Overview[]
First published in today's form by Ravensburger in February 1959.
There are versions known from Japan in the 16th century - matching pictures painted on shells. Known asAwase or Kai-awase.
In USA and England known as Pairs, Pelmanism, or Concentration. But these are played with simple playing cards.
In Switzerland was a domino-like game named Zwillingsspiel with the same roots.
In Czech Republic this type of game is known as Pexeso. It usually consists of 32 pairs of square cards. There are thousands of Pexeso sets with different themes.
There are hundreds of different Memory games - starting with 24 cards for the youngest, with all kinds of animals, art, about countries, also a gay and a "Breast Memory", several free giveaway Memory games published by companies.
The most famous publisher is Ravensburger - they have the rights for the brand name Memory.
How to Play[]
CONTENTS : 72 Picture Cards, 1 Storage Tray
OBJECT: To find the most pairs of matching picture cards.
ASSEMBLY: Carefully punch out all of the die-cut cards from the cardboard sheets.
SETUP:
1. Mix the cards up and spread them facedown on a flat surface. NOTE: Keep the tray for storing the cards. This will
prevent them from becoming nicked or marked.
2. Form 9 rows of cards across and 8 rows down, using all 72 cards. Then without looking, remove one card and set it aside facedown out of play. (This will create an odd number of matching pairs and reduce the possibility of a tie.)
3. FOR BEGINNERS: Use only 36 cards (18 matching pairs) and form 6 rows across, 6 rows down.
HERE’S HOW TO PLAY: The youngest player goes first. Players then take turns, to the left, turning any two cards picture-side-up. The cards must be turned over completely, so all players can see them.
A MATCH: A player makes a match if the two cards turned picture-side-up are identical. When a match is made, the player takes both cards and places them in front of him/her. That player takes another turn, and continues taking turns until he/she misses.
A MISS: A player misses if the two cards turned picture-side-up are not identical. That player’s turn ends. All players should try to remember which cards were turned over for future matches! The game continues until all possible matches have been made and those cards have been removed from the playing area. All players then count up their matching pairs.
WINNING: If you have the most pairs of matching cards, you win!
SOLO PLAY: This is excellent practice for developing concentration and memory skills. Just set up the game as described above, using any number of pairs, and count the number of turns it takes you to match them all. Try to improve with each game you play.
- NOTE: You do not have to remove a card during the game setup for Solo Play. We will be happy to hear your comments or questions about this game.
Revisions and Expansions[]
- A to Z Hide-and-Seek
- Aakkoset Muistipeli
- ABC
- Agricola Memo
- Alfons Aberg Memo
- Das Allgäu Memo
- Amiralens memo på rim
- Angelina Ballerina Match and Dance Memory Game
- Animal Families Memory
- Animal Memory
- Animal Pairs
- Animal Vegetable or Mineral
- Art Memo Game
- Art Memo Game II
- Asterix Memo
- ATA: Das DDR Gedächtnisspiel
- Auto Motor Sport Memory
- Avatar Memory
- Babar Memory
- Bamberg Memo
- Bambis poengjakt
- Bamse & Kylling Memory
- Bamse Memo
- Barbie Make A Match Game
- Barbie Memory Match Game
- Bärmemo
- Barnboksspelet
- Batman Memory Match Game
- Bevisa
- Beyblade Shogun Steel Memo
- Biene Maja Memo
- Blue's Clues Memory
- Bob the Builder Memory Game
- Brain Twister
- Bu och Bä Memospel
- Caillou Memory Game
- Caillou Peek N' Seek
- Cars 2 Memory Game: Match & Motor Speedway
- Celtic Art Memory Game
- Charlie's Angels Juego de Memoria
- Cherche
- Circus Matching Game
- City-Memo
- Concentration
- Concentration Wildlife Edition
- Cosaldon
- Curious George Matching Game
- Daniel Boone Card Game
- Daniel Boone Mini Card Game
- Davids Paare Suchen
- DDR MemoSpiel
- Deutschland Memory
- Dick Bruna Memory
- Dictator Memory
- Dino Mix & Match
- Dinosaur Memory Match
- Dinosaurier Memory
- Dinosaurier Paare Suchen
- Dinosaurus Memo
- Disney Character Play Mates
- Disney Frozen Floor Memory Match Game
- Disney Frozen Memory
- Disney Holiday Matching Game
- Disney Memory
- Disney Sofia Memory
- Disney's Aladdin Memo
- Disney's FROZEN Matching Game
- Disney's Tarzan Memory
- Doppel-Decker Nr. 1: Das Nivea-Kartenspiel
- Dora L'Exploratrice Mémo
- Dora The Explorer Match Game
- Dr. Seuss Matching Game
- Duckomenta Memo
- East Meets West
- Einsplus
- Einsteigen bitte!
