Chinese Checkers’ Actual Name Is “Sternhalma”īecause the six-sided board is in the shape of a star, Ravensburg decided to name their six-player Halma variant Sternhalma, which translates to Stern (Star) Halma. Chinese Checkers Was Invented In GermanyĪlthough Halma allowed for up to four players to play at once, the popularity of the game in Germany meant a market for a variant of the game that allowed for six people to play at once.Ĭonsequently, a six-sided Halma board in the shape of a star was introduced by the Ravensburg Company in 1892. The success of the perceived exotic nature of Halma would act as a precursor to the role of Orientalism in the marketing strategy of Chinese Checkers. Halma was named after the Greek word for “jump,” meaning that marketing campaigns leaned into the use of imagery from ancient Greece, such as the use of Hoplites, resulting in an increased emphasis on the strategic and perhaps “exotic” nature of the board game. However, upon its introduction into the American market in the 1880s, Milton Bradley changed the name from Hoppity to Halma. ![]() Chinese Checkers Originated From “Halma”īefore Chinese Checkers, a popular British game board game called Hoppity rose to prominence in the 1800s. Let’s explore twelve key considerations in greater detail below: 1. Including why the Chinese Checkers is a culturally insensitive term that has been subject to public scrutiny in recent years. Understanding the history of Chinese Checkers and the era when it was invented/rose to prominence is vital in understanding why it was given the name Chinese Checkers. Furthermore, Chinese Checkers was a marketing strategy that arose due to the West’s obsession with “Orientalism” in the 1920s. ![]() So is Chinese Checkers a racist/politically incorrect name for the beloved board game?īecause Chinese Checkers did not originate in China but instead came from Germany, this would suggest a culturally insensitive name for the board game. While it may appear at face value that the name “Chinese Checkers” would denote a board game that originated from China or, at the very least, Asia, the game’s history would suggest an underlying racist tone.
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