# How the Game Twister Works

> A 1966 patent for a floor-based game where players use their own bodies as game pieces on a mat with colored circles.

- **Patent:** US 3454279
- **Original title:** Apparatus for playing a game wherein the players constitute the game pieces
- **Owner:** Milton Bradley Co
- **Granted:** 1969
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 23
- **Field:** consumer_electronics

## What it does

The patent describes a game mat featuring a grid of colored circles arranged in rows and columns. A spinner determines which body part—left hand, right hand, left foot, or right foot—a player must place on a specific color. The players themselves act as the game pieces, maneuvering their bodies to occupy the designated spots without falling or touching the mat with other parts of their bodies.

## What it does NOT cover

- Does not cover games played on a board with physical figurines or tokens.
- Does not cover digital or video game versions of the concept.
- Does not cover the specific color arrangement or the exact number of circles on the mat.

## The clever bit

The innovation was shifting the game piece from an external object to the player's own body, forcing physical coordination and social proximity as the primary mechanics.

## Real-world examples

1. Twister board game

## Why it matters

This patent protected the core mechanics of Twister, one of the most recognizable party games in history. It turned the player into the game board, creating a unique physical interaction that was initially controversial but became a cultural phenomenon.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does How the Game Twister Works cover?

A 1966 patent for a floor-based game where players use their own bodies as game pieces on a mat with colored circles.

### Who owns patent US 3454279?

Milton Bradley Co owns this patent, granted in 1969.

### When does this patent expire?

This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.

### What is patent US 3454279 cited by?

This patent has been cited by 23 later patents that build on its ideas.

### What problem does this patent solve?

This patent protected the core mechanics of Twister, one of the most recognizable party games in history. It turned the player into the game board, creating a unique physical interaction that was initially controversial but became a cultural phenomenon.

### What does this patent NOT cover?

Does not cover games played on a board with physical figurines or tokens.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3454279/twister-game

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US3454279

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._


## Related patents

Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus:

- [How the Board Game Monopoly Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2026082/monopoly-board-game) — The 1935 patent for the board game Monopoly, covering the layout of spaces and the rules for moving tokens around a track to buy and trade property.
- [How the Classic Operation Board Game Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3333846/operation-game-electric-probe) — A 1967 patent for an electronic game where a player uses a conductive probe to navigate a path without touching the sides, triggering a signal if they fail.
- [How the Hula Hoop Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3079728/hula-hoop-wham-o) — A 1963 patent for a lightweight, rigid plastic hoop designed to rotate around a human waist through rhythmic body movements.
- [How the 2x2x2 Magnetic Puzzle Cube Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3655201/rotating-cube-puzzle) — A 1970 patent for a 2x2x2 puzzle cube held together by magnets that allows groups of pieces to rotate around three axes to solve a color-matching challenge.
- [How the First Home Video Game Console Worked](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3659285/video-game-console-magnavox) — Ralph Baer's 1969 patent for the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game system, which generated controllable dots on a standard television screen using analog circuitry.