Concentration/Merchandise

These are the many products/merchandise/goods that were brought to us due to the success of Concentration.

Board games

The Milton Bradley Company introduced the first commercial version of Concentration in 1958 and subsequently released 24 editions of the game until 1982. (Owing to common superstition, these releases were numbered 1-12 and 14-25, skipping 13.) It was tied with Password as the most prolific of Milton Bradley's home versions of popular game shows, and was produced well after the Jack Narz era ended in 1978. In 1988, Pressman published a single edition of the Classic Concentration home game. And in 1998, Endless Games released a new home version of Concentration to celebrate the show's 40th Anniversary with a red viewer window and classic prize cards from 1958; they re-released the game in 2002 with a clear window and updated prize cards. The Endless versions were modeled similar to the Classic Concentration home games with a 25-square board and rebuses designed by Steve Ryan, who created puzzles for Classic Concentration.

The Concentration Refills

There was another cover of this same edition.

Here's the Classic Concentration board game.

One version of this had a red viewer window while another version of this same edition used a clear one.

Group Columns (Milton Bradley era only)

MB Editions 1-6

MB Editions 7-12

MB Editions 14-19 (no 13th edition MB games you know)

MB Editions 20-25 (edition 21 is missing in action)

Video & Computer games

• In the summers of 1988 and 1989 respectively, Sharedata/Softie released two computer editions of Classic Concentration for the IBM-PC, Apple II and Commodore 64/128 computer systems; an NES version of the game was released in 1990 by GameTek.

NES Article (GameTek)

• In addition to the release for IBM-PC, Apple II and Commodore 64/128 computer systems, it was also released in a "Double Pack" along with Card Sharks as well. Plus, the game was also released as a "Triple Pack" in 1989 alongside Card Sharks and (The All New) Family Feud.

• In 2007, Reflexive Arcade released a downloadable version of Concentration based on the Classic Concentration format and bonus round with newer puzzles and prizes.

Handheld game

Tiger Electronics marketed a hand-held version of the game in 1999, complete with the Narz-era theme and the 1960s-1978 logo. Like the Orson Bean pilot, you matched words rather than prizes to reveal puzzle pieces from a 16-square board with no Wild cards. There was also a bonus round which required matching symbols; the more symbols matched, the more bonus points. The relatively low-resolution screen meant the rebus puzzles were usually oversimplified.

Mobile game

In 2008, Glu Mobile released a mobile version of Concentration based on the PC downloadable version with the look of the original 1958-1973 series.

Video Slot Machine

A Video Slot Machine Game based on the 1958-1973 version was released to american casinos nationwide by Bally Gaming Systemsin 2002. (NOTE: It was once part of their "Cash for Life" series of slot machines.)

Books

• There were also books based on the TV shows. Three issues for the original were released in 1971, written and designed by Norman Blumenthal. Each issue of this collection featured 36 rebus puzzles, 30 standard and six "super" puzzles.

• In 1991 the book Classic Concentration: The Game, the Show, the Puzzles was created by puzzle designer Steve Ryan. This book showcased 152 full color rebuses designed from the Classic Concentration TV show with the first 48 of them simply showing the entire, exposed rebus and the other 104 showing a partially revealed game board, followed on the next page by the entire rebus. The answers are in the back and, curiously, indexed alphabetically. The book also showcased a lengthy Concentration history and an introduction by executive producer Mark Goodson.

Online Game

Courtesy of Flashgames, this was based on the bonus round from Classic Concentration where you had to match seven cars in three different versions such as: "Regular", "Fantasy" & "Dream" where also you were allowed to set your time limit and create your own set of cars.

Cancelled Merchandise

GameTek (1993)

Video games based on the 1987-91 version were going to be made for the SNES, Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear by GameTek in 1993, but all those games were cancelled.

UbiSoft (2012)

Video game versions of Concentration, using the formats of the 1958, 1973 and 1987 versions, were planned for the Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation 3 and XBox 360 by UbiSoft in 2012, but the project was cancelled and never got off the ground.

Video Gallery

Concentration home game ad, 1967

Concentration home game ad, 1967