Parker Brothers Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Parker Brothers
Logo designed by Arnold Ferdinand Arnold, 1964
Formerly	George S. Parker Company
Former type	Division
Industry	Entertainment
Fate	Purchased by Hasbro in 1991; merged with Milton Bradley to be reincorporated as "Hasbro Games" in 1998. Remained as a brand until 2009
Successor	Hasbro Games
Founded	1883; 142 years ago (1883)
Founder	George Swinnerton Parker
Defunct	1998; 27 years ago (1998) (company)
Headquarters	Salem, Massachusetts , US
Products	Board games Electronic games Jigsaw puzzles
Brands	Cluedo Monopoly Scrabble
Parent	Hasbro

Parker Brothers was a famous American company that made toys and games. It started in 1883 and published over 1,800 different games! In 1991, it became a brand of Hasbro, another big toy company.

Some of the most well-known games from Parker Brothers include Monopoly, Clue, Sorry!, Risk, and Scrabble. Even though the Parker Brothers name isn't used much anymore, many of their classic games are still sold today under the "Hasbro Gaming" label.

The Story of Parker Brothers
Puzzles and Video Games
- Jigsaw Puzzles
- Electronic and Video Games
Some Games Published by Parker Brothers
- Gallery
See also

The Story of Parker Brothers

George Swinnerton Parker, the founder of Parker Brothers.

Parker Brothers was started by a clever person named George Swinnerton Parker. George believed that games should be fun and exciting. He thought games didn't always need to teach a lesson.

How It All Began

George created his very first game, called Banking, in 1883. He was only 16 years old! In Banking, players borrowed money from a bank. They tried to get rich by guessing how well they would do. The game had 160 cards that could predict good or bad luck.

His family and friends loved Banking so much. His brother, Charles Parker, told him he should publish it. George tried to get two publishers in Boston interested, but they said no. Not giving up, he spent $40 to make 500 copies of Banking himself. He sold almost all of them and made a profit of $100!

Growing the Company

George officially started his game company in 1883. It was first called the George S. Parker Company. It was located in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts.

In 1888, his brother Charles joined the business. That's when the company's name changed to the more familiar Parker Brothers. Later, in 1898, their third brother, Edward H. Parker, also joined. For many years, George designed most of the games himself. He also wrote all the rules for them.

Many of their early games were based on big events happening at the time. For example, Klondike was about the Klondike Gold Rush. War in Cuba was inspired by the upcoming Spanish–American War.

Famous Games and Success

The game industry was growing fast, and Parker Brothers became very successful. In 1906, they released a card game called Rook. It quickly became the best-selling game in the entire country.

During the Great Depression, many companies struggled and closed down. But Parker Brothers had a huge hit with a new board game called Monopoly. They had actually said no to the game in 1934. But they decided to publish it the next year. It was an instant success! The company had trouble making enough copies to keep up with demand.

Parker Brothers continued to grow over the next few decades. They created many more popular games. These included Clue, Risk, and Sorry!.

Changes and New Products

George Parker passed away, but the company stayed family-owned until 1968. Then, a large company called General Mills bought Parker Brothers. After this, Parker Brothers created the very first Nerf ball.

In 1977, the company built its main office in Beverly, Massachusetts. In the early 1980s, Parker Brothers even started a book publishing branch. They also had a record label for a short time.

In 1985, Parker Brothers merged with another company called Kenner. This new company was later bought by Tonka in 1987.

Becoming Part of Hasbro

In 1991, Hasbro bought Tonka, which included Parker Brothers. Hasbro also owned the Milton Bradley Company. After this, Parker Brothers kept its offices in Beverly. However, game production moved to Milton Bradley's headquarters.

In 1998, Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley joined together. They formed a new group called Hasbro Games. Both Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley became separate brands under Hasbro. By 2009, these brand names were retired. Their games are now sold under the main Hasbro brand.

Puzzles and Video Games

Parker Brothers made more than just board games. They also created puzzles and even ventured into video games.

Jigsaw Puzzles

Parker Brothers sold its first jigsaw puzzle in 1887. Their most famous puzzle line was called the Pastime brand. These were beautiful hand-cut wooden puzzles made from 1908 to 1958. They also made puzzles for children and other puzzle lines.

Electronic and Video Games

In the late 1970s, Parker Brothers started making electronic versions of their popular board games. They released an electronic game called Merlin in 1978. It sold 700,000 units before Christmas that year!

The company also got into the video game market. They created games for popular systems like the Atari. They even got the license to make Star Wars video games. Other video games they published included Frogger, Popeye, and Q*bert.