Wow. Not only are the mother's and daughter's grins sort of unsettling, I can't really figure out why it's necessary to put them on the game box in the first place. Perhaps the knowledge that Mom and Sis are hard at work in the kitchen is an integral part of the father's and son's happiness while playing the game...?

Okay, certainly a nice example of gender stereotyping -- I love how happy the females are to be doing the dishes while the menfolk get down to the great fun game of war.

But the far more astounding thing about this photo is the existence of Battleship in the first place. I use Battleship in my soc class to illustrate commodification. When I was a kid, you used two sheets of graph paper (or drew your own grid) and a couple of pencils to play this game. But along comes a capitalist to turn this popular folk game into a commodity. Suddenly it's a $20 game you have to buy (cost to manufacturer $2 I'm guessing) rather than something anyone can play anywhere anytime. What happened to kids teaching younger kids these sorts of do-it-yourself games? Now the tradition has become, let's go to Toy's R Us and see what we can buy -- or look for an online version.

Goodness, that little girl has my hairstyle from 1994...

Ahem. I think the commodification is odd, too. I've never seen a commercially-made Battleships game, though.

Does any one have a little more information about this? I'd like to use it in an essay regarding traditional gender roles in the US. Please and Thanks!

I don't see what the problem is here? The two guys are playing Battleships and the women of the house are in the kitchen, cleaning plates. What if I told you that this is still the way it is, in another country? Things actually get done this way, without a bunch of women going around not shaving their armpits and burning their bras. What has that done for women? Nothing. I think you all need to stop complaining about the cover of this box from the good old 50's, because when you look at it, the quality of things were much higher back then than they are now. What do you get these days when you buy something? You get something that isn't made to a good standard and you get people with an attitude when it comes to interact with people who work somewhere. You all need to check yourselves and stop being such whiny, little, moaners just because something is not "politically correct" Political correctness is what's going to destroy a country.

We may not look like this anymore, but men still plan the battles and women still do most of the work in the world.

I had this board game in the 1960’s, it was one of my favorites. My mom and dad had good lives, as have both of my sisters. One chose a life of militant domesticity, raising six kids in rebellion against First Wave Feminism. The other raised three terrific sons and has returned to her career of teaching visually impaired children. The box cover of my Battleship game had no deliterious effect on either of my sisters’ lives.

The Milton Bradley Battleship game was released in 1967, according to Wikipedia.

OK, now let's see a depiction of Junior pushing the lawnmower on a hot summer day while sis is sitting in the patio.

First: No one smiles while doing the dishes, no matter what their gender, because washing the dishes (particularly by hand) sucks.

Second: The only reason why the mother and daughter could possibly be smiling here is because they're planning to ditch the dishes while the guys aren't looking and go out to the movies without them. Otherwise, the only logical expressions on their faces are ones of annoyance and disgust at being stuck cleaning after dinner while the guys get to relax and have fun.

Interesting how times have changed and this very narrative has taken a new form.

Not necessarily true Teresa, I seen a woman doclutch repair once, and It changed my perspective of women.