice is another classic Schaper Manufacturing Company Game. Since Milton Bradley currently produces the game I am guessing that Don’t Break the Ice was another one of the games that was sold to Milton Bradley when Tyco acquired the Schaper Manufacturing Company.

In Don’t Break the Ice, players compete to not be the player that knocks out the block that makes the man/polar bear fall through the ice. Players take  turns knocking out one block at a time. The player that knocks out the block the makes the figure fall through the ice is eliminated from the game.

Just like with Ants in the Pants, I remember playing this game a lot as a child. This was actually one of my favorite games as a child. Obviously the game is not super strategic but the game actually has more strategy to it than most children’s game. Your decisions in the game actually matter and you actually have to think about what to do on any particular turn. Older children and adults will probably find the game to be pretty easy since it is pretty easy to figure out which blocks you can knock out safely. The game does present a challenge to younger children though.

Don’t Spill The Beans

In 1957 the Schaper Manufacturing Company created the game Don’t Spill the Beans. Don’t Spill the Beans was another game from the Schaper Manufacturing Company that was sold to Milton Bradley that is still made today. The original versions of Don’t Spill the Beans apparently used actual beans instead of the plastic beans used for most versions of the game (5).

In Don’t Spill the Beans each player is given the same number of beans. Players then take turns placing one of their beans on the top of the pot. Eventually due to the weight of all of the beans, the pot would flip over spilling all of the beans. The player who placed the last bean would have to take all of the beans that spilled. The first player to get rid of all of their beans wins the game.

Like Ants in the Pants and Don’t Break The Ice I remember playing Don’t Spill the Beans as a child. I really don’t remember the game as fondly as the other two though. While children will probably really enjoy the game, I don’t see it being very enjoyable for adults. While the game requires some dexterity, since you need to place the beans without moving the pot too much, the game relies a lot on luck. As long as all of the players equally skilled, the player that is forced to place a bean when the pot is wobbly will likely tip it over due to no fault of their own since the pot will always eventually tip over.

Stadium Checkers

Although not as well known as some of the other games already listed, Stadium Checkers was one of Schaper Manufacturing Company’s best selling games. Created in 1952 Stadium Checkers is also one of the company’s first games. The game was popular enough that it actually lead to a more challenging sequel Tournament Stadium Checkers which was made in 1980.

Of all of Schaper’s notable games, Stadium Checkers is actually the only game that I have never played before. Basically in Stadium Checkers each player would control marbles within a circular game board. The game board is made up of a group of rings (different versions have a different number of rings) which are spun to move marbles around the game board. The objective of the game is to get your marbles to the center of the game board.

List Of Schaper Games

While Schaper is mostly known for the games already mentioned, Schaper Manufacturing Company made many other games that are more obscure. Here is a list of all of the games that I could find that Schaper Manufacturing Company made which includes as much information as I could find about the games. Some of the games are quite obscure though so I couldn’t find any information about them.

 

No Date

Baja Bike Scrambler

Corral

  • Corral is essentially the same game as Squares (also made by Schaper) except for having a different name. The objective of the game is to score the most points by placing fences. Whenever a player plays the last fence to create a square, the player claims that square. Whichever player claims the most squares wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek
  • Buy On EBAY

Cat & Mouse

  • A magnetic board game.

Damblocks

  • Damblocks was a puzzle game made by the Schaper Manufacturing Company which appears to be like an earlier version of a Rubik’s Cube.
  • Buy On EBAY

Entrapment

  • Entrapment was a solitaire puzzle game created by Schaper Manufacturing Company. The goal of the puzzle was to get all of the marbles of the same color into a tube by twisting and turning the two tubes.
  • Thanks to Mark and Allison Palmer (in the comments) for pointing out this game.
  • Buy on EBAY

Guess ‘n Bee

  • Guess ‘n Bee is a family word game that included a game unit, letter tiles, and a squeeze ball that would be used with holes located around the edges of the game unit.
  • Buy On EBAY

