Candy Land, a board game, is for many Americans synonymous with childhood. The allure of being transported to a magical world where sweets grow by the roadside is exciting to any child; combine that with brightly colored squares and lovable characters, and it is no wonder that the game, introduced in 1949, remains popular today.
Eleanor Abbott, a retired schoolteacher, developed Candy Land while recovering from polio in the 1940s. She sold the idea to the Milton Bradley Company, which used the marketing slogan “a sweet little game for sweet little folks.” The game’s promise of plenty—all the sweets you can eat, without a tummyache—immediately caught on with children emerging from the deprivations of World War II.
