Game board:The Mansion of Happiness

A very few less popular games may have preceded it by 20 years, but the Mansion of Happiness is considered one of the first mass produced board games in America to achieve real popularity. It was first published by W. & S.B. Ives in Salem, Massachusetts in 1843. Like other games from this early date, it carries moral lessons along with its play value. Indeed, its subtitle is "An instructive moral and entertaining amusement." Whether it appealed more to children or adults is unknown but it is likely that both played the game. Its popularity endured for many years; this particular version is Parker Brothers' 1894 reissue of the game. Parker succeeded Ives--the first manufacturer of the game.