Tiddleywinks
- Object:
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Ilkeston Toys Ltd (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
[boxes (containers)] Colour printed paper and card
[playing pieces] Coloured wood and plastic
- Credit Line:
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
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Tiddlywinks can be traced back to late Victorian times when it was a popular parlour game for adults. The earliest patent application for the game was filed by Joseph Assheton Fincher in 1888, and the subsequent trademark application filed in 1889.
The aim of the game is to flick small counters or "winks" into a cup at the centre of the board using a large counter called a "squidger". The counters in this set are made from plastic but in the past they have been made from a range of materials including wood, bone, and metal.
Physical description
[boxes (containers)] Red card box with paper label on lid showing two clowns playing Tiddleywinks against a blue background.
[playing pieces] Collection of 93 counters in different colours. There are three sizes, small, medium, and large.
[playing cup] Grey plastic playing cup with three stripes around the centre.
[playing board] Card playing board cut to fit inside base of box with a hole in the centre for the playing cup. The board is divided into four sections, red, blue, green, and yellow. The green and blue sections are numbered 2, and the red and yellow sections are numbered 4.
Place of Origin
England, Great Britain (made)
Date
1930's (made)
Artist/maker
Ilkeston Toys Ltd (maker)
Materials and Techniques
[boxes (containers)] Colour printed paper and card
[playing pieces] Coloured wood and plastic
Dimensions
[boxes (containers)] Length: 12.8 cm, Width: 10.2 cm, Depth: 5.3 cm
[playing pieces] Diameter: 3.2 cm largest counter, Depth: 0.2 cm largest counter, Diameter: 1.4 cm smallest counter, Depth: 0.1 cm smallest counter
[playing cup] Height: 3.8 cm, Diameter: 4.5 cm at top
[playing board] Width: 12 cm, Depth: 9.5 cm, Height: 4 cm
Object history note
Tiddlywinks was a popular Victorian parlour game for adults and children.
The earliest patent application for the game was filed by Joseph Assheton Fincher in 1888, and the subsequent trademark application filed in 1889.
Descriptive line
Boxed game of Tiddleywinks made in England by the Chad Valley Company in the 1930s
Materials
Paper; Card; Plastic; Wood
Techniques
Colour printing; Moulding
Subjects depicted
Clowns
Categories
Children & Childhood; Games
Production Type
Mass produced
Collection code
MoC