Have A Heart

Inch Worm

Magnetic Car Race

Magnetic Mailman

Mill

  • Mill is a public domain game that has been around for over 500 years. Mill is also commonly referred to as Nine Men’s Morris. Being a public domain game, Schaper along with many other companies have made their own versions of the Mill game. The basic concept of the game is to move your pieces around the board in order to arrange them in a way to get three of them in a row. Each time a player gets three in a row they get to remove one of their opponent’s pawns from the game. The first player to eliminate all but two of their opponent’s pawns wins the game.
  • Buy On EBAY

Peek-A-Boo

Puck Luck Hockey Game

  • In Puck Luck two players compete in a game of hockey. Each player gets a hockey stick which they use to try and score points on the other player. Since the puck and the hockey sticks are both magnetic, the puck is repelled by the hockey sticks so the players use this to try and shoot the puck into the other player’s goal.
  • Buy On EBAY

Roll A Way Derby

Sok-O

Spare-time Bowling

  • Spare-Time Bowling was a dice game that simulated a game of bowling. Players would roll the dice hoping not to roll pins. Players would get to roll the dice twice and scores are calculated like a typical game of bowling.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Squares

  • Pretty much the same game as Corral. Players place fences onto the game board and score points for each square that they complete.
  • Buy Squares on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Swami’s Ball Fortune Telling Game

  • Swami’s Ball Fortune Telling Game was a 1950’s game that used a gadget where you would ask questions and the game would tell you your fortune.
  • Buy On EBAY

Tub-A-Dub

Twenty Questions

Ye Olde Fishin Hole

 

1940’s

 

1949

Cootie

Giant Cootie and Bank

  • Giant Cootie plays exactly the same as normal Cootie. The game only included two Cooties but they were considerably larger than the Cooties in the normal version of the game. The larger Cooties could also be used for banks.
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1950’s

 

1952

ScareCrow

  • ScareCrow is played a lot like the game Cootie. Players roll dice and add pieces to the scarecrow based on the number that was rolled. The first person to complete their scarecrow wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Stadium Checkers

 

1953

Skunk

Contents for Skunk

 

1955

Dunce

Contents for Dunce

Dunce plays a lot like Cootie and ScareCrow. Some versions of Dunce use a teetotum and other versions use a dice. Players roll/spin and may get a piece of their figure that matches the symbol that was rolled/spun. Unlike Cootie, players don’t want to assemble their figure. When a player completes their figure they are eliminated from the game.

Having played Dunce I have to say that the normal version of the game is not very good. It relies entirely on luck and just isn’t very fun. The alternate rules are actually considerably better. The alternate rules actually turn Dunce into a word/spelling game which actually adds a decent amount of strategy to a game that otherwise has none. Check out the link to my full review of the game below to find out more.

I’m George Gobel And Here’s the Game

 

1956

Li’l Stinker

Put & Take Game

Tickle Bee

  • Tickle Bee is a children’s dexterity game. Players use a magnetic wand to move a bee through the track on the board. Players need to keep the wand far enough away from their bee or their wand will pick up the bee and the player would lose their turn.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Tickle Bee on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Tumble Bug

  • Tumble Bug is a simple game where players bet on which bug they think will reach the finish line first. All of the tumble bugs are placed at the top of the slide and are then released at the same time. Players move forward on the scoring track each time they guess the winning bug.
  • Video Link: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nizkcIhC404)
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1957

Black Ball Express

  • In the Black Ball Express the game board is split into two tracks. Players roll two dice. One dice controls the player’s trains (on the outer track) and the other would control the Black Ball Express (on the inner track). If the Black Ball Express lands on the same space as a player’s train, that train is sent back to the start. The player to get all four of their trains to the finish line wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Circus-Time

  • Circus-Time is a basic roll and move game where players roll the dice to move their marble around the game board. Players would encounter different spaces related to the circus that would move a player’s marble forward or backwards. The first player to have their marble reach the top of the circus tent would win the game.
  • Buy On EBAY

Don’t Spill the Beans

The Game of Chicken

  • The Game of Chicken is a dice rolling game that uses a board that looks like a bingo board. Players can keep rolling the dice to score more points but they risk losing the points that they already earned during the round. This game reminds me a lot of another Schaper game Shake Bingo which was released in 1969.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Hispaniola

