Parker Brothers

St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture by Robin Lent

Parker Brothers is the company most well-known for Monopoly, arguably the most famous board game of all. In 1883 a 16-year-old named George S. Parker of Salem, Massachusetts, invented The Game of Banking. After two companies rejected the game, he decided to market it himself. With his profits, he established the George S. Parker Company. He later invited his brothers to join and the company officially became Parker Brothers. Long a successful company, alongside its rival Milton Bradley (also located in Massachusetts), Parker Brothers' biggest success came in the 1930s with Monopoly, which brought the company revenues of a million dollars by 1936. Over the years, Parker Brothers produced many other popular games, such as Clue and Trivial Pursuit. In 1968 General Mills bought Parker Brothers--it was spun off as Kenner-Parker two years later--and in 1991 it was acquired by Hasbro, the second leading toy producer after Mattel.