1950 Edward Smith Manufacturing Pictorial Game Map of the United States

This is a c. 1950 Edward Smith Manufacturing Company pictorial game map of the United States. Called 'The Flying Donkey Game' and played in much the same manner as pin the tail on the donkey, each player used one of the airplanes printed to the right (presumably cut out beforehand), was blindfolded, spun around, and pinned their airplane to the map. Depending on where the airplane landed, the player would act out the nearest action to the nose of the airplane, of which each state had its own. Among these actions are 'walk a straight line on tiptoes', 'don't let anyone make you smile', and 'howl like a hound dog'. Unfortunately, some actions, such as 'put real action into an Indian war dance' and 'ask a question using only sign language' (which is illustrated using Native American smoke signals) have not aged well. This game was marketed toward parents of young children as a party activity.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by the Edward Smith Manufacturing Company c. 1950. This is the only known cataloged example. We note at least two different editions of this game, neither of which are dated.