Scrabble In Popular Culture
When President George Bush's wife, Laura, visited Zambia, one item in the home care kits that she put together was Scrabble sets. Providing Scrabble to orphans and people who are home-bound due to terminal illnesses shows that people from all walks of life appreciate this board game and realize what an important role it can play in people's lives. Even those who are in the worst possible situations with the state of their lives or health being nearly hopeless, can benefit from the simple enjoyment of Scrabble. Perhaps such a simple enjoyment can give some feeling of hope to those who otherwise would have none.
Many well-known people enjoy the game of Scrabble. Former President Richard Nixon often played it at the White House. Bill and Hillary Clinton like Scrabble. So do Carol Burnett, Keanu Reeves, and John Travolta.
As we can see that Scrabble's popularity does not distinguish between the rich and famous and average citizens, what could possibly account for such a widespread interest in this board game? The answer may be that it seems likely that whomever people are and wherever they are from, the universal appeal of Scrabble is that everyone gets the same benefits from it-- it is a learning experience, a challenge, and an opportunity to interact with other players. Regardless of which version or style one prefers, they all provide these bonuses; and everyone from a small child to a United States President appreciate everything that Scrabble has to offer.
Scrabble has become such a basic part of everyday life in the United States that it even has a role in many popular American movies. For just a few examples, in the 2001 film "The Wedding Planner," the main character and her father are both members of their local Scrabble club. "Christine," based on Stephen King's novel, the 2000 version of "Charlie's Angels," and the 1968 Mia Farrow classic "Rosemary's Baby," all contained Scrabble-playing characters. Scrabble having only a small place in modern movies has clearly not been enough, considering the production of two movies which are actually based on the theme of Scrabble itself: "Word Freak," and "Your Word Against Mine."
Scrabble crossword games have long been a part of most newspapers in the United States. For many people, Scrabble is as much a part of their everyday newspaper enjoyment as standard crossworld puzzles and word-find games. The newspaper version is different from other forms of Scrabble, but two of its benefits are that it's portable and it appears on a regular basis. There is no need for anyone to ever be without a Scrabble game to play, when it can be found in one's daily newspaper.
The focus of the media and celebrities illustrates that the game of Scrabble has universal appeal-- that nearly everyone, everywhere, enjoys this game. It also shows that there is a quality to Scrabble much more important than being just a game, for it has so much to offer to so many.
