Posted by The Three Little Kittens in the old board game by Milton Bradley are on a search to find their lost mittens.
The popular nursery rhyme of the Three Little Kittens was expanded into a board game by Milton Bradley in the early 1900’s. The rhyme was written by Eliza Lee Cabot Follen and quickly became part of the adored Mother Goose collection. It first appeared in Britain in 1833 and ten years later in 1843 was published in America. The rhyme is as follows:
Three little kittens, they have lost their mittens,
And they began to cry.
“Oh mother dear, we sadly fear, our mittens we have lost.”
“What! lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you should have no pie
Mee-ow, mee,ow, mee-ow, now you should have no pie.”
The three little kittens they found their mittens
And they began to cry.
“Oh mother dear, see here, see here, out mittens we have found.”
“Put on your mittens, you silly kittens
And you shall have some pie
Purr, purr, purr, oh let us have some pie.”
The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie.
“Oh mother dear, we greatly fear, our mittens we have soiled.”
“What! Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!”
Then they began to sigh, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,
They began to sigh.
The three little kittens they washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry.
“Oh mother dear, do you not hear, our mittens we have washed.”
“What! Washed your mittens, then you are good kittens
But I smell a rat close by
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, we smell a rat close by.”
The cover of the game is illustrated with the three little kittens crying to their Mother. The board placed inside the box is a winding path in which the kittens (the players) must follow in order to find their lost mittens. The object of the game is to be the first kitten (player) to find his mittens.
The method of determining movement along the small board is a cardboard spinner. The numbers 1 through 4 are pictured, along with the words, “Spin the hand by quick stroke of the finger.” The pieces are round wooden discs.
The game is a simple race game with only a few obstacles. A player begins by spinning four and then chooses one of the two identical paths to move on. Along the paths are spaces which are numbered. If a player lands on one of these spaces they must return to the numbered space before it. There are also white spaces to be found along the path. A player landing on any of these spaces loses two turns.
The black space at the end of the game is where the kittens find their mittens and wins the game. The adorable game of The Three Little Kittens by Milton Bradley demonstrates Bradley’s commitment to producing enjoyable board games. Young children certainly found pleasure in finding the kittens mittens so they could then have some pie.
