Women have been hunted ...

I resisted as long as I could (about 15 minutes) but just had to share The Manhunt Scarf. It comes to us from Mystery Date, via Gawker, so I'm not taking an iota of credit.

The Manhunt scarf is just that, a silk scarf that probably was a premium made available to readers of Mademoiselle Magazine. It's about 23 inches square, made of white, pink and black silk, with a 1963 copyright by Condé Nast Publications. But this was more than a mere fashion accessory. You see, the Manhunt scarf was meant to be used as a game board. The instructions, printed as part of the border, are simple: "Take one die, any number of girls, and toss. Use shells, pebbles, anything small for markers. First girl home is first girl married." But the way to "Home & Him" is fraught with potential pitfalls, thus saving Manhunt from being one dull game. "You didn't put your perfume on this morning. Back to GO," reads one square. Then again, maybe spine-tingling excitement isn't the game's strongpoint. I, of course, prefer the more Freudian illustrations to the somewhat schoolmarm-ish text. Take for example this drawing adjacent to a space marked "You broil a great hotdog. Ahead 1." I mean, I think this would be enough to send certain, less secure men packing. Most of the sentiments involved are not surprising for their time ("He's invited you for breakfast. Back 5."). But others show a more liberal attitude: "You're studying aeronautical engineering" garners the player a one-square advance, while "He's in his first year at medical school," loses her two.

Thanks, Mom, for being there, so I could be here. Please note this is not part of the Valentine's Day series.