The board game invented for quarantined children is Candy Land. It was created in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott, a schoolteacher who was herself recovering from polio in a San Diego hospital. Abbott designed the game to entertain and cheer up children confined to polio wards, who were isolated and immobilized due to the disease and quarantine measures
. Candy Land's simple gameplay, requiring no reading and minimal counting skills, made it accessible to very young children, including those with physical limitations caused by polio. The game's colorful, whimsical theme offered an imaginative escape from the hospital environment, symbolizing freedom and movement that the children could not physically experience
. The game was tested by children in the polio wards and later published by Milton Bradley in 1949, becoming one of the company's best-selling games. It remains popular today, celebrated for its origins and enduring appeal to young players
. In summary, Candy Land was specifically invented to provide quarantined children, especially those suffering from polio, with a joyful and engaging distraction during their isolation