- The Elf On The Shelf Make A Match Memory Game
- Elmer Match-Up Game
- Entdeck Dein Tier!
- Esso Memory
- Fairies and Goblins Pairs
- Familie Feuerstein Memo
- Fantastic 4 Make a Match Game
- Filly Fairy
- Filly Unicorn Memo
- The First Easter Memory Activity Game
- First Memory
- Flip 'n' Match
- Flower Memo Game
- Foto-Memo
- Frank Lloyd Wright Designs Memory Game
- Fresh Architecture Memory Game
- Fresh Art Memory Game
- Fresh Faces Memory Game
- Fresh Food Memory Game
- Friendly Animals Matching Game
- Gangster Mice Pairs Card Game
- Ganoven Memory
- Garanimals Matching Game
- Geheugenspel
- Gesucht! Gefunden!
- Go Diego Go Memo
- Gran Pairs
- Grand Circle
- Der Grüffelo: Das mäusestarke Memo-Spiel
- Guess Zoo?
- Happy Birth Play
- Haribo Memo
- Hau hau koiramuisti
- Hello Kitty Flip 'N' Match Game
- Hello Kitty Memo
- Hello Kitty Memory
- Heritage Memo Game
- Hexe Lilli: Memo
- Holland Memory
- Huckleberry Hound Mini Card Game
- I Never Forget A Face Matching Game
- I Never Forget An Animal Face Matching Game
- Ich komme ins Krankenhaus: ein lustiges Memory
- Impressionists Memo Game
- In der Luft & auf dem Wasser
- Jake & The Never Land Pirates Matching Game
- Jeugdmemory
- Jordgubbslisa Memo
- Juego de Memoria
- Junior memory
- Junior memory
- Junior memory
- Junior-Memory
- Kaj & Andrea Memory
- Kellog's Complete Breakfast Game
- Kikker & Vriendjes Memo
- Kinder memory
- Kinder Memory
- Kleine Helden Memo
- Kleiner Eisbär Memo-Legespiel
- Kleiner Roter Traktor: Wo bist du?
- Kommer du ihåg när...?
- Krabbelkäfer Memo
- Kvack
- Lalaloopsy Memory Match Game
- Lalaloopsy Memory Match Game
- Länder Memo
- Lauras Stern Memo
- Lauras Stern Memo-Legespiel
- LEGO Memory Game
- Life on Earth
- Lill Memento
- Lill memory
- Littlefoot Make a Match game
- Lord of the Rings Memory
- Lord of the Rings Recall Game
- Maisy's Memory Game
- Make a Match
- Märchen Memo
- Marvel Avengers Assemble Memory Game
- Marvel Comics Memory Challenge
- Marvel Spider-Man & Friends Memory
- Match II
- Match It: Jewish Memory Game
- Match-Ums
- Matching
- The Matching Game: Zoo Edition
- Matching Pairs
- Matching Pairs Game
- Maulwurf & Co. Doppelt: nur wo?
- Mausi Memo
- Medieval History
- Mein erstes Memory
- Meine erstes Paare finden
- Memento
- Memo
- Memo Froy & Dind
- Memo Glückliche Tiere
- Memo Kunterbunt
- Memo Les Aventures de Tintin
- Memo Lilla Spöket Laban
- Memo Musicians
- Memo my toys
- Memo Prima
- Memo Spiel
- Memo Zoo
- Memo-Spiel
- Memo: Musicians
- Memo: Spirou
- Memokid
- Memória
- Memoria e Uomo Nero
- Memory
- Memory Deutschland
- Memory Europa
- Memory Famous Portraits
- Memory France
- Memory Game
- Memory History of Art
- Memory Lane
- Memory Match
- Memory Weltkulturerbe
- Memory: Disney Princess Edition
- Memory: Toy Story 3
- Memos
- Mes Premiers Chiffres
- Mickey Mouse Memory Game
- Micky Maus Memory
- Mini Mix & Match
- Mini-Bibel-Memo
- MiniMemo Berlin
- MiniMemo Hamburg
- MiniMemo Luzern
- MiniMemo München
- MiniMemo Salzburg
- Monet Memo Game
- Monkey Memory Match Game
- Monster des Alltags Memo
- Monster Memory Card Game
- Monster Rally
- Monster Rally Memory Game
- Monsters, Inc.
