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‘Feminist coup’ offs Mrs. White from Clue

By Travis M. Andrews, The Washington Post
Published: July 17, 2016, 6:01am

Hasbro. In the boardroom. With a news release.

That’s who killed Mrs. White, one of Clue’s primary suspects in the murder of Mr. Boddy. This coming August, the aging housekeeper will be replaced by a much more professionally accomplished character: biologist Dr. Orchid, who holds a doctorate in plant toxicology and appears to be of Asian descent.

Her back story is one of privilege and intrigue. She was “privately schooled in Switzerland until her expulsion following a near-fatal daffodil poisoning incident.” In a shocking twist, she was then home-schooled by Mrs. White.

Dun dun dun.

In a statement published by Mental Floss, Jonathan Berkowitz, Hasbro Gaming’s senior vice president of global marketing, said, “It was a difficult decision to say goodbye to Mrs. White — but after 70 years of suspicious activity, we decided that one of the characters had to go. Dr. Orchid is a brilliant new character with a rich back story and links to the Black fortune. We’re sure families around the world will continue to create thrilling murder mysteries with all six suspects inside of the iconic Tudor Mansion.”

Though Hasbro hasn’t publicly stated its reason for the change, many see it as a feminist victory.

Oregonian writer Lizzy Acker called the move a “feminist coup.” As Time pointed out, this makes Dr. Orchid the first female character in the game to have an official profession, as Mrs. Peacock is a widow and socialite and Miss Scarlet is, well, a mystery.

And it’s something that’s been sought before. A petition launched on Change.com roughly three months ago seeking to give Mrs. White a medical degree was signed by more than 1,800 people.

The petition stated:

“Hasbro should change Mrs. White to Dr. White. By portraying her as a white-coated physician, surgeon, or scientist, it would show support for women in general, and give young girls an everyday image of an accomplished professional who just happens to be a woman. It may not seem like much, but it is these kinds of small gestures and images that subtly combine to make up the impression that young people have of other people and themselves.”

Clue — or Cluedo in Europe — was conceived of during World War II by English musician Anthony E. Pratt and his wife Elva and was first released in 1949. Why the pair created the game remained unconfirmed. As the Orlando Sentinel noted, one story claimed he came up with the idea while working in a factory that created tank parts. The most common story is that he created it for people to pass the time in bomb shelters.

What is confirmed is patent paperwork from 1944 showed that Mrs. White was originally supposed to be Nurse White, according to the Guardian.

Not everyone is happy with the decision, as seen on Twitter.

Still, it’s in keeping with current trends. Replacing or updating traditional characters with ones that reflect a more diverse set of characteristics is increasingly common in toys and fiction, from dolls to board games to comic books.

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