Candyland is a classic board game for two to four years childrens. Players use cards to move their game pieces along a rainbow path. The path leads to fun places such as Peppermint Forest and Lollipop Palace. The person who gets to the Candy Castle first wins the game!
The cards are colourful and fun for kids as the players race to be the first one to reach King Kandy’s Castle to win! Candyland is a board game that children have loved for generations. The game is easy to learn and play, and it helps children develop their counting and colour-recognition skills.
What is Candyland?
Candyland is a classic board game created in 1949 by Eleanor Abbott, a schoolteacher recovering from polio. She wanted to make a fun game for sick kids to enjoy and feel happier. The game was first published by Milton Bradley in 1949 and has since been produced by Hasbro. The game has undergone several changes, but the basic gameplay and theme have remained the same.
Candyland Rules
Objective
The objective of Candyland is to be the first player to reach the end of the board, which is the Candy Castle. The game is designed for 2 to 4 players but can also be played with just one player and a “ghost” player.
Components
- A Candy Land game board displaying the path to the Candy Castle and various candy-themed areas.
- Four gingerbread man pawns in different colours: red, blue, green, and yellow.
- A deck of 64 cards with either one or two coloured squares or a picture of a character or a location.
- A spinner has six coloured sections: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
Setup
First, to set up the game, unfold the game board and place it on a flat surface. Each player chooses a coloured gingerbread man pawn and puts it in the starting space with the rainbow at the beginning of the board.
To set up Candyland, follow these candyland instructions for setting up:
- Unfold the game board and place it on a flat surface.
- Each player chooses a gingerbread man pawn and puts it in the start space with a rainbow.
- Shuffle the deck of cards and place it face down next to the board.
- The youngest player goes first, and the play continues clockwise.
Next, shuffle the deck of Candyland cards and place them face down in a stack next to the board. The youngest player goes first, and the play continues clockwise.
How to Play Candyland Board Game
Gameplay
On your turn, draw the top card from the deck and move your pawn to the next space that matches the colour on the card. If you draw a double color card, you can move your pawn to the next space that matches that colour twice. For example, if you draw a dual blue card, you get to move your pawn two blue spaces.
Special Spaces
There are a few unique spaces on the board that players should be aware of:
- Rainbow Trail: If you land on a space with a rainbow trail, you get to move your pawn to the end of the rainbow trail, skipping all the areas in between.
- Gumdrop Pass: If you land on a space with a gumdrop, you get to move your pawn to the next space with a gumdrop, skipping all the spaces in between.
- Molasses Swamp: If you land on a space with a molasses swamp, you must stay there until you draw a card that matches the space’s colour. Once you draw the matching card, you can move your pawn to the next space.
- Licorice Space: If you land on a space with a liquorice, you must skip your next turn.
- Candy Cane Forest: If you land on a space with a candy cane, you get to move your pawn to the next space with a candy cane, skipping all the spaces in between.
To play Candyland, follow these rules of the Candyland board game:
- The first player spins the spinner and looks at the colour of the spinner. The player then moves their pawn to the next space on the board that matches that colour. For example, if the spinner shows red, the player moves their pawn to the next red space on the board.
- If the spinner shows purple, the player can choose any colour they want and move their pawn to the next space of that colour on the board.
- If the player lands on a space that has a picture of a character or a location, such as Princess Frostine or the Lollipop Woods,
- The player must move their pawn to the space on the board that matches that picture, even if it is ahead or behind them on the board. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on where the picture is on the board.
- If the player lands on a space with a rainbow trail, a gumdrop, or a candy cane, the player can follow the shortcut to the end of that feature, skipping all the spaces in between. This can help the player get closer to the Candy Castle faster.
- If the player lands on a space with a liquorice or a molasses swamp, the player must stay there until they spin the same colour as that space or until another player lands on the same space and frees them. This can slow down the player and make them lose their turn.
- The player’s turn ends after they move their pawn. The next player then spins the spinner and repeats the same steps.
- The game continues until one player reaches the Candy Castle at the end of the board. The player who comes to the Candy Castle first wins the tournament! Congratulations!
Winning
The first player to reach the Candy Castle at the end of the board wins the game! If you draw a card that would move you past the Candy Castle, you can only move to the last space before the castle and wait for your next turn to draw a card that will allow you to enter the castle.
Candyland is a game that takes players on a journey through a magical land of candy and sweets. The game board depicts a winding path that leads to the Candy Castle, where King Kandy, the lost king of Candyland, awaits.
Play with a “Ghost” Player
If you’re playing with just one child, add a “ghost” player to make the game more challenging. The adult can control the ghost player or be a stuffed animal or toy. The ghost player follows the same rules as the other players and can even win the game.
Variations of Candyland
There are a few variations of Candyland that you can try to mix things up:
Candyland Castle Game
In this variation, players must collect all six coloured keys before entering the Candy Castle. The keys are hidden throughout the board and can be found by landing on specific spaces. Once a player has all six keys, they can enter the castle and win the game.
Candyland Memory Game
In this variation, players must match the colours on the cards to the colours on the board. They get to move their pawn to the matching space if they make a match. If they don’t make a match, they have to stay in their current space. The first player to reach the Candy Castle wins the game.
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FAQs
How long does Candyland take to play?
It depends on the number of players and the luck of the cards, but usually, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to play a game of Candyland.
How old must you be to play Candyland?
Candyland is suitable for children aged three and up, but younger children may need help from an adult or an older sibling to play the game.
What are the benefits of playing Candyland?
Candyland is a fun and educational game that helps children develop their counting and colour recognition skills, as well as their imagination and social skills. The play also teaches children about taking turns, following rules, and coping with winning and losing.
What are some variations of Candyland?
There are many ways to make Candyland more fun and challenging, such as:
- Use a dice instead of a spinner to determine the colour to move.
- Add more cards with pictures or double colours, or remove some to change the game’s odds.
- We were playing in teams or pairs and cooperating or competing with each other.
- Make up your rules or characters, and create your stories about Candyland.
