Wills’s “Happy Families” cards were issued by the Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain and Ireland) Limited in around 1930. This was a time when smoking was generally regarded as extremely fashionable and harmless to your health, in some cases even approved by doctors. Each family represents a different brand of Wills cigarettes or tobacco. The packs were presented to retailers as part of an incentive scheme.

Right: the tuck box with the rules printed on the back, and the card back design in red & white. Packs contain 32 cards and were probably printed by Mardon Son & Hall.

REFERENCES & CREDITS

Mary Gardiner & John Hayter: The Catalogue of Happy Family Games, promotional packs, self-published, 1997.

All images courtesy Rex Pitts.