Candy Land

1 Overview

Candy Land is a pure luck game for 2–4 players (ages 3+) requiring no reading, counting beyond 1–2, or strategy. Players draw colored cards and advance their token to the nearest matching color on the board. Special picture cards send players to landmark locations, forward or backward.

2 Setup

Shuffle the card deck. Each player places their token at Start. Deal no cards to start, players draw from the deck each turn.

3 Gameplay

On your turn, draw the top card from the deck. Move your token to the nearest space of the matching color ahead of your current position. If the card shows a double color square (two of the same color on the card), advance to the second matching space of that color on the board.

If you draw a picture card (Gramma Nutt, Lolly, etc.), move your token directly to that landmark space, regardless of whether it's ahead or behind you. Landing on a picture space behind you is a significant setback.

4 Special Spaces on the Board

• Sticky spaces (licorice): If you land on a Licorice space, lose your next turn. You're stuck in licorice until your turn comes around again.
• Rainbow Trail / shortcuts: Some editions include shortcut paths. If you land on a space at the foot of a shortcut and it leads forward, take it immediately.
• Picture landmark spaces: Matching the picture card landmark means you're already there, no further movement (draw again next turn).

5 Winning

The first player to reach Candy Castle (the final space on the board) wins. You do not need an exact card, any card that advances you past or to the castle wins the game.

6 History

Candy Land was created in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott, a retired teacher recovering from polio in a San Diego hospital. She designed the game for children who were also recovering from polio, many of whom were bedridden and unable to engage with more complex activities. She submitted it to Milton Bradley, who published it the same year.

The game became one of the best-selling children's games in American history. Its genius is its accessibility: because players only need to match colors (and even that is visual rather than conceptual), it works for children as young as 3. It was one of the first games that many Americans played as children throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

The game's landmark characters (Mr. Mint, Princess Lolly, Gramma Nutt, Plumpy) have been revised several times. The original 1949 board had hand-painted illustrations; modern versions use a more colorful cartoon style. A 2004 update overhauled most characters.