Parker Brothers: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:03, 18 August 2015

Parker Brothers was a famous Salem game board company started by brothers George, Charles, and Edward Parker in 1883. George's first game was one he called "Banking". By 1900, the company was a major force in the game industry. Though they produced hundreds of games, Monopoly became their most well-known board game.

As the company grew, Parker acquired land at 190 Bridge St., eventually growing to a 35,000 square foot office and manufacturing facility. It would later expand to 15 acres of land and employ 500 workers with offices in several foreign countries. The main factory was were the current Jefferson Apartments stand.

A single game rescued the company from a serious business slump caused by the Great Depression. Monopoly, submitted as a game idea by Charles Brace Darrow, was based on buying and selling real estate. It became highly popular, because it let people fantasize that they could win in the real estate market. Sales skyrocketed and by 1935, the plant was producing 20,000 sets a week.

Although founder George Parker died in 1952, his company expanded, eventually entering the VCR game market, and developing interactive CD-ROM games.

In 1985, General Mills merged the company with their subsidiary Kenner; this new company, Kenner Parker Toys Inc., was acquired by Tonka in 1987. Tonka, including Parker Brothers, was bought by Hasbro in 1991.

After being bought out by Hasbro in 1991, the Parker Brothers plant in Salem closed and production facilities were transferred to a Milton Bradley factory in Springfield, Mass.

The Salem factory stayed open for three more years, making mostly Nerf footballs, until it was torn down in 1994.

Other board games under the name Parker Brothers are: Trivial Pursuit, Risk, Clue, Sorry! and the Ouija Board.

Revision as of 10:38, 20 March 2013 (view source) Jstrom (talk \| contribs) No edit summary ← Older edit		Revision as of 11:03, 18 August 2015 (view source) Jstrom (talk \| contribs) No edit summary Newer edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
	*Parker Brothers was a famous Salem game company started by brothers George, Charles, and Edward Parker in 1883. George's first game was one he called "Banking". By 1900, the company was a major force in the game industry. Though they produced hundreds of games, [[Monopoly]] became their most well-known board game.		*Parker Brothers was a famous Salem game board company started by brothers George, Charles, and Edward Parker in 1883. George's first game was one he called "Banking". By 1900, the company was a major force in the game industry. Though they produced hundreds of games, [[Monopoly]] became their most well-known board game.

	*As the company grew, Parker acquired land at 190 Bridge St., eventually growing to a 35,000 square foot office and manufacturing facility. It would later expand to 15 acres of land and employ 500 workers with offices in several foreign countries. The main factory was were the current Jefferson Apartments stand.		*As the company grew, Parker acquired land at 190 Bridge St., eventually growing to a 35,000 square foot office and manufacturing facility. It would later expand to 15 acres of land and employ 500 workers with offices in several foreign countries. The main factory was were the current Jefferson Apartments stand.