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Hasbro kills Colonel Mustard in the corporate office with the marketing ploy

A facelift for Clue(do)

American toy and game giant Hasbro has given Clue(do) an overhaul, murdering Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, and the rest of the 60-year-old board game's famous cast of characters.

As reported by The BBC in Britain and National Public Radio in the States, designers have updated the classic murder mystery game for a "modern audience." In other words, it's no longer classic.

Clue(do) now takes place in a mansion with a spa and a home theater where the rich and famous have gathered for some sort of in-crowd shindig. Military man Colonel Mustard is now Jack Mustard, a former footballer. The studious Professor Victor Plum is now a video game designer and dot.com millionaire. And the cook, Mrs. White, has departed in favor of child star Diana White.

Plus, the lead pipe has disappeared, replaced by a trophy and a dumbbell. And the revolver is now a pistol.

Created by a Birmingham, England solicitor's clerk and part-time clown named Anthony Pratt, Cluedo made its UK debut in 1949. The name played off the traditional British board game Ludo, and since Ludo means nothing to Americans, Cluedo was re-dubbed Clue when it hit the States.

The game was originally released by the Leeds-based Waddingtons, which was bought by Hasbro in 1984.

What does Hasbro have to say for itself? "We wanted something that the mom or dad who's bringing home for the family [could say], 'This is what I remember, and this is what I want to play with my kids,'" game designer Rob Daviau tells NPR. "At the same time, we wanted something the kids would feel like it belonged to them. And this is something that's very appealing to them. So we tried to blend those two worlds. It plays like Clue, it feels like Clue, but it just feels like Clue that would have been created in the 21st century." ®

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