Twain Commodified: Games and Ephemera
Samuel L. Clemens carefully crafted Mark Twain not just as a character, but as a recognizable brand. Both during his life and afterwards, the name and image of Mark Twain have been used to sell cigars, games, domestic goods, and foods. The perseverance of this public image plays a central role in his lasting cultural impact, granting a literary and comedic patina to a range of everyday activities.
Mark Twain’s Scrap Book. New York: Daniel Slote & Company, [1892].
Twain patented a self-adhesive scrapbook, which was first issued in 1876. The scrapbook sold extraordinarily well, outselling even Twain’s novels, and was reissued in a variety of sizes and styles for years afterwards.
[Mark Twain]. Electrotype plate self-portrait, with manuscript inscription. [New York: 1902.]
Clemens celebrated his 67th birthday with a dinner sponsored by the Harper Brothers. Twain gave each of the attendees a copper plate containing a rough self-portrait, probably the only work he ever created with the engraver’s needle. A note is etched onto the image, explaining: “I cannot make a good mouth, therefore leave it out.”
Samuel L. Clemens. Autograph manuscript, “Method of Using.” [N.p., ca. 1870-1910.]
In this manuscript, Clemens devises the rules for a role-playing parlor game to be played using a book: individual players select a page, choose a word at random, and use it to devise a character, adding additional randomly-selected words to elucidate further details of the persona.
Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library
Mark Twain’s Memory-Builder. A Game for Acquiring and Retaining All Sorts of Facts and Dates. New York: Charles L. Webster, 1891. With “Facts for Mark Twain’s Memory Builder” pamphlet.
Clemens patented his rules for a game to assist in the memorization of historical dates in 1885, and finally published this version of his teaching aid in 1891. He anticipated broad interest in the game, but it was a financial failure.
Mark Twain [edited by Edith Oenone Somerville]. The Mark Twain Birthday Book. London: Remington & Co., 1885.
Containing over 700 quips, maxims, and quotes from Twain’s writings, this British publication is the first compilation of Twain quotations.
Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar for 1894. [New York: The Century Co., 1893.]
This small pamphlet containing a number of Twain’s humorous aphorisms was published as a promotional item for The Century Magazine, which serialized Pudd’nhead Wilson in 1893–94.
“Liked By All: Mark Twain Cigars.” Baltimore: Parker Metal Dec. Company, [ca. 1913–1931]. Metal sign.
Aschermann & Co. “Don’t Fail to Smoke Mark Twain Cigars.” New York: Heppenheimer & Maurer, [ca. 1877–1880]. Lithographed advertising card.
Mark Twain cigar box. Pennsylvania: Wolf Bros., [ca. 1913–1930]. Wooden box with printed label and one original cellophane-wrapped cigar.
Clemens estimated that he smoked fifteen to twenty cigars a day, and the public image of Mark Twain is closely associated with cigars. Cigar manufacturer Edward Aschermann registered a trademark for Twain-branded cigars in 1877. Clemens does not seem to have received any income from this use of his name, but in 1907 his business manager Ralph Ashcroft registered a new trademark on Twain’s name and likeness for whiskey and tobacco, and Twain cigars from other manufacturers continued to be produced until the 1930s.
Life of “Mark Twain.” [Park Place, N.Y.]: Duke Cigarettes; Knapp and Company, Lithographers & Printers, [1888].
Duke Cigarettes’ pamphlet series “Histories of Poor Boys Who Have Become Rich, and Other Famous People” offered miniature texts that fit inside a cigarette packet.
[Mrs. Shepherd.] The Good Old Game of Innocence Abroad. Salem, Mass.: Parker Brothers, [ca. 1901].
George S. Parker copyrighted this map board game in 1888, licensed to his fledgling game publisher by its designer, a Mrs. Shepherd. The subtle change to the title for Twain’s Innocents Abroad signals the paucity of the game’s connection to the book. Still, it proved popular, and was reissued a decade after its original release.
Morrell’s Mark Twain Calendar [1946]. Ottumwa, Iowa: John Morrell & Co., 1945.
In this tearaway calendar issued by meat processing company John Morrell & Co., each month is accompanied by a painted illustration by Norman Rockwell and a quotation from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Bill Watterson. Postcard cartoons of Mark Twain. [Charleston, S.C.]: Mark Twain Journal, 1983.
Several years before creating Calvin & Hobbes, cartoonist Bill Watterson produced a series of images for the Mark Twain Journal that were issued as promotional postcards. Most are caricatures accompanying amusing quotations from Twain’s works, but one illustrates the sketch “A Curious Dream.”
Portrait Authors. Salem, Mass.: West & Lee Game Co., 1873.
Modern Authors. Springfield, Mass.: Milton Bradley Co., [ca. 1890–1910].
The suit-building card game Authors was patented in 1861, but as a result of a poorly protected copyright it was produced in dozens of different editions from multiple publishers, and remains in print to this day. West & Lee’s 1873 illustrated edition Portrait Authors was the first to include Twain.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Torrance, Calif.: SETA U.S.A., Inc., 1989. Cartridge for Nintendo Entertainment System.
In this side-scrolling adventure game with little connection to Twain’s novel, a daydreaming Tom Sawyer battles pirates and enormous animals.
Square’s Tom Sawyer = Sukuwea no Tomu Sōya. Tokyo: Square Co., Ltd., 1989. Cartridge for Nintendo Famicom system.
In this simple role-playing game, players reenact a variation on the plot of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The game is marred by a deep racial insensitivity, particularly in the character of Jim, presented as a horrendously racist caricature; this, perhaps even more than the game’s overall lackluster gameplay, prevented it from being localized to markets outside of Japan.