Vintage Japanese Menko Cards

Menko is an old Japanese game where players take turns tossing cards on the ground. If one player is successful in flipping another's card, she gets to picks up both. The winner is the one with the most cards at the conclusion of the game.

Menko cards are typically made from thick paperboard material. They can be round or rectangular and have printing on one or both sides. They are usually illustrated with images that are popular in the culture. This set of cards features cartoon characters from the late 1930s and early '40s. Included in the group is Doc and a couple forest animals from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The cards vary is size. Popeye is the largest at 4" (10 cm) across. The others all measure about 2.25" (6 cm) and appear to be unauthorized reproductions of Disney characters: Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Hiawatha, Mickey Mouse, and a couple of the Three Little Pigs.

Fournier Blancanieves Card Game from Spain

A Snow White card game by Heraclio Fournier of Vittoria, Spain. Two to six players; 32 cards + one rules card. For ages 3 and up. Spanish language text. Dates from 1980s.

Another printing from 1992, issued by Naipes-Fournier.

Four suits of eight cards:

• Red

• Blue

• Yellow

• Green

Vintage Dopey Playing Cards

Dopey Playing Cards, a complete 52 card standard size deck, plus one joker and a "Contract Bridge Scoring" card. Dates from 1937. Pack no. 56. Made in USA by Western. "© W.D. Ent." Packaged in box.

Biancaneve Card Game from Italy

Snow White card game produced by Dal Negro of Treviso, Italy. Includes four suits with 32 cards total. Dates from circa 1980s. Copyright Walt Disney Productions.

Kwartet Card Game from the Netherlands

Quartets (kwartet) is a card game from the Netherlands that is similar in play to Go Fish. The deck of 32 consists of eight face cards (Snow White, Prince, Witch, Huntsman, Dopey, Grumpy, Doc, and Sleepy) in four color suits (red, green, yellow, and blue). The character's names are printed in both Dutch (or English) and French. The game was produced by Jumbo International in Amsterdam. The company's red elephant logo is seen in a repeating pattern on the back side of each card. The winner of the game is the one with the most sets of four (quarts). The Snow White artwork on the card faces dates from the 1990s.

Special thanks to Dirk at HET Verzameloord for sharing his images and information.

Nichiten Seven Dwarfs Playing Cards from Japan

A deck of Seven Dwarfs playing cards manufactured in Japan by Nichiten Company Ltd. Housed in a hinged plastic case. Measures 89mm x 58mm. Original retail price $4.50. Possibly dates from 1990s.

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Another Nichiten printing of the Seven Dwarfs deck.

1940 Biancaneve Card Game

A Snow White card game was produced by Modiano S.A.I.C. of Trieste, Italy. Dates from circa 1940. The box consists of two decks of 45 cards each and a rules booklet. Cards measure 5.7 x 8.6 cm. Slipcase is 12.2 x 9 cm.

Image via Little Nemo Auction House.

Arithmetic Card Game from USSR

Printed in the former USSR, this children's math game dates from 1987. There are 44 cards and 22 images--each is divided between two cards. Players find the two parts of the picture, place them together, and add the total number of characters that appear in the whole image.

The illustrations were created by artist Vrublevskiy, and at first glance, they appear to be generic renderings of classic fairytales, nursery rhymes, and children's stories, including the Wizard of Oz, Three Little Pigs, and Pied Piper.

One image, however, stands out within the group. Rather than depicting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in a nonspecific illustration, the artist instead chose to recreate the actual Disney characters, probably without official licensing.

Two cards placed together measure 5.3" x 3.7" (13.3 x 9.5cm). The correct sum for each pair is printed on the back side.

Special thanks to William Stillman for the heads-up on this one.

Pepys Snow White Card Game by Castell, c.1950

According to author Rex Pitts at The World of Playing Cards, the Castell Brothers company of London was founded in 1878. They sold a range of stationery items and greeting cards referred to as 'Pepys Parchment'. In the late 1930s, with the immense popularity of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the paper company decided to get in on the action by producing a game.

Their 1937 Snow White card game would be the first of many in the Pepys Series. In 1939, more were released including Mickey's Fun Fair and Shuffled Symphonies. Both featured a mix of Disney characters including Snow White.

Then around 1950, still another Snow White game (below) was issued. The deck contains 44 cards measuring 3.5" x 2.25". The character cards (for Snow White, the Prince, Queen, Witch, and Huntsman) are made up of three suits (red, blue, and yellow) and are numbered 1-11.

Snow White's forest friends are found on the back.

The fourth suit is made up of the Dwarfs, numbered 1-11.

Several online sites mistakenly state that this Snow White deck was produced around 1938-39. Yet, information provided on the Rules booklet helps us narrow down the actual year of production. When the very first set of Pepys Snow White cards was issued by Castell Brothers in 1937-38, their London offices were located at 5 Bridewell Place. They would later move to 9/12 Bow Street, the same address that is printed on this booklet. Then in 1950, Castell Brothers was bought out and their offices moved to St. Cross St, Hatton Garden in London. So we know this booklet was printed much later than 1937 but before the address change of 1950 took effect. Author Rex Pitts states that this Snow White game was issued around 1951. It's possible the booklet could have been printed before the move, but the deck released after.

Another clue is the list of games on the back of the booklet. They all date from the late 1940s and the start of the 1950s, clearly placing our Snow White deck in this same time frame.

The object of the game is to avoid taking tricks containing Witch or Dwarf cards, which count against the holder. The game ends when one player has totaled 200 points. The winner is the player with the lowest score.

The cards came in a blue box with Snow and the gang on one side, Dopey on the other.

However, I recently purchased a deck that came in a brown box with advertising for Paynes Nut & Raisin Poppets. It's possible the game was part of a promotional campaign with the poppet manufacturer.

These cards don't show up very often, though they are listed in The Collectors Encyclopedia of Disneyana by David Longest and Michael Stern, p.146, Collector Books, 1992.

Image via The Collectors Encyclopedia of Disneyana

See the other Snow White-related card games by Castell Brothers:

• 1937 Snow White
• 1939 Mickey's Fun Fair
• 1939 Shuffled Symphonies