Twiggy, Queen of Mod

What does a Mod do on a Friday night when there are no worthy shows on the calendar and the weather is far from being scooter friendly? He arranges a double date with his mate Lee in the popular neighborhood restaurant, The Griffintown Cafe.

Their modern bistro menu and live jazz band makes it the perfect spot to start your weekend. I only have a single complaint. Man the band was loud! You could hardly hear yourself talk! When you’re in  a small restaurant, I'm sure you can do without a microphone. So when the waitress asked us if we wanted a table on the terrace, we accepted without hesitation.

After a tasty meal and some great conversation, Lee and Shareen were kind enough to invite us to have a cocktail at their condo across the street. The needle was dropped on a few choice vinyls and the friendly banter ensued. Lee introduced me to a great compilation called The In-Kraut - Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1966-1974. It's available on CD and vinyl. Here's a taste.

The evening took an unexpected turn when our host pulled out his prized possession, the Twiggy Game - A game that makes every girl, like Twiggy, the queen of mod. Undoubtedly meant for teenage girls in the 60s, we didn't expect that it was going to be this much fun. I guess there's a Twiggy hidden inside me after all.

The object of the game is pretty simple. You pick a color and must collect the same colored cards in order to form an image of Twiggy. The player with the most cards in the end wins. Explained this way, it might sound boring but add a few cocktails to the mix and you have a recipe for a good time.

 

How can you not be captivated by a game that has such thrilling spaces as "Model a New Mod Outfit - Take 3 Cards", "Stop Biting Your Nails - Don't Play This Turn", "Have A Blast - Take 2 Cards", "Wave Hello to Teen Fans - Take 1 Card" and my personal favorite "Feed the Goat at The Zoo - Take 1 Card"?

After a few turns around the table, I quickly realized that some basic game play could be applied, especially when it comes to sticking it to your opponent. Of course I made a fool of myself a couple of times trying different strategies but I did end up winning! This is quite a personal achievement for me. I was quite pleased to have won a 1967 teenage girl board game mainly based on chance. I always dreamt of becoming the queen of Mod! Plus, after reviewing the rules, we found out that the average playtime is half an hour and we took almost 2!

Lee working out a strategy

I did learn a few valuable life lessons while playing this game. If I one day aspire to become a female Mod fashion icon, I need to throw a few pajama parties, pose for pictures at the airport and eat hot dogs.