That's right - the classic Hasbro game many of us grew up with and thus think is actually a good first board game, Candy Land, will be coming to a theater near you. It would be a great project for Spike Jonze to sink his teeth into, if he weren't tied up in knots over Where the Wild Things Are. Instead, Universal Studios has Kevin Lima slated to direct, whose previous credits include Enchanted, the animated Tarzan, and 102 Dalmatians. Screenwriter Etan Cohen, an errant "h" away from greatness, wrote the scripts for Tropic Thunder and Madagascar 2. There's a bit more, but not much, in Variety. I'd say the game could make a fantastic movie, particularly because the story requirements imposed by the game are so underwhelming. Even the 1980s animated film Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure seems to get positive parent reviews.

The above photo brings on a nice wave of nostalgia in me, how about you?

Little-known fact: Candy Land was created by a woman (Eleanor Abbott) who was recovering from polio, as a diversion for children who were struck with the disease. Milton Bradley came out with the game in 1949. In other words, if polio had terrorized the U.S. in the second half of the 20th century instead of the first, Candy Land probably wouldn't exist. But then again, I'd argue that even the worst television cartoons are more educational than Candy Land. It was one of the first "board games" for young kids, and in that sense it's a milestone, but we've seen far better games that help teach kids to take turns and "play a board game" in the decades since. Successful game developers now realize that games of skill can be scaled to any age, based on developmental challenges children face at different ages, rather than fading off into pure randomness. The world of Candy Land is a world in which we have no choices. Even toddlers can make choices.

But back to the candy. Here's another one of Bryan Kennedy's Candy Land shots:


There's also a Candy Land group on Flickr. It appears it was initially created to celebrate the game, but broadened in scope to be a celebration of candy itself. There are a few rough patches, but if you flip around a bit you'll see that there were not actually simply two versions of this game - the "classic" version and the indulgent, sticky-looking update you now see in stores - but went through several evolutionary steps, both in the board graphics and the player pieces.



I find this whole topic particularly interesting on a day spent thinking about an upcoming doctor's visit for Z, and received multiple recommendations to let the kid have lots of candy before, during, and after. Studies apparently show that the sugar or the love of candy can be not just a suitable reward for bravery, but can actually help suppress the pain response in young children. I'm a bit fuzzy on the details of all this, but it's good enough for me - I can seriously imagine Z having fewer issues with the needle if she's sucking on a piece of chocolate or a lollipop at the time, especially since she's training herself not to suck her thumb at the moment, with great success. (More on that on The Tranquil Parent next week.)

Need more of a candy fix? Check out the 1932 cartoon "Candy Town" on Punnybop, where eating lots of candy can have disastrous consequences!