Milton Bradley Company facts for kids

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Milton Bradley Company

The Milton Bradley factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, 2013
Former type	Subsidiary
Industry	Games
Fate	Purchased by Hasbro in 1984; merged with Parker Brothers to be reincorporated as "Hasbro Games" in 1998; remained as a brand until 2009
Successor	Hasbro Gaming
Founded	1860; 165 years ago (1860), in Springfield, Massachusetts
Founder	Milton Bradley
Defunct	1998; 27 years ago (1998) (as a company)
Headquarters	East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United States
Products	Board games Card games Electronic games Jigsaw puzzles Papers Crayons
Brands	Scrabble Simon Yahtzee
Parent	Hasbro (1984–1998)
Subsidiaries	McLoughlin Brothers Playskool

Milton Bradley Company, often called Milton Bradley or MB, was a famous American company that made board games. Milton Bradley started it in 1860 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Over the years, they made many popular games. In 1984, a big toy company called Hasbro bought Milton Bradley. Later, in 1998, it joined with another game company, Parker Brothers, to become "Hasbro Games." The Milton Bradley name was still used for games until 2009.

History of Milton Bradley Games
Popular Milton Bradley Games
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History of Milton Bradley Games

How Milton Bradley Started Making Games

Milton Bradley, the company's founder

Milton Bradley was good at making board games. In 1860, he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. There, he opened the state's first shop for color printing. He printed a picture of Abraham Lincoln that sold very well. But then Lincoln grew a beard, and the picture looked old-fashioned.

Milton Bradley needed a new idea for his printing machine. He visited his friend George Tapley, who challenged him to a game. This gave Bradley an idea: he would make a truly American game.

He created The Checkered Game of Life. In this game, players moved from "Infancy" to "Happy Old Age." The goal was to avoid "Ruin" and reach "Happy Old Age." The squares had moral ideas like "honor" and "bravery." Players used a spinner instead of dice. This was because dice were often linked to gambling.

By the spring of 1861, over 45,000 copies of The Checkered Game of Life were sold. Bradley realized that making board games was the future for his company.

When the American Civil War began in 1861, Milton Bradley stopped making games for a short time. He tried to make new weapons. But he saw bored soldiers in Springfield. So, Bradley started making small games for soldiers to play in their free time. These were the first travel games in the country. They included chess, checkers, backgammon, dominoes, and The Checkered Game of Life. These games cost one dollar each. Soldiers and charities bought them in large amounts.

Milton Bradley and Early Education

Bradley's kindergarten materials from 1896

In 1869, the Milton Bradley Company took a new path. Milton Bradley heard a talk about the kindergarten movement. This movement was about early education for young children. Elizabeth Peabody, a pioneer in this field, promoted the ideas of German scholar Friedrich Fröbel. Froebel believed children learn best through creative activities. Bradley spent much of his life supporting the kindergarten movement. He did this both personally and through his company.

In the late 1860s, Bradley became very involved in kindergartens. His company began making educational items. These included colored papers and paints. Bradley was very generous and often gave these materials away for free. This hurt the company's finances. During a tough economic time in the 1870s, his investors told him to choose: either his kindergarten work or their investment. Bradley chose to keep his kindergarten work. His friend George Tapley bought out the investors and became the company's president.

Milton Bradley's two daughters were among the first kindergarten students in Springfield. Milton, his wife, and his father were the first teachers. The company started making "gifts." These were geometric wooden toys Froebel thought were important for children's creative growth. Bradley spent months choosing the exact colors for these materials. His final choice of six colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet—became the standard for children's art supplies for many years.

By the 1870s, the company made many games. They also made popular items like croquet sets. Milton Bradley was the first American company to make these sets. They included everything needed to play, plus rules Bradley created himself. In 1880, the company started making jigsaw puzzles.

Educational supplies became a big part of the company's income. They made items for school teachers. These included toy money, multiplication sticks, and movable clock dials. Milton Bradley also kept making games for adults. Some were Visit to the Gypsies and Fortune Telling. They also made jigsaw puzzles of wrecked vehicles, which young boys liked.

Later Years and New Games

When Milton Bradley died in 1911, the company was passed down through different leaders. In 1920, Milton Bradley bought McLoughlin Brothers, another game company.

The company struggled in the 1920s and even more during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Fewer people bought board games. The company lost money until 1940, when banks demanded they pay back loans.

To avoid going bankrupt, the company asked James J. Shea to become president. Shea quickly worked to reduce the company's debt. He started by burning old games and products that had been sitting in storage for years.

When World War II started, Milton Bradley began making parts for fighter planes. They also made new game kits for soldiers, which earned the company $2 million. Milton Bradley still made board games, but they cut their list from 410 games to 150. New games like Game of the States, Chutes & Ladders, and Candyland were introduced.

When television became popular, it could have been a threat. But Shea used it to his advantage. Companies started getting licenses for TV shows to make toys and games. In 1959, Milton Bradley released Concentration. This was a memory game based on a TV show. It was so popular that new versions were made every year until 1982.

Milton Bradley celebrated its 100th birthday in 1960. They re-released The Checkered Game of Life, but it was updated. It was now called The Game of Life. The goal changed from reaching "Happy Old Age" to becoming a millionaire. Twister also came out in the 1960s. Thanks to Johnny Carson and Eva Gabor playing it on TV, Twister became a huge hit.

In 1967, James Shea Jr. took over as president. During his time, Milton Bradley bought Playskool and the E.S. Lowe Company, which made Yahtzee.

In the 1970s and 1980s, electronic games became popular. Milton Bradley released Simon in 1978. It became their best-selling item by 1980.

In 1979, Milton Bradley also made the first handheld video game console that used game cartridges, called the Microvision. In 1983, they bought General Consumer Electronics (GCE), which made the Vectrex video game console. Both the Vectrex and Microvision were designed by Jay Smith.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Milton Bradley sold games in North America that were made by Games Workshop in the UK. These games, like HeroQuest and Battle Masters, were based on the Warhammer Fantasy world.

Hasbro Takes Over

In 1984, Hasbro bought Milton Bradley. This ended 124 years of the company being owned by the same family. In the 1990s, new games like Gator Golf, Crack the Case, Mall Madness, and 1313 Dead End Drive were released.

In 1991, Hasbro also bought Tonka, which owned Parker Brothers. In 1998, Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers joined together to form Hasbro Games. After this, Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers became brands under Hasbro. In 2009, these brand names were stopped. Now, the games are just called Hasbro Gaming.