  • Hispaniola is a spin and move game where players sail around the Caribbean gathering gold and a treasure chest. When you collect a treasure chest your goal is to take it back to your home port in order to win the game. The game is considered semi-educational since the game is based on historical events and the treasures are positioned based on locations where treasure was actually buried.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Pickin’

  • Pickin’ was a 1957 Schaper game that plays a lot like Pick Up Sticks or Jack Straws. Players use a pair of tweezers to remove garden tools from the pile without moving the other tools. Players get to keep taking tools until they move a tool that they weren’t currently trying to take. Each tool is worth a different number of points and players have to collect 150 points to win the game.
  • Pickin’ Rules
  • Buy On EBAY

Toll Car

  • Toll Car was a 1957 game where a player would use a magnetic wand in order to drive a car through the United States.
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1958

King of the Hill

  • King of the Hill is a roll/spin and move game that used a small plastic piece with a small marble inside to determine how many spaces the player would move. Whichever slot the ball landed in would determine how many spaces the player moves. Players move up the mountain and if they reach a hole in the board their playing piece (a marble) is dropped down the hole and comes out at a lower level of the hill. A player wins when they drop their marble through the hole at the top of the hill and the crown pops off the top of the hill.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Stagecoach

  • Although I couldn’t find a lot of information on the game, Stagecoach appears to be a pretty typical spin and move game that used a marble instead of a traditional spinner to determine how many spaces a player moves.
  • Buy On EBAY

Whirly Bird

  • Whirly Bird is a pretty typical targeting game. The game includes two targets and a dart that players would throw at the targets and score points based on where they hit the target.
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1960’s

 

1960

Pig in the Garden

  • In the Pig in the Garden game players spin a spinner to move around the game board. If they land on a vegetable space they add it to their garden. If they land on a pig space the pig enters the player’s garden and eats vegetables from that player’s garden until the player spins the pig spinner and it lands on the spot which makes the pig leave the garden. A player wins the game if they fill their entire garden.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

The Puzzling Pyramid

  • In The Puzzling Pyramid players try to navigate a steel ball through a set of obstacles trying to get the ball to reach the top of the pyramid. What is unique about The Puzzling Pyramid is that players create their own mazes for the other players to navigate. If a player drops the ball while moving it up the pyramid they lose their turn. The first player to get the ball up their side of the pyramid on their turn wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Turtle Game

  • The Turtle game was a 1960 game where players race magnetic turtles around a game board.
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1961

Rock Paper Scissors Game

  • A game that simulates the game Rock, Paper, Scissors.
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1962

Horse Play

  • Horse Play is a typical betting game where players bid on which horse they believe will win each race. The player who has the most chips at the end of the game wins.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Shifty Gear

  • In Shifty Gear players try to build a path with gears from their starting gear to their gear on the other side of the board. Players roll the dice to determine which gear they can add to the board. The first player that can create a path that turns their gears on both sides of the game board wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1964

Nibbles n’ Bites

  • Nibbles n’ Bites is a magnetic fishing game. Each player gets a magnetic fishing pole which they use to catch the fish that also have magnets in them. Each colored fish is worth a different number of points. Whoever gets the most points wins the game.
  • Buy On EBAY

Tilt Score

  • In Tilt Score two players compete to try and navigate their marbles through their maze. Players tilt their maze back and forth to get the marble to navigate through the maze. The first person to spin their scoring wheel wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1965

Bango! Bango!

  • In Bango! Bango! two players compete to try and get their marbles into the center platform. Players use their mallet to tap the side of the game board. If they hit it too softly the ball doesn’t roll the whole way up the ramp. By hitting the game board too hard the ball rolls too far and rolls off the other side of the ramp. Players have to hit the game board with the right amount of force in order to make the marbles stay on the top of the ramp and slide into the center of the game board.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Don’t Break the Ice

Jack and the Beanstalk

  • Jack and the Beanstalk is a two player game where two players compete to try and build the beanstalk. Players  turn a switch which releases one of the leaves from the beanstalk. If the leaf doesn’t fit in the next space on the beanstalk it is put back into the beanstalk. The first player to place a leaf in all of the spots on their side of the beanstalk wins the game by launching the giant off of the beanstalk.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Kick Back

