Did Quarantine Make Board Games Chic Again? - Kylie Jenner Kaia Gerber Bella Hadid Queen's Gambit - CR Fashion Book

Did quarantine make board games chic again? The short answer: totally.

Remember March and April? The pandemic had just shut almost everything down, we were learning what Zoom was, it felt like everyone was baking banana bread, and the one thing many of us wanted to turn to most were board games.

In a time of uncertainty and change, it makes sense that we wanted to revert to much simpler times—back to when we played board games for hours with family and friends during holidays and vacations and when the most stressful thing in our lives was getting the Q tile in Scrabble.

Now, almost a year into the pandemic, we’re still turning to board games like Uno, backgammon and chess in our free time. And we’re not the only ones. Board games have become the ultimate quarantine accessory for everyone from Kylie Jenner to Cindy Crawford.

What are some of the favorite go-to games? Uno, for one. Last August, Jenner showed off her own custom pastel pink Uno set on Instagram. (Bella Hadid is also a longtime Uno fan.) Jenner’s Uno set was met with mostly positive reactions, with Instagram users commenting things like “Where can I get these uno Kylie cards,” “I want,” and “Yes, just yes.”

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Last December, Mattel Creations announced they were dropping their latest Artiste Series, an Uno deck designed by Nina Chanel Abney in collaboration with Pharrell’s Black Ambition. Mattel is donating to PolicyLink to support Black Ambition, which will provide a bridge to success for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs launching start-ups in tech, design, healthcare, and consumer products and services.

Nina Chanel Abney’s Uno deck

Mattel

Uno is now more Insta-worthy than ever between Jenner’s pink cards and Abney’s newly designed deck. Plus, with Abney’s deck supporting Black Ambition, it’s a game you can feel good about purchasing and showing off.

Some celebrities have been getting into backgammon as well. Crawford was really into backgammon in the early stages of quarantine, posting about her games a couple times on Instagram. And daughter Kaia Gerber has even got in on it—her must-have at home is a backgammon set. "I have backgammon at my house, and that’s all a girl needs,” she once said in an interview.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Chess is also having a major moment after The Queen’s Gambit became one of the most-watched shows on Netflix last year. Not only did more than 50 million people watch Beth Harmon take the chess world by storm, but many of them went on to buy their own chess sets as well. Chess set sales skyrocketed after the show premiered, with The New York Times reporting that sales grew 125 percent.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Board games are even going digital. Celine Dion made a “Celine #StayAtHome Bingo” on Instagram back in April, and many have turned to having virtual game nights to connect with others while staying safe at home.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Several luxury brands offer their take on board games, like Louis Vuitton’s Jenga set and Hermes’ chess board. Between the pop culture sensation of The Queen’s Gambit, celebrities sharing their chic board games, and people staying home for the foreseeable future, board games won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.