Simpsons Board Games

The animated series The Simpson’s first aired in the USA in December 1989. Prior to this it had appeared as a short sketch as part of The Tracey Ullman Show. The popularity and adulation of the show was amazing and due to its popularity (at time of writing it is in its 19th season and has a feature length film) it is no surprise that The Simpson’s has been made into many types of board games. This article will look at some of the more popular Simpson’s board games presently available.

Simpson’s Monopoly

The Simpson’s Monopoly sees players purchasing property in Springfield setting of The Simpson’s. The board is themed right down to the playing pieces which feature Kang (space alien), Blinky (3-eyed fish), Bart (in his go-cart), Homer (dressed as the Monorail conductor), Santa's Little Helper (The Simpson’s dog) and Jebediah Springfield. Players can try to become as powerful as Mr Burns as they buy up various Springfield landmarks. The main difference between Monopoly and The Simpson’s Monopoly is there are no houses or hotels, these have been replaced by monorail stops and stations. The Chance and Community Chest cards are all customised to make this a Simpson’s board game experience that is fun for everyone. There is also a horror version of The Simpson’s Monopoly available called Simpson’s Tree House of Horrors Monopoly.

Simpson’s Scrabble

The Simpson’s Scrabble features new rules and a board featuring some clever additions. Rather than featuring just the scrabble tiles, The Simpson’s Scrabble also features Simpson’s Scrabble Cards which are utilised during play to either hold up your opponents turn or help you with yours. The board features the characters from the show and special word score squares in unusual places (by comparison to the original Scrabble). As well as all this players can also play special words straight from the show via the special glossary that is included. Great fun for two to four players.

The Simpson’s Clue

Clue or Cluedo as it’s also known features a special playing board with the Simpson’s theme. Locations, characters and weapons all feature from the Simpson’s universe. Chief Wiggum, Springfield’s favourite incompetent cop finds Mr Burns has been killed. All of your favourite Simpson’s characters are there, with the names slightly changed to fit in with the Cluedo universe. Mrs Peacock is Marge, Mr Green is Homer, Professor Plum is Bart, Miss Scarlett is Lisa, Colonel Mustard is Krusty the Clown and amusingly Mrs White is none other than Waylon Smithers. The playing pieces are adorable and the weaponry too has been changed to mirror the Simpson’s, these include a poisoned doughnut, plutonium rod from the power plant, an extendo glove, pearl necklace, slingshot and a saxophone. Easy to learn and play and sticking with the Cluedo rules, this is a brilliant game for three to six players.

The Simpson’s Operation

Homer Simpson is in trouble and he needs a steady hand to save him in The Simpson’s Operation. This is essentially the classic game of Operation, but with a Simpson’s twist. Cavity Sam is replaced by Homer and his ailments include bowlers thumb (which sees a bowling pin being removed from his thumb) and pot belly (a sauce pot in his stomach area), foot in mouth (a foot removed from his mouth). All of the ailments differ from the original Operation, but the game is the same. Players must remove the offending pieces without touching the sides and completing the circuit, thus leading to a yelp from poor Homer. Great fun and recommended for ages 6 and older, though younger children are also capable of playing under adult supervision.