  • In Kick Back the objective of the game is to use your donkey to shoot the ball into the other player’s corral. Players need to press down on their donkey’s feet with the right amount of pressure to get the ball to land in the other player’s corral. The first player to score 19 points wins the game.
  • Video Link: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqU94NOK_e8)
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Monkeys and Coconuts

  • In Monkeys and Coconuts players try to acquire as many coconuts as they can as they move from the start space to the finish space. Players roll the die and move their pieces around the game board. If they land on a black space they have to leave some of their coconuts on the game board. If they land on a space featuring a money they spin the spinner. If they spin the monkey that matches the monkey on the space that they landed on they win some coconuts. If they spun a different monkey, they lose that many coconuts. The first player to reach the finish line takes all of the coconuts that players lost during the game. Once all players have reached the finish line, the player with the most coconuts wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1966

Cootie House

  • Cootie House is a unique combination of Cootie and a spin and move game. To begin the game players need to assemble their cootie bug like in the traditional Cootie game except that the game uses a spinner instead of a die. Once a player has completed their cootie bug, they can begin moving it around the board by moving their bug to the next space that matches the color that they spun. Whichever player is first to get their cootie bug around the game board and into the Cootie House wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

The Last Straw

Thing Ding

  • The object of Thing Ding is to be the first player to assemble their own robot. Each player is assigned a different robot that they are tasked with creating. Players take turns cranking the machine until the bell rings. Players then exchange one of their robot pieces that matches the color indicated on the machine with one of the parts on the top of the conveyor belt. The first player to complete their assigned robot wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1967

Clean Sweep

  • In Clean Sweep kids get to recreate one of their favorite chores, sweeping. A trash can is placed in the center of the game board which drops/shoots trash onto the game board in intervals. The goal of the game is to use your broom (paint brush) to sweep the good trash into your own goal while also sweeping the bad trash into other player’s goal. Players score points based on how much good trash and bad trash was in their goal. Whoever scores the most points wins the game.
  • Video Link: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skeqvdO9-qs)
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

Off to See the Wizard

  • The Off to See the Wizard game is a pretty traditional spin and move game based on the book/movie Wizard of Oz. The one unique concept in the game is that the players act as their own playing piece. Players spin the spinner and move around the board following the directions listed on the spaces. The first player to enter Oz wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

VooDoo Doll Game

  • The VooDoo Doll Game was featured in Geeky Hobbies’ Children’s Halloween Games list. To begin the game each player puts a metal peg in one of the holes in the voodoo doll. Players then take turns sticking needles in the voodoo doll. Whenever a player pushes a pin into one of the holes that a player had previously placed their metal peg into, they trigger the game’s mechanic and the witch doctor leaves their hut which means that player is eliminated from the game.
  • Video Link: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CKBBkGMHIQ)
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1968

Big Mouth

  • In the Big Mouth game players compete by trying to feed different plastic food items to a cardboard clown face. Players spin a spinner and compete to feed the food item that was spun to the clown. The first player to feed the clown the correct food item gets rid of the item they fed the clown. The rest of the players have to put the food item back on their plate. If a foot item is spun that a player already got rid of, the player has to feed the clown the bug in order to prevent the other players from feeding the clown the proper food. Complicating matters is the fact that players need to use a plastic fork to feed the food items to the clown. The first player to get rid of all of their food wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Hop Pop

  • In Hop Pop players compete to try and capture five animals. Not a lot of information is available online about how Hop Pop is actually played but the game apparently used springs in some way which I am guessing launched the animals into the air and players had to catch them. If you know more about this game feel free to leave a comment with more details.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Hop Pop on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Huff ‘n Puff

  • Very similar to the VooDoo Doll game released a year earlier, players try to avoid having the wolf blow down their house. To start the game players secretly place a metal piece in one of their opponent’s holes. A spinner is then spun to determine which player would be next to place a pin in one of their own holes. If a player pushed the pin in the hole that their opponent placed the metal piece in, it activates the wolf which destroys their house eliminating them from the game. The last player remaining wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Pull the Rug Out

  • Capitalizing on the party trick of pulling out a table cloth without disrupting any of the items on top of it, the objective in Pull The Rug Out is to successfully pull out the rug without disturbing any of the items placed on top of it. Players spin a spinner to determine the order of items that are stacked on top of one another on top of the rug. At any time players can choose to pull out the rug. If they are successful they score points equal to the number of items that were stacked on top of the rug. The first player to reach a certain number of points wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Who You?

