Item SH 860184 Board Games Set - Ace, 'Three Indoor Games', 1940-1945

Summary

Box containing set of three indoor board games: Snakes and Ladders, Tank Attack and Ludo. Used circa 1940-1945.

The Ace trademark was registered by toy manufacturer Theo H. Levy Pty Ltd in 1940. Based in Melbourne and Sydney, the company played a significant role in the Australian toy industry from the 1930s. Its products were distributed by the Consolidated Merchandising Company in Melbourne and Sydney. Ace also issued patterns for toys and dolls during World War II for people to make their own from found materials.

Physical Description

Rectangular cardboard box printed in blue, yellow, green and red depicting three board game cards surrounded by motifs of tanks, a snake and ladder and a spinning top. Box contains three games. Snakes and Ladders is a red and grey checkerboard, interspersed with black snakes highlighted in yellow and green, and yellow ladders. Images on squares include trucks, planes and people undertaking various physical activities. The Ludo board consists of a series of geometric patterns and squares, divided into quarters that are respectively red, green, yellow and blue. Tank Attack has a green background with a yellow pathway winding through it, divided into 100 squares, with occasional images of tanks and planes in battle, and inscriptions such as 'Gas attack by enemy return to 40' and 'Casualties from bombs miss three turns'.