Clue Makers Have Killed Off Mrs. White, Replaced Her With Dr. Orchid

by Kirsten Howard

Who killed Mrs. White? It wasn’t Colonel Mustard in the Billiard Room—it was the marketing team over at Hasbro HQ.

Yes, after almost 70 years of planning, committing, and helping to foil gruesome murders in Clue’s Tudor Mansion, original character Mrs. White is being killed off once and for all in August. The housekeeper will be replaced with Dr. Orchid who, according to Hasbro, "is a biologist with a PhD in plant toxicology, privately schooled in Switzerland until her expulsion following a near-fatal daffodil poisoning incident. She was then home-schooled by the very woman she would go on to replace, the late housekeeper, Mrs. White."

The classic game was launched in 1949 after being invented five years earlier by Birmingham, England-born musician Anthony E. Pratt as a fun way to pass the time in bomb shelters. Hasbro has been manufacturing Clue sets since the early 1990s, when the company bought Parker Brothers and Waddingtons, which were both producing their own editions. Although the game recently underwent a full revamp, this is the first time a major change has been made to the character lineup.

Hasbro has released a bio on Mrs. White’s replacement, Dr. Orchid, explaining that she is the adoptive daughter of Tudor Mansion’s rightful owner, Samuel Black. Dr. Orchid will be joining original characters Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, and Colonel Mustard in new Clue sets beginning in August.

“It was a difficult decision to say goodbye to Mrs. White—but after 70 years of suspicious activity, we decided that one of the characters had to go," Jonathan Berkowitz, Hasbro Gaming's senior vice president of global marketing, said in a statement. “Dr. Orchid is a brilliant new character with a rich backstory and links to the Black fortune. We’re sure families around the world will continue to create thrilling murder mysteries with all six suspects inside of the iconic Tudor Mansion. ”

Farewell, Mrs White. Gone, but not forgotten.

All images courtesy of Hasbro.