Before MST3k, Joel Hodgson was a prop comic, and he did a bit with Mystery Date during a guest spot on SNL. He stuck his face through the little door and said "He's a dream!" The joke was dependant on the audience remembering this commercial, and believe me, they did. During the 1960s, the Milton Bradley Company produced a series of commercials whose musical hooks and aggressive play rotation assures that my generation will be able to recite them on their deathbed.

Also, the games were pretty cool. Twister, Operation, Easy Money, and The Game of Life are all still considered classics. I don't think little girls still want to play Mystery Date, thank god.

Weirdly, it never occurred to me that Milton Bradley had been the name of a real guy, and it certainly never occurred to me that he had gone into business before the civil war. It was a family company for 124 years, until it was purchased by Hasbro in 1984.

Stand up for yourself, poindexter!