BoardGameArchiveCandy Land Picture, Shortcut & Licorice Rules Explained
Candy Land A4813 special rules explained: picture-space movement, occupied spaces, licorice turn loss, shortcuts and the optional younger-player picture rule.
Hasbro A4813 adds several special rules to the basic color movement.
Hasbro A4813 adds several special rules to the basic color movement.
Key takeaway
Candy Land A4813 special rules explained: picture-space movement, occupied spaces, licorice turn loss, shortcuts and the optional younger-player picture rule.
About this guide
This how to play article covers 8 focused topics, with edition notes and sources where available.
What this guide covers
Picture spaces
Read this section
Younger-player option
Read this section
Occupied color spaces
Read this section
Occupied picture spaces
Read this section
Picture spaces
When the spinner stops on a picture, move to the matching picture space. Standard play allows this move forward or backward.
Younger-player option
The official rules include a simpler option: if the matching picture is behind the player, do not move backward; spin again instead.
Occupied color spaces
If your move would land on an occupied color space, move to the next space of the same color.
Occupied picture spaces
If the matching picture space is occupied, spin again.
Licorice square
Landing on a licorice square means you lose your next turn.
Shortcuts
Landing on one side of a marked pass lets you take the shortcut to the other side.
One colour, two colours or a picture: worked examples
In the Hasbro A4813 spinner edition, a single colour means the next space of that colour along the path. A double colour means the second space of that colour, not two spaces of any colour. A picture means go to its matching picture space, even if that takes you backward in the standard game.
| Spinner result | What to do |
|---|---|
| One blue block | Move to the next blue space ahead. |
| Two red blocks | Count red spaces ahead; stop on the second. |
| A pictured location | Go directly to that picture on the board, forward or backward. |
| Picture behind you with younger-player option | Do not go back; spin again. |
Example: if there is a blue square two path spaces away and a second blue square six path spaces away, a double blue result takes you to the second blue square six spaces away. You are not counting only two board spaces.
What if the destination is occupied?
A4813 distinguishes an occupied colour space from an occupied picture space. If another player’s mover already occupies the colour space you would land on, continue to the next space of that same colour. If the picture space is occupied, spin again instead of taking the picture space.
Example: your spinner points to a green square, but a rival stands on the next green. Move on to the following green square. If you spun a picture and a rival occupies its pictured destination, simply spin again. Do not assume you may share the picture space or automatically advance to a different picture.
These are special occupancy rules for the cited spinner printing, not rules to copy blindly to every modern Candy Land box.
Shortcut and licorice: when do they apply?
When your mover lands on an entrance space marked as a shortcut, you can take that shortcut to its other end as indicated on the board. Merely passing over a shortcut entrance does not mean you stop to use it. A shortcut may move you a long way forward without needing to match every intermediate colour.
A licorice square has the opposite effect: land there and you lose your next turn. Mark whose turn is being skipped so you do not accidentally make the player lose more than one.
Example: Red ends on a licorice square. Other players continue in turn order; when Red’s next turn comes, Red skips that turn, then resumes normal play on their following turn.
Exactly how do you reach King Kandy’s Castle?
The A4813 instructions say the first mover to reach King Kandy’s Castle wins; they also specify that spinning any colour can take you there once you are close enough. You do not need to land with an exact count of remaining ordinary squares.
Because the game is primarily a luck-driven colour-recognition activity, there is little tactical movement control. Its useful teaching value is practising counting matching colours, recognizing picture symbols and following turn-taking instructions without inventing strategic choices that the spinner does not provide.
Edition source: Hasbro A4813 instructions. The 2025 token-based Candy Land and older card-based printings may have different components or optional games.