1960s · board games
Trouble
Pop-O-Matic bubble in the middle rolled dice for everyone. The plastic dome click is burned into millions of childhoods.
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Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · License
◆ Did you have this?
👍 I had this💔 I wanted this- Era
- 60s
- Released
- 1965
- Category
- board games
Before you buy
- For an original edition, compare the model name, packaging, and release details with the seller’s photos.
- Check the condition, included accessories, delivery cost, and return terms on the listing before ordering.
From the archive
Watch the commercial
▶ Now playing
The pitch
Trouble! Pop the bubble, roll the dice, and race your pegs around the board! That satisfying Pop O Matic dome in the center makes every roll feel like an event. Get all four pegs home before your sister does.
Why people remember it
- You could not lose the dice, which parents loved.
- Racing pegs around the board was simple and loud.
- The pop sound was ASMR for competitive siblings.
Did you know?
- The Pop O Matic dice bubble was patented by Kohner Brothers and became Trouble's signature feature.
- It eliminated dice rolling off the table, a genius fix for car trips and airplane trays.
- The same mechanism appeared in Headache and other Kohner games.
- The popping sound is so satisfying it became a selling point in every commercial.
How people search for it
“pop o matic game”, “bubble dice board game”, “plastic dome dice game”
Questions people ask
- Can you still buy Trouble?
- Yes. The Pop-O-Matic dome is still the hero of the box.
- Why double pawns?
- So two players could share one color in a pinch, or teams could play.