  • As an earlier version of the game Hedbandz, each player gets a headstrap and a set of cards. Without looking players place the cards on their headstrap. Players would then have three opportunities to guess the animal on each card by imitating the noise that the animal makes. The first player to get rid of all of the cards from their headstrap wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1969

Ants In the Pants

Shake Bingo/Shake

 

1970’s

 

1970

Don’t Cook Your Goose

  • In Don’t Cook Your Goose players get eight different geese. Players spin a spinner to determine where they can place their goose on the pot. Players continue to place geese on the top of the pot until someone places a goose that makes the lid flip over and the geese fall into the pot. The person that made the geese fall into the pot is forced to take all of the geese that fall into the pot. The first player to get rid of all of their geese wins the game.
  • Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtVtM34Xn9I
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

Moon Blast Off

  • Moon Blast Off is a quick reaction game. In Moon Blast Off the objective is to collect ten different astronauts. A marble is spun around the game board which lands in a colored space. The space it lands in determines which player gets to lift up the rocket for the current round. While one player lifts up the rocket the other players try to grab their astronaut before they fall into the crater. All of the astronauts that fall into the crater go to the player whose turn it was to lift up the rocket.
  • Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzloiAegVpo
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Tippy Teepee Game

  • In Tippy Teepee players create a teepee structure using a bunch of plastic sticks. Players remove one stick at a time from the structure. Players keep removing sticks until the structure collapses. The player who took the last stick that collapsed the structure is eliminated from the game. The last player remaining wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Tricky Trash Truck

  • In Tricky Trash Truck the goal of each player is to clean up the trash in their yard. The garbage truck is wound up and begins moving around the game board. When the truck is on a player’s street they are able to pick up trash from their yard and put it in the truck. When the truck stops the player whose street it stops on has to take all of the trash from the truck. The first player to get rid of all of their trash wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1971

Don’t Go Overboard

  • In Don’t Go Overboard players roll the die to determine where to place their sailors on the ship. Each sailor has a magnet in it which would be attracted to some of the sailors and repelled from other sailors. When a sailor is put on the boat it may repel some of the other sailors off the boat. If a sailor was knocked off the boat they are returned to their respective player. Whoever gets rid of all of their sailors wins the game.
  • Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpTor8TFpXU
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Humpty Dumpty

  • Humpty Dumpty seems like a combination of a typical children’s game with Jenga. Players set up the wall and place Humpty Dumpty on the top of the wall. Players take turns removing blocks from the wall. When a player knocks down Humpty Dumpty they are eliminated from the game. The last player remaining wins the game.
  • Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tlmHfYjDF4
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Jack and Jill

  • The objective of the Jack and Jill game is to get your pawn to the top of the hill. Marbles roll down the hill and can hit pawns which send them back to the bottom of the hill.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Shake-A-Leg Game

  • In Shake A Leg players use a large red shoe. Chips are placed inside the red shoe. Players shake the shoe trying to get out as many chips as they can from the shoe. Players keep shaking until the timer ends or a chip that ends a player’s turn falls out of the shoe. The first player to get enough chips wins the game.
  • Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t_oRGLNQuw
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

Sombrero

  • Sombrero is a marble maze game. The objective of the game is to try and move your marbles through the maze to the center. The maze balances on a base so players need to use their marbles in order to balance out the maze so their marbles can reach the center.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Sombrero on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Wing-It

  • Wing-It is a shooting gallery game. Players use a gun that shoots out chips in order to knock down targets. I am guessing the objective is to either shoot all of the targets or score the most  points using a certain number of chips for ammo.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1972