- Moshi Monsters Memory
- Mr Men Make-A-Match
- Mr. Bump Make A Match Game
- Mr. Men Little Miss Memory Card Game
- Mr. Men Matching Pairs
- Mr. Potato Head Memory Game
- Mull-Memo
- München Memo
- Munchkin Beisst! Memo
- Munchkin Cthulhu Memo
- Munchkin Memo
- Museum ABC Make-A-Match Game
- Museum Shapes Make-A-Match Game
- Music Memo Game
- Musical Pairs
- My Little Pony Memory
- National Geographic Society MEMO GAME
- Natur-Memory
- Nature Memory
- Nichtlustig Doppelgänger
- Nijntje Memory
- Noddy's Memory Game
- North American Wildlife
- Numbers Memory
- On the Move
- The Original Memory
- Original Memory Game
- Où est Crapulo?
- Paare Finden
- Paare Suchen
- Pair A Painting
- Pairs
- Pairs Fun-Time Card Game
- Pairs Word Game
- Pärchen suchen
- Parlant Animaux Sauvages Memory
- Parlants Animaux Familiers Memory
- Peanuts Matching Game
- Peek-a Who? Matching Game
- Pelmanism
- The Penguins of Madagascar Memory Match Game
- Pexeso Letadla
- Pferde Memo
- Philosophen MemoSpiel
- Picasso: A Memory & Art Game
- Picture Pairs
- Pippi Langstrump Memento
- Playmobil: Glücksduell
- Pocahontas Memory Card Game
- Pokemon Pokememo
- Pooh Memory Game
- Postman Pat Sorting Office Game
- Proverbs 1
- Ptaki. Świat wokół nas
- The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
- Rapp Memo
- Ratatouille Memory
- Ravensburger ministeps: Mein allererstes memory
- Ravensburger Spiele Minis: Monster Memory
- Recall
- Remember
- Remember Horses
- Remember my Tattoo!
- Remember Remember
- Remember, Remember
- Rice Krispies Crackle Game
- Richard Scarry's Busytown Matching Game
- Salute Amerika Memo Game
- The Saving Game
- Scooby-Doo Monster Memory
- Scooby-Doo! Make A Match Game
- Sesame Street
- Shakespeare Memo Game
- Shirley Barber's Fairies Pairs
- Sinterklaas - Raad het Plaatje
- Solomon Memo
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Berlin
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Deutschland
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Dresden
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Europa
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Hamburg
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Köln
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Leipzig
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel München
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Wien
- StädteBautenMemoSpiel Zürich
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Memory
- Ströva
- Superman: Match II Special Edition
- Sverige Memory
- Switzerland Memory
- Sylvanian Families
- Tea Party Smarty! Memory Game
- Teletubbies Memory
- Thomas & Friends: Make a Match
- Tier Memo
- Tierbaby Memory
- Tierkinder Memory
- Tiermemo
- Tom Tom-Gedächtnisspiel
- Toy Story and Beyond! Memory Game
- Trafik-memo
- Trafik-Memory
- Travel Memory
- Traveller Memory
- Trouves la Paire
- Trumpet's Card Game
- Twins
- Ty Beanie Boo's Memo
- Umwelt Memory
- VeggieTales Flip'n Find Matching Game
- Vendespil
- Veteranbil-Memory
- Veteranbilsmemory
- Was passt zusammen?
- Wau! Wau! Memo
- Weimory
- Welcher Dino ist das?
- Wer weiß wo?
- What Does It Eat?
- Where is Schufti?
- The Wiggles Memory Game
- Wildlife Matching Game
- Winx Club Memory
- WK '94
- Wo ist Schufti?
- World Memo Game
- The World of Eric Carle Very Hungry Caterpillar Memory
- Yakari Memory
- Zahnmemory
- Zdenek Miler The Mole Memory
- Zoek
- Zombie Memo
- Zwierzaki
- Zwillinge