Shuffled Symphonies Card Game, circa 1938

Manufactured in England by Pepys (Castell Brothers), "Shuffled Symphonies" is a card game with rules similar to War or Beggar-My-Neighbour. The vintage deck first dates from circa 1938 and features 24 engaging illustrations of Walt Disney characters including Snow White and Dopey.

Card #1 from personal collection.

Also included in the 45 card deck are images of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, The Three Little Pigs, The Big Bad Wolf, Elmer the Elephant and others.

Deck image via The Toy Cabin.

The reverse side of each shows Mickey in a top hat and tails shuffling cards over his head. The card backs are either red or blue depending on the deck you have. The copyright label reads, "By permission of Walt Disney - Mickey Mouse Ltd. & Mickey Mouse Weekly." Card measure approximately 2.25" x 3.5" with round corners.

Red Back

Blue Back

Box front...

Box image via Heritage Auctions.

Box backs...

Box Back images via Fan Tan at BoardGameGeek.

Rules booklet...

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The Mickey Mouse Weekly is mentioned on the backside of each card. This refers to the Disney comic/magazine that was first launched in Britain in 1936 (the American version started in 1929). The ad below for the "Shuffled Symphonies" appeared on the back cover of the Mickey Mouse Holiday Special (previous post), a 1938-39 publication by the same London publisher of the Mickey Mouse Weekly.

Shuffled Symphonies Ad in the British Mickey Mouse Holiday Special, 1938/39. Image via Hake's.

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Pears Ltd. of England, manufacturers of fine soap, struck up a promotional deal with Disney during this period to offer a free set of the Shuffled Symphonies to customers who purchased a soap gift box. The special package contained two sixpenny cakes of Pears Golden Glory soap and the deck of free cards.

A "Pears and Snow White" flyer, which promoted the free deck with the gift set, was included in all the standard boxes of Golden Glory soap. The rules booklets which came with the card decks themselves also contained a Pears ad. On the backside, it read "Snow White--fairest of them all--recommends Pears."

Pears soap box with flyer (left); playing card rules booklet (right).