The Grape Escape
| Publisher(s) | Parker Brothers |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–4 |
| Age range | 5+ |
| Setup time | 3-7 minutes |
| Playing time | 15 minutes |
| Random chance | High (die rolling) |
The Grape Escape is a board game released in 1992 by Parker Brothers (now Hasbro) and licensed by Rehtmeyer Inc..[1] The game was intended to entertain younger audiences of 5+ years old.[2] The game was short-lived having only been available for one year.
The game consisted of playing pieces constructed of various colored Grape Goop (Play-Doh[3]) that were fashioned after grape-like action figures. Game play consisted of maneuvering clay playing pieces through several plastic obstacles on a board that were aimed to physically disfigure or decapitate the playing piece; destroying the Grape Goop figure often resulted in losing the game, but sometimes had the affected player re-mold their Grape Goop figure using one of the included grape mold templates and returning to the start space. Some obstacles included: crank/rubber band operated scissors, steam roller, and grape stomping boot activated by lever and rubber band.
Game play
Each player rolls the die in turn. They then move their grape the number of spaces indicated on a factory conveyor belt style board. The hazard stations are counted as a place as well. The Grape Leap roll allows the player to jump ahead one space of the grape in the lead. If a player rolls Turn Crank they can operate the apparatus and take out any grape on one of the four stations (in which case, the affected player must re-mold his or her grape piece and start over). Should a player land on the same place as an opponent's grape, that grape is pushed to the next hazard station. The first grape to reach the finish wins.
Advertising
The Grape Escape was advertised primarily through television commercials aired during children's television programs. The commercials consisted of animated claymation figures being crushed or sliced while children played the game. The theme song was set to the tune of the famous Italian song Funiculì, Funiculà.[4]