| The picture shows a view of this ©1949 Boxed Schaper Cootie Game. Shown is the box cover and the inside with all of the colorful hard plastic parts. All of the parts are present and the instructions are on the bottom of the box cover. The cover is marked as follows: THE GAME OF ... COOTIE
TRADE MARK REG.
PAT. PEND.
AN EXCITING EDUCATIONAL GAME FOR ALL AGES
MANUFACTURED BY
W. H. SCHAPER MFG. CO. INC.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. The first Cootie game was designed by William H. (Herb) Schaper, an avid Minnesota angler enamored with bugs. It was introduced in the fall of 1949. Dayton's took the first dozen games on consignment and had sold 5,592 sets by the end of 1950. Cootie quickly went national and was an instant success, unmatched in the industry for some 40 years (until the early 1990s and the success of action figures). By the mid-1960s, Schaper Manufacturing was selling more than 25 different games from its headquarters in Golden Valley. Curiously, several of Schaper's games had insect themes, including Ants in the Pants, Tickle Bee, Inch Worm, Guess'n Bee and Tumble Bug. The box measures 6-1/4'' x 9-1/4'' x 1-3/4''. The parts appear to all be in mint condition. The box has some light edge wear as pictured. |
