Invented by Reyn Guyer, this game asks several players to reach over, under, and across each other to place their hands and feet on colored circles on a large vinyl game board. Named "Twister" by Milton Bradley, the game was demonstrated on the Tonight Show in 1966. While Eva Gabor was on her hands and knees, show host Johnny Carson stood over her and reached for another circle; the sexual innuendo and close physical contact made for controversial television and helped attract American youths to the game. Twister sold 13 million games in its first year. In 1987, at the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst, 4150 contestants set a record for the number of simultaneous Twister players.

Further Reading:

Hoffman, David. Kid Stuff: Great Toys. New York, Chronicle Books, 1978.