Parker Brothers
From Salem Links and Lore
- Parker Brothers was a famous 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 famous 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 grow to 15 acres of land and employ 500 workers with offices in several foreign countries.
- 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 interactive CD-ROM games.Bought out by Hasbro in 1991, Parker Brothers' plant closed and production facilities were transferred to a Milton Bradley factory in Springfield, Mass.
- Other board games Parker Brother produced were: Trivial Pursuit, Risk, Clue, Sorry! and the Ouija Board.
See Also
- "George S. Parker, noted parlor-game maker of Salem dies at 85", Salem Evening News, Sept. 27, 1952, p. 8.
- "Robert B. M. Barton, marketed Monopoly for Parker Bros., at 91."Boston Globe, Feb. 17, 1995. p.81
- The Game Makers: the Story of Parker Brothers from Tiddledy Winks to Trivial Pursuit by Philip E. Orbanes.
- 90 Years of Fun, 1883-1973, the history of Parker Brothers
