Parker Brothers
George Swinnerton Parker stood in his Salem, Massachusetts workshop in 1883. He was only sixteen years old when he created Banking. This game required players to borrow money from a bank and guess their financial success using 160 cards. The cards predicted failure or triumph for each participant. His brother Charles urged him to publish the game after seeing its popularity among family and friends. George approached two Boston publishers but received no interest. Undeterred, he spent forty dollars to print five hundred sets of Banking himself. He sold all but twelve copies within months. That single venture generated one hundred dollars in profit for the young entrepreneur.
The Great Depression struck America during the early 1930s. Many companies closed their doors permanently during this economic crisis. Parker Brothers initially rejected Monopoly in 1934 before changing their minds the following year. They released the board game just as the economy hit rock bottom. Demand surged immediately upon release. The company struggled to keep up with orders for the new title. Rook had been the best-selling game in the country since 1906. Monopoly eventually surpassed that record despite the difficult market conditions. Sales figures remained strong while competitors failed. The game became a cultural phenomenon during the darkest years of the decade.
General Mills purchased Parker Brothers in 1968. This marked the end of family ownership that had lasted eighty-five years. The company built its headquarters in Beverly, Massachusetts in 1977. General Mills merged Parker Brothers with Kenner in 1985. Tonka acquired Kenner Parker Toys Inc. two years later. Hasbro bought Tonka including Parker Brothers in 1991 for approximately five hundred sixteen million dollars. Production moved from Beverly to East Longmeadow after the acquisition. Consolidation occurred at the new Hasbro Games campus in 1998. Both brands retired in 2009 under the unified Hasbro name.
Parker Brothers spent fifteen million dollars establishing a book publishing branch in early 1983. Their first titles featured Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake franchises. Twelve books were published by February 1984 alone. Total sales reached three point five million units within months. A record label operated alongside the publishing division around the same time. Cabbage Patch Dreams became certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in July 1984. Tom and Stephen Chapin worked on the album based on Coleco's toy line. Television game shows like Boggle emerged through deals struck with Martindale/Gilden Productions in 1988.
Merlin launched in 1978 as an electronic handheld device. The product sold seven hundred thousand units before Christmas that year. Sales totaled one hundred million dollars in 1979. Parker Brothers spent fifty thousand dollars reverse-engineering Atari hardware for their own cartridges. They secured Star Wars licenses because Kenner was also owned by General Mills. Revenue from cartridge sales hit seventy-four million dollars between June and December 1982. Other releases included Konami's Frogger and Nintendo's Popeye. Rom the Spaceknight appeared as an electronic action figure in 1979 but proved a commercial failure.
The company marketed its first jigsaw puzzle in 1887. The Pastime brand produced hand-cut wooden puzzles from 1908 to 1958. Children received special versions alongside adult challenges. Additional lines included Climax, Jig-A-Jig, and Paramount. Anne D. Williams documented the history of these products in her book. The Pastime line closed officially in 1958. Die-cut puzzles phased out during the late 1970s. Salem, Massachusetts housed many examples of early games like Young People's Geographical Game. The Good Old Game of Corner Grocery remains part of the New York Historical Society collection today.
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Common questions
When did George Swinnerton Parker create the game Banking?
George Swinnerton Parker created the game Banking in 1883 while he was sixteen years old. He stood in his Salem, Massachusetts workshop to develop this title which used 160 cards to predict financial outcomes.
What year did General Mills purchase Parker Brothers and end family ownership?
General Mills purchased Parker Brothers in 1968 to mark the end of eighty-five years of family ownership. The company later merged with Kenner in 1985 before Tonka acquired Kenner Parker Toys Inc. two years later.
How much money did Parker Brothers spend on their book publishing branch in 1983?
Parker Brothers spent fifteen million dollars establishing a book publishing branch in early 1983. Their first titles featured Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake franchises and total sales reached three point five million units within months.
Which electronic handheld device did Merlin launch as in 1978?
Merlin launched in 1978 as an electronic handheld device that sold seven hundred thousand units before Christmas that year. Sales totaled one hundred million dollars in 1979 after Parker Brothers reverse-engineered Atari hardware for cartridges.
When did the Pastime brand of jigsaw puzzles officially close?
The Pastime brand produced hand-cut wooden puzzles from 1908 to 1958 before closing officially in 1958. Die-cut puzzles phased out during the late 1970s while Salem, Massachusetts housed many examples of early games like Young People's Geographical Game.