Coup-fourré! That was what you shouted when you had a safety card to combat a hazard in this classic game.
Things I learned on Wikipedia that I believe to be true: Mille Bornes is French for a thousand milestones, referring to the distance markers on many French roads.
For some reason this racing car/d game became popular in the US and in the Glass Family. It’s still made now, by a company called Asmodee that stripped out all the French language rendering it awful. (I highly recommend scoring an old Parker Brothers version for immense and fierce enjoyment.)
Plus also? That Bookman Swash on the packaging!
This just in: After sharing this favorite with my friend Thor, he texted back this link by Jim Hughes who does a deep dive of Mille Bornes design over the years. Also highly recommend taking a looksee so you can see more gems like this special edition box:
And just for giggles, here’s the set of cards that I remember growing up:
