Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers Games
Parker Brothers is an old company. George S. Parker created his first game in 1883 when he was only 16 years old.
If you want an idea of how long ago 1883 actually was, think about this. In 1883, Chester Arthur was president. The first electric lighting system was created and implemented by Thomas Edison. The first vaudeville theater opened that year. The Brooklyn Bridge opened. The first rodeo was held in Pecos, Texas. When you watch a movie set in the old West, then this is the time period they were talking about.
That's how old a company Parker Brothers is.
And no, the game George Parker created wasn't Monopoly. But it was a money-themed game called Banking. It was so popular among their family and friends that his brother and he published the game and profited from selling it. Parker Brothers has gone on to publish over 1800 different games.
The company went on to produce a lot of the most famous board games in the history of the world. Parker Brother games include Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Clue, and Risk. Parker Brothers was a family-owned company until the 1960's, but then it was sold to General Mills. Eventually General Mills sold the company to Tonka, who in turn were gobbled up by Hasbro, who still owns Parker Brothers.
The Parker Brothers brand name and logo are still one of the more solid brand-names in the toy business. Only "Milton Bradley" compares in terms of brand recognition. Both brands are now owned by Hasbro though.
Parker Brothers Board Games & Parker Brothers Card Games
Parker Brothers Board Games
Some of the more famous Parker Brothers board games include:
- Monopoly
- Clue
- Trivial Pursuit
- Risk
- Pente
- Payday
- Ouija
Parker Brothers Card Games
Some of the more famous Parker Brothers card games include:
- Rook
- Pit
- Mille Bornes
Books About Parker Brothers
Some books have been written about Parker Brothers. I've included as complete a list of these as I could find:
- Seventy Five Years of Fun - This was a pamphlet produced by Parker Brothers in 1958.
- Ninety Years of Fun - Another pamphlet from Parker Brothers, this one was published in 1973.
- Playing by Different Rules by Ellen Wojahn - This 1988 book takes a look at what happened after the company became a General Mills subsidiary.
- The Game Makers: The Story of Parker Brothers by Phillip Orbanes