American mahjong loves to change the rules of the game

The Soap tile is a dragon and the zero on the NMJL card.

American mahjong leaders had to change a few things within 2 years after the NMJL "officially standardized the game"

I can just imagine the ladies of the NMJL sitting around the table in 1939 planning the 1940 card.

Dorothy: “We are in a bit of a jam. The year section for 1940 needs a zero. We don’t have a zero in this set.”

Viola: “Ooh. We have a boondoggle.”

Dorothy: “Well… it looks like we just make something up. That’s what that nitwit Joe Babcock did most of the time. Let’s be honest, Soap doesn’t even look like a dragon. It looks more like zero anyway. We’ll use that.”

Viola: “I think making things up as we go along is a great strategy.”

American mahjong started growing more flowers. In fact, American mahjong tile sets had basically a garden on every rack.

In the 40s, the NMJL started adding flowers. And more flowers. And more flowers. Since American mahjong loves to change the rules of the game, the NMJL directors considered the flowers be wild so people could actually win a game once in a while. By 1950, there were 24 flowers in standard mahjong game. Yes- there were 2 dozen flowers in every American mahjong set.

Mahjong flower tiles were abundant in American mahjong sets in 1950s.

Groovy. Let's change the rules of the American mahjong game again.

In the 60s, someone wanted order. Jokers were introduced as wild tiles and flowers went back to just being flowers.

The American Mahjong game kept on truckin'.

In 1971, they all agreed on the current 8 flowers and 8 jokers.

Would NMJL change the rules again for the game of American mahjong? As if!

Now I am imagining it’s 1999.

Ruth: “Y2K is coming! We need to use a lot of Soaps for the year section of the card.”

Harvey: “I don’t know why you are worried, Ruth. Barely anyone plays this silly game anymore. I heard Barbara Walters talking about the computers imploding for the year 2000. Just use the zeros and print the card.”

Ruth: “You are probably right. I just want to make sure I cash all the preorder paper checks and stuff the money under the mattress. We will just make something up like we always do. If too many people call to complain, I’ll just leave the phone off the hook so they get a busy signal all of 2000.”

I imagine they were all humming Prince’s lyrics:

'Cause they say 2000, zero, zero,

party over- oops, out of time

So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999

When we didn’t die and computers operated normally, all ten players received their cards. In 2001, soap got a little break but had to get used to working hard.

A kong of soaps in American mahjong

Girl... We are changing American mahjong again.

And here we are in 2026 with more players than ever. Every new player had the same question when they learned “why is this rectangle so many things?”

The teachers all just learned to play the game six weeks ago themselves. They simply told them to stop questioning the “why” and match the hands like the NMJL card or Marvelous Mah Jongg card says. Things just are what they are in American mahjong. The rectangle is called Soap and is the White Dragon for the dots, the zero and the “o” on the alternative card. Everyone just has to roll with it.

We teach new players that we have an easy way for players to remember that the Soap is the White Dragon and is the dragon for the dots. Just think: suds and soap. The bubbles look like suds and the rectangle looks like a bar of Ivory soap.

Simple, right? Ha. "And why is it a rectangle instead of a dragon like the red or green?" the students all ask. It just IS, we tell the students. Move on. Roll with that too.

I don’t have to imagine these conversations in 2026… I lived these. The younger players usually look at the teachers with a blank stare. The Soap tile connection to a bar of soap makes no sense to younger players. In 2026, soap is always in a pump now. "Rectangle means soap?" they ask.

Finally, one student has a light bulb moment. “Oh… I get it! It’s VINTAGE soap from the old days. Once, I got a bar-type soap like that at the motel. So gross. I had to share the shower with my brother. There was a hair on the bar of soap and I wasn’t sure what body part that hair came from!”

I guess we need to take notes from Joseph, Dorothy, Viola and Ruth and just make some more stuff up in the American mahjong game. This time, it’s Gladys Grad and Missy Mahjong leading the charge and introducing the Black Dragon. We need to give Soap a break until 2111.

More change is coming. American mahjong loves to change the rules of the game.

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Jokers were introduced to American mah jongg in the 1960s.

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