Board game:The Air Ship Game

Board game often reflect current events and trends of the culture at the time of their manufacture. This is true of McLoughlin's 1904 copyrighted "Air Ship Game." The cover illustration shows Mother Goose flying through the air with her gander. However, she is flying a plane that looks very much like the Wright Brothers' first plane. Their first successful flight happened in 1903--just one year before this game's manufacture. Inside, the typical race game takes place on a board illustrated with a hot-air balloon; it has nothing to do with an airplane. However, this timely box cover design probably helped promote this game. McLoughlin apparently employed some clever designers.