You know, I've always said my readers send me the best stuff. And this item is no exception. Many thanks to Alison Franks and Annelise Sklar of Albuquerque, NM for sending me Mademoiselle's Manhunt Scarf.
You're going to have use your imaginations on this one a little bit. The Manhunt scarf is just that, a silk scarf that probably was a premium made available to readers of Mademoiselle Magazine. It's about 23 inches square (too big to fit on my scanner), made of white, pink and black silk, with a 1963 copyright by Condé Nast Publications. But this was more than a mere fashion accessory. You see, the Manhunt scarf was meant to be used as a game board.
The instructions, printed as part of the border, are simple: "Take one die, any number of girls, and toss. Use shells, pebbles, anything small for markers. First girl home is first girl married."
But the way to "Home & Him" is fraught with potential pitfalls, thus saving Manhunt from being one dull game. "You didn't put your perfume on this morning. Back to GO," reads one square. Then again, maybe spine-tingling excitement isn't the game's strongpoint.
I, of course, prefer the more Freudian illustrations to the somewhat schoolmarm-ish text. Take for example this drawing adjacent to a space marked "You broil a great hotdog. Ahead 1." I mean, I think this would be enough to send certain, less secure men packing.
And, speaking of symbols, here's the picture accompanying a square reading "You go everywhere with your roommate. Back 2." Of course, the meaning is that the roomie is equivalent to a ball and chain, but, boy-oh-boy, put that frankfurter next to that lock, and well, my mind begins whirring away in certain directions.
Otherwise, most of the sentiments involved are not surprising for their time ("He's invited you for breakfast. Back 5."). But others show a more liberal attitude: "You're studying aeronautical engineering" garners the player a one-square advance, while "He's in his first year at medical school," loses her two.
Overall, Manhunt was little diferent from many games for girls based on dating and marriage rituals. But never were form and function so cleverly combined. After all, even the Mystery Date game couldn't keep the wind from mussing your hair when driving your convertible!
