Toss Across

Synopsis of Toy

The thing about tic-tac-toe is this: Eventually, you match two kids up who know what they’re doing, and every game is going to be a cat’s game (that’s a tie, for the non-playground-hip). If you don’t believe it, check out that Cold War computer flick Wargames. So what’s a kid to do? How do you break that deadlock between two titans of tic-tac-toe? Well, Ideal is glad you asked. You see, they had the answer: a little game called Toss Across.

The bug in the tic-tac-toe ointment was always its predictability. If X had the top two corners, you just knew O was going straight into the top middle for the block. But what if O had to earn his way into that spot? Ah, there’s the rub. Getting spots in Toss Across wasn’t as easy as drawing a circle or two crossed lines onto a grid. No, sir or ma’am, the Toss-Across board had to be claimed with the throw of a beanbag.

The raised Toss Across gameboard had a grid of nine free-spinning squares, each with both an X and an O (and a neutral third side). To spin the squares, players tossed beanbags onto the place of choice, then watched as the three-sided surface spun and stopped on its fated letter (or lack thereof). Games were still played until someone got three in a row, but the element of chance kept Toss Across tense and unpredictable until the very end. No square was safe, and cries of “No fair!” wouldn’t bring that X back to the surface, no matter how much you pouted, so just stop it babypants.

This inventive twist on the old tic-tac-toe formula has kept Toss Across a favorite of the grade school set for more than 30 years. And no matter how skilled or smart X and O may be, rest assured there will be no cat’s games of Toss Across.

Release History of Toy

1969 - Toss Across

Sub Categories of Toys

games

Toy and Game Manufacturer

Ideal, Mattel

Other Toy Links

Updates To This Toy

Do you have an update or correction for this item? Send us Feedback here!