Selchow and Righter

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Selchow and Righter was a 19th- and 20th-century game manufacturer best known for the games Parcheesi and Scrabble. It was based in Bay Shore, New York.

It dates back to 1867[1] when it was founded as E. G. Selchow & Co. In 1880, to reflect his new partnership with John Righter, the company name was changed to Selchow and Righter.[2] Games were also produced by Chaffee & Selchow, particularly between 1897 and 1902. Until the mid-twentieth century Selchow and Righter was considered a "jobber", a game company that produced and licensed other peoples' games.

Their first hit was Parcheesi, which they purchased the rights to in 1870 and trademarked in 1874. In 1952 they licensed Scrabble from James Brunot, then purchased that trademark in 1972.[1] Other notable S&R games include Anagrams (1934), which was a Victorian word game, originally published by Selchow and Righter, Jotto (1955), which was licensed by Selchow and Righter in the 1970s, Trivial Pursuit which was licensed from Horn Abbot in 1982.

Other games which were produced by Selchow and Righter:

  • "Go For Broke"
  • "Cap-It"
  • "Cargoes"
  • "Cabby"
  • "Jamboree"
  • "Meet The Presidents"
  • "Assembly Line"
  • Whodunit (1972)[3] A similar game to Cluedo in which 6 players move around the board as investigators, obtaining opportunities to view other player's "alibi" tokens and collecting other "clues" to the identify of the murderer, weapon used, room in which committed, and a new category: motive. Whodunit draws on a similar setting and character types, including a colonel and maid, but in which the suspects are not the players.[4]
  • "Mr. Ree!" (1937)[5][6][7]
  • "Prospecting"
  • "Super Market"
  • "Blast Off"
  • "Games Galore!"
  • "Globe-Trotters"
  • "Home Team Baseball"
  • "Huggin' The Rail"
  • "Snake Eyes"
  • "Ur: Royal Game of Sumer".

Selchow and Righter was purchased by Coleco Industries in 1986 for $75 million USD in cash and notes.[8] Coleco Industries purchased the games from Selchow & Righter, but not the trademark of the company's name. The trademark for "Righter" in the commercial use of games and entertainment remains under the control of the Righter Family; specifically, Philip Righter, the 2x great grandson of John Righter, the company's original co-founder. www.selchowandrighter.com

In 1989 Coleco declared bankruptcy and its primary assets were purchased by Hasbro for $85 million USD in cash, plus options to buy one million shares of Hasbro stock at price of $28.85 (at the time the deal closed, Hasbro stock was worth only $20 a share).[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Hasbro Scrabble - History". 2005.
  2. ^ "A Brief History of American Games". Toy Shop. 1997.
  3. ^ Whodunit | Board Game. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.[self-published source?]
  4. ^ Whodunit Mystery Detective Game – Rules at Welcome To Boddy Manor (retrieved 12/27/2009)
  5. ^ Mr. Ree! | Board Game. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved on 2012-12-05.
  6. ^ http://reviews.ebay.com/Mr-Ree-The-board-game-that-inspired-quot-Clue-quot?ugid=10000000001916624 Mr. Ree! The board game that inspired "Clue"
  7. ^ Tim, Walsh (2005). Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Kansas City MO: Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 85.
  8. ^ "Coleco Acquires Selchow & Righter". AP (Associated Press). 1986-05-05.
  9. ^ "Hasbro's Purchase of Coleco's Assets". New York Times. 1989-07-13.

External links

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