Who remembers the CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE series from the ’80s and ’90s?
This was an action-packed, free-spirited series where the main character was you. You were given choices throughout the book that would lead to different stories and different endings – some successful and some deadly.
In one book (#5) you were a kid trying to escape out of a haunted house, and then in the next book you were an adult secret government agent (#6). Unlike most series, there was no telling what the next book might be about. Time travel, a murder mystery, the old American west, outer space – there was no limit!
There were 184 titles published by Bantam Books from 1979 until 1998. One hundred eighty-four!! You’d be hard pressed to find another book series that released so many in a 20-year span. I currently have 16, so yeah, I don’t think I’ll be completing the collection anytime soon.
The CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE concept was created by Edward Packard, and he wrote 55 books of the original series .
R.A. Montgomery was another big CYOA author, writing 32 in the original series.
There were various spin-off series as well, such as CHOOSE YOUR OWN NIGHTMARE (horror themed), CHOOSE YOUR OWN FIRST ADVENTURE (for younger readers), and others. Counting all the spin-off series, there were well over 200 CYOA books published in that 20 year span.
The CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE trademark was picked up by R.A. Montgomery and he resurrected the series in 2005 under his new publishing company, CHOOSECO.
CHOOSECO has been releasing books from the original series with edited content and new illustrations, as well as all new CYOA stories.
Meanwhile, Edward Packard has been re-releasing some of his CYOA titles under his new imprint, U-VENTURES.
Do you read CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURES? Which ones are your favorites?
Until next time, this is Toydust signing off!
TOMORROW:
TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
By the way, check out this super cool CYOA shirt – a gift from my brother Andy.
On the back:
