Tennis’ prominent place in popular culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries raised interest in tennis-themed games and toys for both children and adults.
The boom of new toys and games was driven, in part, by the rising popularity of child psychology from the 1920s – 1960s, which highlighted the concept of play as an important factor in human development. Puzzles, board games, dolls, and card games were just a few of the types of novelties offered to tennis fans who wanted to experience the game off the court.
This phenomenon of staying connected to tennis while not on the court persists to the current day.
BOARD GAMES
TIDDLYWINKS
Tiddledy-Wink (or Tiddlywinks) began as an adult parlor game in Victorian England in the late 1880s and was popular through the 1890s and into the early 20th century. Numerous manufacturers produced variations of the game in order to meet the expanding demands of the marketplace. It is still a current way to play tennis at home.
Tennis Tiddledy-Wink
E.I. Horsman (American), 1890
Tiddlytennis
Townsend Croquet Ltd. (British), 1990
CARD GAMES
Card games for children first appeared in the late 18th century and were typically designed to encourage congenial play rather than gambling. They also emphasized counting, matching skills, and basic literacy.
SNAP
First introduced by British company John Jaques & Son Ltd. in 1866, SNAP is a matching game. Though it can be played with ordinary playing cards, custom decks were produced by a variety of manufacturers around the world.
Unknown maker (German), ca. 1900
Tennis: The Smashing Card Game
A player (or team) use cards they are dealt from the Play Deck to try to win the point. This card game scores just like the sport of tennis, and players must win by a two-game margin—no tie-breaks.
Parker Brothers (American), 1975
Old Maid
This card game evolved from a drinking game in the late Victorian Era and is part of a family of card games called “scapegoat” games, where the goal is to avoid having a particular card in one’s hand. Old Maid often featured comical, grotesque, or colorful characters. This deck features a pair of cards titled “Mrs. Racket.”
Unknown maker, ca. 1900
MatchPlay: Tennis Trivia Anyone?
Players compete to win “sets” by answering trivia questions correctly to spell out “Match Play” on the score sheet.
Unknown maker (American), ca. 1999
HANDHELD GAMES
Handheld Game
Handheld dexterity or skill games, with their simple design have endured since the 19th century, fascinating and challenging adults and children alike.
Unknown maker (German), ca. 1920
Tomytronics Tennis
This classic electronic game is the original Tomytronics Tennis by Tomy Toys that could be played by one or two players. If played solo, it has three difficulty settings. This game requires four (4) C batteries to operate.
Tomy Toys (Japanese), 1980
ABC Wide World of Sports Handheld Tennis Game
This handheld electronic game has dual controls so a player could play singles against the computer or a friend, or even team up with a friend to play doubles against the computer.
Excalibur Electronics, Inc. (America), 1995
DOLLS
PUZZLES
Jigsaw puzzles have been in existence since 1760. Their original design consisted of maps mounted to wood and dissected along national borders to teach children about geography. Cardboard as a substrate was introduced in the late 1800s. Now featuring colorful imagery and simple-to-hard shapes, jigsaw puzzles have remained a popular form of entertainment.
Mathematical Picture Puzzle
This chromolithographic puzzle features pieces with multiplication equations on their backs, and a board with German phrases and the answers.
Unknown maker (German), ca. 1910
Victorian Wooden Block Puzzle
Comprised of 24 blocks with a different image on each side, children could complete six different puzzles, including the lawn tennis scene pictured here.
Unknown maker, ca. 1880
International Tennis Hall of Fame Ball Can Collection
This jigsaw puzzle, exclusive to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, features an image of our iconic wall of antique tennis ball cans on exhibit in the museum. The colorful display showcases different types of tennis ball containers and how they've changed over decades.
NY Puzzle Company (American), ca. 2019