Don’t Blow Your Top

London Bridge

Contents for London Bridge

Money Card

  • The Money Card game appears to be a promotional tie in game with American Express. The game is a basic traveling game where players travel through Europe trying to visit eight different cities without running out of traveler’s checks. This game seems like it was made more as an advertisement for American Express than an actual board game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Money Card on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Op Tile

  • Op Tile was a tile laying game where each player places tiles on a game board in order to score points. Players would roll a die to determine which tiles they would get to place. Placing tiles on specific spaces would score bonus points. Op Tile seems kind of like Scrabble except that it doesn’t use letters. Since Schaper at one point had the opportunity to publish Scrabble this might have been Schaper’s attempt to correct their mistake.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Penny Pincher

  • Penny Pincher was a a 1972 Schaper game that seems to play a lot like shuffleboard. Two players compete to flick their large plastic pennies across the board onto the other player’s side of the board. The game has some obstacles that players have to avoid. When one player gets all of their pennies onto the other side of the board they close the gate in the middle of the board which ends the round.
  • Video Link-(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yypgaBuSWag)
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1973

Billy Goat

Contents for Billy Goat Game

Spin-Off Action Marble Game

  • In the Spin-Off Action Marble Game two players try to shoot all of their marbles up a ramp into a center platform. The first player to get all of their marble into the center platform wins the game.
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1974

Casper the Friendly Ghost Game

  • Casper The Friendly Ghost Game is a glow in the dark game from 1974. Each player would get a spooky stone that is used to light up the Casper figure. On their turn players pick one of the other player’s spooky stones hoping that it would light up Casper. If Casper lights up the player receives a chip. A player can risk that chip if they want to try another stone. If the Casper figure doesn’t light up though the player loses all of the chips they won that round. The first player to reach a certain number of chips wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Cat in the Bag

  • In the Cat in the Bag game players take turns pulling up on one of the cat’s claws that are situated around the game board. If a player pulls up the wrong claw the game board triggers the cat’s head which pops up indicating that the player who pulled the claw is eliminated from the game. The last player remaining wins.
  • Buy On EBAY

Jack Be Nimble

  • Based on the rhyme, the Jack Be Nimble game has players try to build a candle using their candle pieces. Each player tries to place all of their candle pieces on the candle holder in order to win the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Letter Pile

  • Letter Pile is a word game where each player is dealt clear letter tiles. Each player makes a five letter word which doesn’t repeat letters used by the other players. Each player creates a crossword type clue for their word. Players score points if they can guess the other player’s words.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Rub A Dub Tub

  • Based on the rhyme, in Rub A Dub Tub players compete to try and get their men in the tub.
  • Buy On EBAY

U-Fly-It Air Traffic Controller

  • U-Fly-It is a toy/game where a player controls a plane as it is landing. A plane is attached to a string which it slides down like it was coming in for a landing. Players use a joystick that controls the movement of the plane hoping to land the plane safely on the landing strip.
  • Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyhqMD-w5ks
  • Buy On EBAY

U-Drive-It Tabletop Race Set

 

1975

Get Off My Back

  • In Get Off My Back each player spins the spinner to determine how many of their pelicans they place on the back of a turtle. Whoever places the pelican that forces the turtle to move under the tree and knocks off the pelicans is eliminated from the game. The last player remaining wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Screwball

  • In Screwball players inflate a balloon inside the Screw Ball contraption. Players throw the ball back and forth. Each time a player catches the ball they need to put another screw inside the ball. With each screw it is more likely that the balloon is going to be popped. Whoever pops the balloon is eliminated from the game.
  • Board Game Game Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Super Jock Super Toe Football

 

1976

Super Jock Baseball

  • Another game in the Super Jock line of sports board games. In Super Jock Baseball there is a spring loaded pitcher that one player controls while the other player controls the batter. To hit the ball players press down on the batter’s head. The objective of the game is to try and get the most hits.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS4NgfOhHMw
  • Buy On EBAY

Super Jock Super Stick Hockey

  • In Super Stick Hockey from the Super Jock line of games one player would play as the goalie while the other player tried to score goals. Pressing on the figure’s head shoots the puck. The player that scores the most goals wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Super Jock Super Touch Basketball

