Board game:The Game of Fish Pond

New York game makers Clark & Sowdon supposedly originated the game of Fish Pond, or Fishing. McLoughlin Brothers patented a version of Fish Pond in 1890. Whoever dreampt up the game, it provided a realistic fishing experience for children of all ages from that period up to the present day. Early versions used wooden poles fixed with little hooks in the end; loops or metal circles on the fish provided a place to hook them. Today's fishing games usually employ magnets on pole lines and fish. Late 19th century lithographers printed detailed box designs to simulate ponds and often printed names on individual fish. Some fish counted more points than others. The game is simple and it has endured in nearly consistent form to the present. This large version is a classic McLoughlin example, complete with wooden "poles" and lithographed fish.