Mall Madness

Mall Madness is a shopping themed board game released by Milton Bradley (later versions are titled as Electronic Mall Madness). The original game was released in 1988, and an electronic talking version was sold starting in 1989. Milton Bradley updated the game in 1996 with a new design, and another updated version was released in 2004.

Marketing

The game was designed for players aged 9 and up. The targeted consumer was teenage girls, usually 11 to 16 years old. Milton Bradley made several commercials for the game. In one from 1990 the camera showed alternating shots of four girls shopping in a real shopping mall, and playing the game at home. After one girl moves her pawn to the game board's parking lot she exclaims: "I win!" The other three demonstrate dismay at having lost. The commercials last line is "Mall Madness, it's the mall with it all!" Another version has recently been released; a Hannah Montana special edition and a "Littlest Pet Shop Edition". The Hannah Montana version was the first version to picture a male on the front of the box.

Game contents

Mall Madness was sold with the following pieces; Box, game board, electronic computer, instruction manual, four rubber pads to prevent wall pieces from slipping, six plastic wall pieces, four cardboard shopping lists, two sale & one clearance signs, eight plastic pawns (two for each colour; red, blue, yellow and green, one was female the other male), forty plastic pegs (used to mark shopping lists), paper money (that resembles U.S. currency, except each bill denomination is color-coded for the game), four cardboard credit cards, and 29 pieces of cardboard which held the game board together.

The board

The board is a three-dimensional field representing a mall with two stories. The bank and the speaker are located in the center. Some of the stores and locations are on the second floor and can only be reached by stairs or elevator.

Electronic computer

The game featured an electronic computer which dictated game play. Its colour varied from game to game, but was almost always peach or grey. The computer uses four AA alkaline batteries. All computers in the early version of the game were manufactured in the United States, and Milton Bradley copyrighted the computer in 1989. The computers complied with Part 15 of the FCC's rules. The top of the computer featured three buttons; one to start or reset game play, one to begin and end turns, and one to repeat the last announcement. The computer has two voices, one is female, the other male. There are two slots on the computers top. Both of these slots were designed for the credit cards that accompanied the game. One slot was to buy items, the other was to use the banking feature. The 2004 version uses only a female voice.

Money

The game had two components of currency; paper cash and credit cards. These were used together to accomplish the game's objective. Four credit cards were included, one for each player. The names of the credit cards are: Fast Cash, Quick Draw, MEGAmoney, and Easy Money. In the 2004 edition, they were simply known as "cash cards".

Stores

Mall Madness featured eighteen stores:

  • I.M. Coughin Drug Store
  • Suits Me Fine Men's Shop
  • 2 Left Feet Shoes
  • Short Circuit Electronics
  • Yuppy Puppies Pets
  • Scratchy's Records
  • Novel Idea Books
  • Frump's Fashion Boutique
  • The Write Stuff Card Shop
  • Fork It Over Kitchen Store
  • Hokus Focus Cameras
  • Sweaty's Sports
  • Made in the Shade Sunglasses
  • Chip's Computers
  • Ruby's Jewelry
  • DingaLing Phones
  • M.T Wallet's Department Store
  • Tinker's Toys

Players could also visit four other areas:

  • Conehead's Ice Cream
  • Restrooms
  • Vidiots Arcade
  • Aunt Chovie's Pizza

A limited variety of items could be purchased, the most inexpensive being pizza, which is five dollars, and the most expensive is a regular priced exotic parrot, which is two hundred dollars.

Object of the game

The object of the game is to be the first player to purchase six items on the player's shopping list and get back to the parking lot or go to their final destination, depending on the version of the game. For a more challenging game play, the goal could be increased up to ten items in the 1989 and 1996 editions.

Gameplay

The game takes place on a board representing a two-story mall. The game is designed for two to four players. Each player receives $150 ($200 in previous versions) from one player who is designated to be the banker. The banker dispenses cash in the following manner; one $50 bill (two in previous versions), three $20 bills, three $10 bills, and two $5 bills. The first player presses the computer's gameplay button, which directs the player to move a random number of spaces. When arriving at a store, each player can make purchases with a cardboard credit card, and the computer tracks the game play. After the player purchases items with the credit card he/she will pay the banker with the appropriate amount of cash. At the start of each turn, an electronic voice announces a clearance at one store and sales at two others. Players can use these sales to their advantage since it takes up a turn to get to the ATM.

At random intervals, a player may be given a clearance or a sale at a store that does not currently have one. Other times, a player may have to pay an additional fee for the item.

Sometimes, the game will refuse a sale, or will refuse to dispense more cash. Occasionally, the game will randomly instruct players to move to the ATM, the arcade, restrooms, or to various stores.

Once a player gets six of the items on their list, they must be the first to reach their respective parking lot (1989 and 1996) or final destination (which may change at any time). The first person to accomplish this wins the game.

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References
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