Tiddle-Tac-Toe

  • Tiddle-Tac-Toe is a combination of the game Tiddly Winks and Tic-Tac-Toe. Players try to get three of their colored Tiddly-Winks in a row. Things aren’t as easy as normal Tic-Tac-Toe though since players would have to shoot the Tiddly-Winks into the different sections of the board.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Tiddle-Tac-Toe on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

The Twizzle Game

  • In The Twizzle Game each player would get to use nine marbles in order to score as many points as possible. Players roll marbles down a spiral ramp towards scoring gates which gives players points. Whoever scores the most points wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy The Twizzle Game on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1977

Finders Keepers

Contents for Finders Keepers

  • Finders Keepers is Schaper’s attempt at a Perfection style game. Unlike Perfection players draw a card which tells them which shape they need to retrieve from the board. Instead of using a timer like Perfection, Finders Keepers uses a ramp and a steel ball which locks the pieces in place if a player doesn’t retrieve their piece in time. Whoever collects the most pieces wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Finders Keepers on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Super Jock Soccer

  • Super Jock Soccer plays a lot like Super Jock Super Stick Hockey except that it uses soccer players instead of hockey players. One player controls the goalkeeper while the other player uses the soccer player figure to shoot goals. Whoever scores more goals wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1978

Cat’s Eye

  • Cat’s Eye was Schaper’s take on Hungry Hungry Hippos. Players keep pressing a button which grabs marbles from the center of the game board. Players can only grab marbles of their own color along with the cat’s eye marble. Any marbles a player collects of another color are put back onto the game board. The first player to collect all of the marbles of their color along with the cat’s eye wins.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Cat’s Eye on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1979

Leap Frogs

  • Leap Frogs is a lot like games like Grabbin’ Grasshoppers. Each player gets a net. The game board is turned on which spins and randomly launches the frogs into the air. Players compete to try and catch the most frogs in their net.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

1980’s

 

1980

Don’t Miss the Boat

  • In Don’t Miss the Boat players compete to try and get all of their marbles into the boat located in the center of the game board. Players roll their marbles down a large slide which needs to be timed correctly since the boat moves around the center platform.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

Left Out

  • Left Out is a dice game where each side of the dice is a different color. Players take turns rolling the dice. When a player rolls four of the same color all players race to take a chip of the corresponding color. The player that doesn’t get a chip has to move their slider one space closer to the end. The last player that hasn’t slid their slider to the last space wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Left Out on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Tournament Stadium Checkers

  • Tournament Stadium Checkers plays similar to the normal Stadium Checkers. The two main differences is that the board is larger and each player controls more marbles. Tournament Stadium Checkers also focuses on scoring points instead of trying to get your marbles into the center of the stadium.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1981

Gimme 5

  • In Gimme 5 each player controls a section of the game board. Each player has a hand flipper which they hit to flip marbles into their section of the middle platform. White balls were worth one point while black balls were worth five points. Once all of the marbles were in the middle section, whoever scores the most points wins the game.
  • Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Iapevj4iw8
  • Buy Gimme 5 on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Pick Up Chips

  • I couldn’t find much information about this game. The game included some sticks and curled chips that kind of look like Pringles chips. I am unsure how the game was actually played.
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1985

Techmate

  • In Techmate players compete to try and get their robots to their opponent’s side of the game board. In the game players can move their robot one space forward. If they could no longer move forward they could move sideways or move back to one of their start spaces or one of the “objective” spaces. The first player to get all of their robots to the other side of the board wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy On EBAY

 

1987

Loco-Motion Memory

  • In Loco-Motion Memory players draw cards that have different actions printed on them. After looking at the cards players turn the cards around so all of the players besides themselves can see their cards. Each player then has to perform the actions in the order in which they drew the cards. If they make a mistake in the order or the actions they need to perform, they are eliminated from the game. The last player remaining wins the game.
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Buy Loco-Motion Memory on Amazon
  • Buy On EBAY

Share Your Memories

Do you have any fond memories of a Schaper Manufacturing Company game that you played as a child? Are there are any Schaper Manufacturing Company games that are missing from this list? Share your thoughts on the Schaper Manufacturing Company in the comments section.

