The Shopping Center Game

 I picked this game up at an estate sale a few months ago.  You wouldn't know it to look at the state of shopping centers today, but there was a time when they were booming and the place to be.  After World War II and with the rise of the suburbs, shopping centers began to sprout up meeting the needs of growing families.   This Whitman game from 1957 is a reflection of those times and allowed, if not encouraged, children to emulate their consumer parents.  The object of the game is to navigate your shopping cart to each of the 6 stores -- Bakery, Toy Store, Clothing store, Grocery store, Ice Cream and Candy store, and Book store -- picking up an item at each store and returning to your home base.  I liked the graphics and the stories they tell.

I'm not sure of the motivation of the gentleman weighing down the scale as the woman looks on, horrified at her additional poundage:

I can't be sure, but I believe the dog being pursued by the catcher below has left behind a trap:

The balloon man has created quite a bit strife in the lives of a number of parents and their children.  From the boy who's not allowed a balloon, to the boy losing the ballon causing the loss of groceries in his mother's bag, to the popped balloon at the mercy of it's owner's mother's foot, mirroring the deflated tire she's just discovered.  Not a good day all around.

Adding to the bad day, one gentleman backs into a lamp while a lady discovers she has lost her car keys, much to the chagrin of the bag boy balancing her week's supply of groceries.

I take back what I said earlier.  I don't think this game was really promoting shopping.  Actually, I think it may in fact be the best example of why online shopping exists.