Playing Twister on the classic polka-dot mat

Image: flickr (CC BY-SA) · License

🛒 Get it on Amazon

(paid link) · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

◆ Share this

𝕏 Tweetf Facebook⬆ Reddit

◆ Did you have this?

👍 I had this💔 I wanted this

1960s · board games

Twister

A vinyl mat with colored dots and a spinner that made you tie yourself in knots. The party game that guaranteed someone fell on someone else.

Era
60s
Released
1966
Category
board games
Availability checked
7/17/2026

From the archive

Watch the commercial

▶ Now playing

The pitch

Twister! Right foot red, left hand blue! Spin the wheel and twist your body into impossible knots on the big dot mat. The party game that guaranteed someone would fall over and everyone would laugh.

Why people remember it

  • Right hand red became a command you shouted.
  • It needed almost no setup besides floor space.
  • Parents filmed it because the poses looked ridiculous.

Did you know?

  • Reyn Guyer invented Twister as a shoe polish promotion before Milton Bradley turned it into a game.
  • Johnny Carson played Twister with Eva Gabor on The Tonight Show and sales exploded overnight.
  • Some retailers initially called it sex in a box and refused to stock it.
  • Twister was the first game to use human bodies as playing pieces.

How people search for it

“colored dot floor game”, “right hand red game”, “party mat game”

Tags

Questions people ask

Is Twister still sold?
Hasbro keeps it going. Giant outdoor mats exist for reunions.
How many players?
Officially two to four, but crowds cheered for more until the mat ran out.