Sources

(1) American Boxed Games and Their Makers 1822-1992 With Values Buy on Amazon

(2) Scarpone, Desi. Board Games. Rev. 2nd ed. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 2004. Print. Buy on Amazon

(3) Walsh, Tim. Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel Pub., 2005. Print. Buy on Amazon

(4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schaper_Toys

(5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don’t_Spill_the_Beans

Mark & Allison Palmer

Sunday 17th of March 2019

We have the Entrapment game. There are two plastic rotating cylinders with marbles in tubes. Object of game was to rotate the cylinders moving the marbles in order to get the same color marbles together in the tubes. There is no date of mfg on the toy but Scraper mfg and the number 55440 patent pending is on each cylinders. We'd like to know more. Thx.

Eric Mortensen

Monday 18th of March 2019

Hello.

Thanks for the comment as I didn't already have Entrapment on the list.

Unfortunately since I hadn't heard of the game before you brought it up, I can't really give you any information about the game. I tried to find some additional information but couldn't which makes me believe that the game is on the obscure end of Schaper games. The game doesn't even have a listing on Board Game Geek which is surprising as it has listings for most board games that have been released. I was able to find a copy of the game that sold on eBay about two months ago (it sold for around $3 plus shipping). The listing didn't give any other information outside of what you already provided though.

Hopefully someone will see your comment that has more information about the game that they can share with you.

I am sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Diane Schaper Osborne

Wednesday 14th of March 2018

I'm W.H. (Herb) Schaper's niece and notice that a game is missing from the list ~~ Cat & Mouse, a magnetic board game.

Marc patterson

Tuesday 20th of August 2019

Hello Diane. I see Schaper toys received the rights for Jenga bur all I’ve found through research is that Hasbro bought out Schaper and Jenga was released under Milton Bradley. I believe I have the only version of Jenga from Schaper toys. There’s a number on the box. 366 Do you have any info? Marc patterson

Eric Mortensen

Wednesday 14th of March 2018

While researching for this post I never found any information about Cat & Mouse so thank you for bringing it up. I have added it to the list.

M Perkins

Wednesday 14th of December 2016

The 2 Schaper games that I remember and loved the most were "Tickle Bee" and "Skunk" And thanks to the magic of eBay, I now own them once again. Both are in excellent shape seeing that they are around 60 years old! It brought back fond memories of when I was a child and all of the board games that I used to play. The ONE game that I would LOVE to have is the "Scarecrow" game. If anyone has one that they would like to sell, I'd love to hear from you.

Cheryl

Saturday 16th of July 2016

I have a yellow an blue circular maze looking game . In middle has 4,spots that look like it collects marbles . Has words on it one says checkers other says stadium ... I'd love to find directions belonging to this game . Also size marbles .. I grew up with many of your games now it's time for my grandson . I have no ideal where this piece even came from . So please and thanks for any guidance you can supply me with .. Thank You

Eric Mortensen

Sunday 17th of July 2016

Hello.

While I am not absolutely positive (since I have never played the game before) I am pretty confident that the game you are talking about is Stadium Checkers. Stadium Checkers is a game that was first made by the Schaper Company back in 1952. It was one of their more popular games and it is still being made today but not by the Schaper Company since the Schaper Company is no longer in business. You can find more information about the game at the website Board Game Geek. Board Game Geek doesn't have the exact instructions of how to play the game but does do a pretty good job of explaining how to play it. Also Board Game Geek has a thread discussing the size of marbles needed for the game and people on that site believe the game used marbles sized 1/2" "peewee". Not being an expert on marbles I don't really know what that means.

I also removed your email address from your comment to prevent spammers from seeing it.

I hope this helps you.

Eric

Toys Made in Minnesota | Pearltrees

Sunday 26th of June 2016

[…] Toys bought W.H. The Game of Cootie: Other cootie games Main findings. Complete History of Board Games: Schaper Manufacturing Company – Geeky Hobbies. Index History of the Schaper Company The Schaper Manufacturing Company was formed from humble […]