How do you play Don't Break the Ice?

Players take turns tapping out plastic ice blocks with a small hammer without letting the polar bear figure fall through the ice.

When was Don't Break the Ice released?

It was first marketed by Schaper Toys in 1968 and later picked up by Milton Bradley.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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1960s · board games

A plastic ice block held together by little frozen squares — tap them out one by one with a tiny hammer and hope you're not the one who sinks it.

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Tap, tap, tap — one wrong square and the whole ice block goes down. Simple rules, real suspense, and a tiny plastic hammer everyone remembers.

The tension of picking the "wrong" square and watching the whole ice block collapse was pure childhood suspense.
It was one of the simplest games to set up and understand, so even the youngest kid at the table could play.
The satisfying little pop-tap sound of the plastic hammer is instantly recognizable to anyone who played it.

Don't Break the Ice was first released by Schaper Toys in 1968 before Milton Bradley (later Hasbro) took over production.
Special Frozen-movie tie-in editions were released in 2013 and 2019.
The game is still in production largely unchanged from its original design.

“tap out the ice blocks game”, “plastic hammer ice game”, “don't break the ice board game”

How do you play Don't Break the Ice?: Players take turns tapping out plastic ice blocks with a small hammer without letting the polar bear figure fall through the ice.
When was Don't Break the Ice released?: It was first marketed by Schaper Toys in 1968 and later picked up by Milton Bradley.