Alphabetti Spaghetti

Published July 03, 2019 Updated June 19, 2022

Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978.

1978 United Kingdom Advertising Food & Cooking Card Games Happy Families

Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978. Most of the family names relate to food production (Farmer, Fisherman, Gardener, Grocer, Milkman, etc) and each family has a differently coloured border. The game doubles as a pack of playing cards.

Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978
Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978

Above: cards from Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game made for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978. 52 cards + 2 jokers + extra card + rules leaflet in box.

Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978
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By Matt Probert

Member since March 02, 2012

I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.

Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.

Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.

I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.

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