Thinkin' about Husker Du. . .

I am still smarting over my latest Husker Du losses, the most recent of which happened this very morning, by the way.  I keep on trying, I keep on losing.  Just for fun, I looked to see if this crazy game is available for purchase in 2009. 

 Look what I found. . .

Oh please, please  look at the phrase printed below Husker Du.  It says, "Where the Child May Outwit the Adult."  May outwit?  Where is that warning printed on my Husker Du box-I'd like to know! 

Lemme check my box...

Nope, nothing about the child outwitting the adult here.  However, look in the lower left corner...my box does have a special feature...

Whoo hooo!  A chance to go to Denmark!  Haven't you always wanted to visit Denmark?  It says, "details on back". . .

Turning the box over I see. . .

The Grand Prize is indeed a big trip to Denmark.  If you win 1st prize, you get a six piece place setting of china.  Not too shabby.  Hope they pack things well in Denmark.  What a mess that would be to open, lots of broken china and all.  Second prize...a set of cookware . . .hmmmm wonder what all of these food related items have to do with Husker Du?

Check out third prize . . .

That does it!  Where do we sign up?  When is the drawing?

Seems it's been a bit longer than I thought since I was a little girl playing this game with my sisters. 

 Do you think if the game company knew that every one of those red plastic game pieces is still accounted for and that, with the aid of two or three rolls of masking tape, the game box is still intact, they'd be glad to send us a ham or two?  Do I want a ham that was offered for a prize from Denmark twenty-seven years ago?

No, I Husker-Don't!

A Blast from the Past

Ever play Husker Du?  My sisters and I used to play this game often.  I remember that my middle sister was the victor most of the time.  I do not remember how this odd game came to live at our house-- yet here it is.

Husker Du means "Do You Remember" in Danish.  (Toss that into your next conversation, folks will be impressed.)  It's a simple match game in which two players take turns picking up two game pieces attempting to disclose two pictures underneath that match. 

In Husker Du, the general layout is circular as are the red plastic game pieces.  After each game is played, the red pieces are replaced and a dial is turned which changes the picture positions on the game board thus insuring a different game every time.

My children discovered this bit of Danish (the country, not the pastry) fun on our game shelf and have given it much play this month.  As it happened, we discovered that one of the kids is an especially skilled Husker Du player.

This kid.

 

The glee with which she wins is just fun.  She is so happy when the momentum swings in her direction that she giggles out loud as she clears match after match leaving you to just sit there in amazement. 

I wish the camera could have captured the flick of her wrist as she removed game piece after game piece and the flourish with which she placed those game pieces into the trough on her side of the board.

I have never been good at this game, but I'd like to think when matching wits at anything with a four year old that I'm able to hold my own.  No so with Husker Du.

 

For most of the game, I felt much like the child in the picture above.  It became necessary to teach Kate about the phrase "you cleaned my clock" because that's all I could think to tell her every time she beat me...badly.

Know this, as you look at the result of the game, I DID NOT let her win.  It would've been a kind thing to do, I realize, but it was obviously not necessary!

Eventually, she tired of my lame efforts and took on a new victim opponent later in the evening.

She would later be heard saying, "Ha HA! I cleaned I your clock Daddy!"