The year was 1866 when Mr. and Mrs. George Parker welcomed their youngest son, George Swinnerton Parker, into the world. Their eldest sons were Edward and Charles respectively. The Great Depression will soon open its arms to the American world. George S. Parker was a hidden gem spreading the nation. Well-loved by his brothers and beloved by his friends, he was the last child of the heart, and soon that heart would carry it to the nation. He was an avid dreamer boy who was eager to play games and loved his brothers’ games.
Their favorite game was a game that George Banking is said to have invented. The players borrowed money from the bank and tried to guess how well they could do. It included one hundred and sixty cards that predicted an event or a crime. The game was taken up by his friends and brothers, so much so that his older brother, Charles, sealed him in publishing Banking. He approached two publishers unsuccessfully, before they finally approved one. He spent forty dollars on five hundred copies, netting a profit of one hundred dollars.
In 1883, Charles again encouraged his baby brother. At this time, George, then sixteen years old, was forced to form his own company. Thus was founded the George S. Parker Society. In 1888, things were going so well for young George that Charles joined his company. In the same year they changed this name to Parker Brothers. Ten years later, their oldest brother was killed.
The first are games to help educate and to entertain the public. George was responsible for writing all the laws, developing all the games, promotions and sales in the first years. That was unheard of at the time. He felt that it was important for people to stay informed about the time, even though people didn’t want to read bad news. He wanted to inform them, without even knowing it in modern times. This was the genius of St. George Parker.
In 1906, the people created their card, Rook. Not only was it their most popular card game, but it became the highest grossing game of all time. That would stand until 1935, when he introduced Monopoly into the nation. In 1953, at the age of eighty-six, George S. Parker died. The company remained with the family until 1968, when it was sold to General Mills. During the General Mills era, the company produced the Nerf product line. In 1985, the company was bought by Kenner, who changed the name to Kenner Parker Toys and shortly after was bought by Tonka. In 1991, Hasbro started the company that stands today.
Many of the games that were created by George S. Parker still remain household names. Clue, Pardon, Monopoly and Jeopardy stand out as the biggest hits. Hasbro has caught up, introducing newer hipper versions of classic board games. Games like Monopoly Here and Now, Disney Monopoly, Star Wars Monopoly, and some other versions. With the inventions of cell phones, computers and the internet, Hasbro capitalized on the latest. technology.
