Bonzo appeared in numerous toys and games produced by Spear's from the 1920's onwards. Board games included 'The Bonzo Chase', a variation on the traditional Snakes & Ladders as well as several different 'hoop-la' games including 'Bonnie McBonzo' and 'Bobby Bonzo'.

Mr. Francis Spear of the Spear's Games company has been kind enough to provide detailed information on the Spear's games and the variations - it's remarkable just how many versions of each game were made! Francis runs the Spears Games Archive in England, an archive that is open to the public to look, and touch, Spears games from the 1920's and 1930's onwards including some of the Bonzo games.

The Bonzo Chase is probably the most recognised game; it was sold in several different sizes from a small standard version right up to a 'de-luxe' set having a much larger board and better quality pieces. The game itself was based on snakes and ladders, the difference being that Bonzo climbed the ladders but fell back down chains of sausages. The games was also released in Germany as 'Die Bonzo Jagd', the policeman looking rather different and, in the version I have, the counters are small lead Bonzo's!

Here's a list of the known variations:

English Version: 'The Bonzo Chase'.

German Version: 'Die Bonzo Jagd'.

In addition to these board games there were also several ring games. The first was 'Ring Bonzo', here a stand-up figure of Bonzo with a bone on his nose was used as a target. The idea was to throw small coloured rings (quoits) onto the bone to score points, if you missed the bone then the board on which Bonzo stood had coloured scoring segments. A variant of this was 'Bonnie McBonzo - The Hieland Juggler'. Same game, same rules, different Bonzo standing on the board.

The original 'Ring Bonzo' was also released in Germany as 'Bonzo's Glanz-nummer' and in France as 'Anneaux Bonzo'.

Ring Bonzo	Bonnie McBonzo	Bonzo's Glanz-nummer	Anneaux Bonzo

English Games: 'Ring Bonzo' & 'Bonnie McBonzo - The Hieland Juggler'

German Version: 'Bonzo's Glanz-nummer'

French Version: 'Anneaux Bonzo'

In addition to the board versions described above, there was a miniature, hand-held version of Ring Bonzo around the size of a postcard and 1" deep. . .

Miniature Ring Games - English & German

Another 'ring' game, Bobby Bonzo, involved a board that could be hung on the wall or stood against a wall, the board had hooks mounted on it and rubber rings would be thrown over the hooks - a more traditional hoop-la game.

English Version - Bobby Bonzo

Finally from Spears was "Bonzo and Yop's Artists' Book", a magic painting book showing pictures of 'the amusing adventures of Bonzo and Yop, G.E. Studdy's famous characters'. This was a small painting book, around 7" square.

E-mail me at reg.richardson@virgin.net