Mystery Date (game)

Mystery Date is a board game from the Milton Bradley Company released in 1965, conceived by Marvin Glass and created by Henry Stan. Aimed at girls aged six to fourteen, the game has seen new editions in 1999 and 2005, and often shows up as a cultural reference in television and movies. The game works for two, three, or four players. The goal is to land a good date and steer clear of the "dud."

Players roll a die to move around the board, picking up, trading, or discarding cards to build a three-piece outfit in one of four colors. Once a player has a complete outfit in a single color, they can open a big plastic "mystery door" in the center of the board. Behind it are five possible dates: a formal dance date, a bowling date (swapped for a picnic date in the 1970s version), a beach date, a skiing date, and the "dud." Which date appears is decided by spinning the doorknob before opening the door.

The dud is a sloppy figure with messy hair, stubble, and rumpled clothes. If the player's outfit doesn't match the date shown, or if the dud pops up, the door closes and play goes on. When the dud appears, the player must toss the three outfit cards and draw three new ones. The first player to reveal a date while wearing the matching outfit wins.

Reception

The 1999 version added an electronic talking phone for chatting with the dates. The box shows Chris Evans using the phone as "Tyler," the beach date. In the 2005 edition, the dud character remains, and the phone was dropped. The book Timeless Toys called Mystery Date a cross between "Barbie in all her high-fashion glory" and the game show Let's Make a Deal, praising its "simple, yet ingenious" design typical of Marvin Glass.

It's now seen as a highly collectible game from the 1960s. Michelle Slatalla of The New York Times, who played it as a child, later described its premise as "politically incorrect."