Who are the Old maid characters?

Answer 1

There are many different versions of this game, so the names of the characters varies widely. In the traditional Whitman edition that I played as a child, some of the characters were Wacky Witch, Hugo Hunt, Fanny Flint, Grannie Smiles, John Law, Greasy Grimes, Art Smart, Kuku Klown, Salty Junk, Husky Hank, Hiram Hay, Lotta Noise, Tillie Tumble, Gusto Graft, Choosy Chef, Hedda Howell, Tippy Tubbs, Betty Bumps, and Petunia Pill. The lists I've seen also include Biddpy Dabb and Molly Meo, but I honestly don't have a memory of those characters. Either I've forgotten them or there were some variations in the Whitman decks, as well.

One 1920s deck sports Gabby Gob and Girgling Gertie. Another includes Fancy Nancy and Lucky Louie. And those are just a couple of the English characters. This is a game known by many other names in lots of other cultures. In the Tagalog language, for instance, the one left holding the odd/non paired card at the end of the game is "the monkey." And, a regular deck of playing cards can also be used - and the game may have originally been played with these cards instead of picture cards with entertaining names. Just remove one of the queens and the one of the same color remaining in the deck becomes the equivalent of "the old maid."