“Clue” adds forenames: Kasandra Scarlet, Jack Mustard, Victor Plum

Was it Col. Mustard, in the Billiard Room, with the wrench?

Nope. But it may have been video game tycoon Victor Plum, in the Theater, with the axe. Or A-list actress Kasandra Scarlet, in the Spa, with poison.

A modernized version of the board game Clue will be replacing the classic version on shelves this fall. The most interesting update is the inclusion of first names and biographies for all 6 characters:

Then	Now	Description
Mr. Green	Jacob Green	Go-to guy “with all the ins”
Col. Mustard	Jack Mustard	Former football player
Mrs. Peacock	Eleanor Peacock	Influential woman from a political family
Prof. Plum	Victor Plum	Billionaire video game designer
Miss Scarlet	Kasandra Scarlet	Famous actress often seen in tabloids
Mrs. White	Diane White	Former child actress seeking the spotlight

I think the female names were well-chosen, but I’m not too impressed with the male names.

Instead of “Victor” for the video game designer, I might have tried a more laid-back name (Bill, Chris, Jeff, Mike, Steve) or maybe a Japanese name (Riku, Shigeru, Toru, Toshiro, Yuji).

And I’m surprised the other two male names, Jacob and Jack, are so similar. Won’t that be confusing? Instead of “Jack” for the former football player, I would have gone for something equally simple that doesn’t start with “Jac-” (Cole, Kyle, Lane, Luke, Mark) or a name with a Western feel (Clint, Cody, Garrett, Travis, Wayne).

How do you like the names? (Do you like that the characters even have definitive first names now?)

Source: “Hasbro updates board game Clue with new characters, weapons.” New York Daily News 14 Aug. 2008.