How the Timeless American Game of Twister Transitioned From Controversial to Record-Setting

Sixty years prior, Johnny Carson and Eva Gabor engaged in a game of Twister on the “Tonight Show,” leading the public to feel encouraged to purchase the contentious game

Left hand, blue. Right foot, red. Recognize that? These are among the directions you may encounter when participating in the extremely popular party game known as Twister.

The concept for the game, launched in 1966 by Milton Bradley, originated from an inventor named Reyn Guyer. While employed at his father’s business, Guyer devised the game as a marketing tool for Johnson Wax shoe polish’s back-to-school initiative. He envisioned players standing and maneuvering on a mat decorated with colored spaces, to showcase the shoe polish hues while also impeding their rivals’ movements.

“At that time, it was considered innovative for players to be used as the game pieces themselves,” remarks Yve Colby, curator at the National Museum of American History’s Division of Home and Community Life and a specialist in toys and games.

Although Johnson Wax ultimately rejected the game, Guyer remained committed to the concept. He later recruited two game designers, Charles Foley and Neil Rabens, to assist in enhancing the product. Mirek Stolee, curator of board games and puzzles at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, explains that research indicates Rabens’ primary input was getting players to place their hands and feet on the board, while Foley is credited with the layout of colored dots in rows instead of random distributions on the mat. The team then presented the game, initially called Pretzel, to Milton Bradley.

The game’s simple components, consisting merely of a mat, spinner, and the players themselves, appealed to Milton Bradley. However, during production, Colby notes the name was altered to Twister to differentiate it from a dog toy called Pretzel.

The public’s reaction to Twister

Though it is now recognized as a beloved game, upon its debut in April 1966, Twister faced considerable criticism; several reviewers labeled it “sex in a box.” Seen as too risqué due to its focus on the closeness of the players, it was turned down by prominent toy retailers such as Sears.

This all changed on May 3, 1966, when comedian and “The Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson, along with Hungarian American actress and socialite Eva Gabor, played Twister on the widely watched late-night show. Both were captivated by the mat when it was presented and soon found themselves twisting and bending on live television.

“Mel Taft, who led development at Milton Bradley, arranged for the game to be showcased on the Johnny Carson Show,” Guyer recounted to the Guardian’s Nancy Groves in a 2014 interview. “Carson was lured onto the Twister mat to play live with Eva Gabor, dressed in a notably low-cut gown. The following morning, Mel found himself standing in a 50-person line at Abercrombie & Fitch, rumored to have Twister in stock.”

Twister’s fame surged, and within the following year, over three million units of the game were sold.

“This was a critical moment for the game that might not have evolved into what it is today without its appearance on the show,” states Colby. “It certainly alters Twister’s narrative.”

The rise of Twister

In the ensuing decades, the game continued to rise in popularity, becoming a staple in many households throughout the ’70s and ’80s. Promoted extensively in commercials and advertised as “the game that ties you up in knots,” Twister enchanted individuals of all ages, often presented as gifts for children on occasions like birthdays and Christmas. It appeared on Games magazine’s “Top 100 Games” list in 1980, ’81, and ’82.

By 1987, Heidi Bailey was well aware of the game’s charm when she helped orchestrate another impactful event in its history. An alum and marketing professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Bailey was then merely a student with an idea after observing a story about a school in New York hosting a record-setting Twister tournament.

“So I thought, ‘Hey, it would be so entertaining to get everyone involved,’” she reminisces.

Bailey collaborated with her yearbook staff and Milton Bradley to arrange and promote another record-breaking Twister event, this time at UMass Amherst.

During this period, campus-wide anti-CIA protests led by activists Abbie Hoffman and Amy Carter, the daughter of former President Jimmy Carter, were underway. Many criticized the students for uniting in organization, Bailey recalls, and she hoped that this massive Twister gathering could alter those views.

“We were determined, ‘No, we can accomplish this. We can gather everyone and host this enjoyable event,’” she states.

The game planning spanned several months, and Bailey recalls implementing imaginative marketing strategies to promote it.

“We had a VCR tape of Back to the Future playing in the student union. We kept that on in the background,” she explains. “It drew people in, after which we could inform them about [the game]. They would then recruit their friends to join too.”

The yearbook group even reached out to a nearby auto dealership, convincing its owners to paint Twister dots on the cars in their parking lot to further promote the event.

Their dedication bore fruit on May 2, 1987, when UMass Amherst set a Guinness World Record for the most participants in a single game of Twister, with 4,160 players.

“Everything went exceptionally well. It was a lovely, sunny day. They literally tossed me into the pond,” Bailey recalls.

Their record remains unbroken to this day.

A revival on “The Tonight Show”—and the diverse iterations of the game

In 2016, marking Twister’s 50th anniversary, “The Tonight Show” showcased the game once more. This occasion featured host Jimmy Fallon and actress Kristen Stewart introducing an amusing variation: Jell-O shots. Fallon presented an image of the classic 1966 game, inviting Stewart to join his new version.

“It follows the same rules as Twister, only with a Jell-O shot for each color,” Fallon explained. With a third individual calling out the commands, the two twisted and bent while consuming Jell-O shots for a few moments; Stewart ultimately came out on top.

The risqué aspect that initially posed a challenge for the game has lessened over time. “There’s a notion that Twister can be perceived in a very family-friendly manner,” Stolee notes, highlighting its appeal across generations.

The game has encountered numerous adaptations. From Twister Splash, a garden game that sprays water, to Twister Air, which is an app-compatible, mat-free augmented reality version, there are now various iterations.

“You know, most people are familiar with it. Many individuals have played it,” Stolee reflects on the game’s legacy, which was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2015. “Twister has woven itself into the fabric of culture.”