MishM*A*S*H 43: Milton Bradley Puzzles

In the early 1980s, there was a deluge of M*A*S*H themed licensed products. The products were released in coordination with 20th Century Fox Television, and I have previously written about a licensed product kit that included a wide variety of items. M*A*S*H fans could buy M*A*S*H themed alcohol, action figures, Halloween costumes, trivia games, clothing, and much more. Milton Bradley released a board game in the early 1980s, and along with that board game, they released a series of puzzles. There were a variety of puzzles available featuring the M*A*S*H cast. Unfortunately, I only have one of the Milton Bradley puzzles in the collection, but this week we are going to look at that puzzle and discuss the other puzzles that were released by Milton Bradley in 1982.

Milton Bradley Company is well known for its board games and puzzles, and continues to produce games, puzzles, and a variety of items under the Hasbro Games branding. In 1982, Milton Bradley released the board game and a series of six M*A*S*H puzzles. According to MASH4077TV.com those puzzles included:

• Cast Puzzle (250 Pieces)
• Hawkeye Puzzle (250 Pieces)
• B.J. Puzzle (250 Pieces)
• Charles, B.J., and Margaret Puzzle (250 Pieces)
• Colonel Potter and Sophie Puzzle (250 Pieces)
• Colonel Potter, Margaret, and Klinger Puzzle (250 Pieces)

The puzzle I have is the cast puzzle and is complete with all 250 pieces and the box. I have seen some of the other puzzles sell online one the last decade or so, but I have not added them to the collection. I decided to add the puzzle of the full cast to the collection since it was produced during the show’s original run. The puzzle was fun, but kind of challenging with all the green! Not only are their uniforms green, but the background is green as well. Plus, look at David Ogden Stiers’ sunglasses! When assembled, the puzzle is 20 inches by 14 inches, so it is a decent size for framing.

My only issue with these puzzles is similar to the issue I have with most other M*A*S*H products from the 1980s. That are no products that feature the early cast members or Radar. I would have liked to have seen a puzzle of the early cast and the final cast as an option, but I am sure this was due to licensing agreements of the likeness of the actors. There was a series of puzzles released by H-G Toys, Inc. in the mid-1970s, but they were released after Trapper and Henry had left the series. So while those puzzles do include Frank and Radar, they do not include every member of the earliest M*A*S*H cast. I see the Milton Bradley puzzles sell frequently on sites like eBay, but finding them complete can be a challenge. Regardless, these puzzles are a great addition to collectors of M*A*S*H items because they are well made and feature high quality printing.