The Mansion of Happiness facts for kids

The sixty-six space spiral track of The Mansion of Happiness (1843) shows good and bad choices.

The Mansion of Happiness is an old board game made for children in the 1800s. A woman named Anne Abbott, who wrote books for kids, created it. The game was first published in 1843 by W. & S. B. Ives. Later, Parker Brothers re-released it in 1894. They said it was the first board game ever published in America. However, this isn't quite true. It was, though, the first board game to be made in large numbers in America.

The game was designed to teach players good lessons while they had fun. Its main idea was about Christian values and being a good person.

How to Play The Mansion of Happiness

Players move around a game board that has 66 spaces. Their goal is to reach the center space, which is called "The Mansion of Happiness." This place represents Heaven.

Winning the Game

• If a player lands on a space that shows a bad quality, like being dishonest, they have to move backward. This takes them further away from the goal.
• If a player lands on a space that shows a good quality, like being honest, they get to move forward. This brings them closer to the goal.
• The first player to reach the center space wins the game!

History and Popularity

Many games in the mid-1800s, like The Mansion of Happiness, taught lessons about being good. But as the 1800s ended, these types of games became less popular. New games came out that focused more on everyday life and getting ahead, rather than just good morals.

For example, Milton Bradley's The Checkered Game of Life became very popular. This game rewarded players for things like being ambitious.

The Mansion of Happiness is even mentioned in a book for boys called Shifting for Himself; or, Gilbert Greyson's Fortunes (1876). In this story, the main character plays the game with his friends.

In 2012, people could find and print a colorful copy of the original game board online.

Images for kids

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  The spiral path of The Mansion of Happiness (1843) shows many good and bad qualities.

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  The Checkered Game of Life (1860) rewarded everyday goals and skills like ambition.

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  Unlike The Mansion of Happiness, Game of the District Messenger Boy (1886) was about daily life, not spiritual life.

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  The game board's goal shows people making music and dancing in front of a house and garden.