Roll the Dice: Classic Board Game History Quiz
Instructions: Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue — these beloved games have fascinating origin stories that are just as fun as the games themselves. Test your knowledge of the inventors, companies, and surprising facts behind America's favorite board games.
- 1.
Who invented the tile-based word game that eventually became known as Scrabble?
ACharles DarrowBAlfred Mosher ButtsCAnthony PrattDMilton Bradley - 2.
In what year did Parker Brothers first publish Monopoly for sale to the public?
A1935B1929C1948D1941 - 3.
Who invented the murder-mystery board game known as Clue in the United States and Cluedo in Britain?
AGeorge ParkerBJames BrunotCAnthony PrattDCharles Darrow - 4.
What did inventor Alfred Butts originally call the game that eventually became Scrabble?
AWord BuilderBLetter PerfectCTile MatchDCriss-Cross Words - 5.
Which company first published the children's board game Candy Land in 1949?
AMilton BradleyBParker BrothersCHasbroDSelchow and Righter - 6.
What must a player correctly name to win the board game Clue?
AThe murder suspect's motive and the time of the crimeBThe murderer, the room, and the murder weaponCThe room where all weapons are hiddenDThe murder weapon and two eyewitnesses - 7.
How many squares does a standard Scrabble board contain?
A196 (a 14×14 grid)B169 (a 13×13 grid)C225 (a 15×15 grid)D256 (a 16×16 grid) - 8.
In what year did Chris Haney and Scott Abbott invent Trivial Pursuit?
A1974B1984C1968D1979 - 9.
Which company first published the board game Operation in 1965?
AMilton BradleyBParker BrothersCSelchow and RighterDMattel - 10.
Who created The Landlord's Game in 1904 — the game that directly inspired Monopoly?
ACharles DarrowBElizabeth MagieCGeorge ParkerDParker Brothers - 11.
According to the official rules of Monopoly, what happens when a player lands on the Free Parking space?
AThe player collects all fines and taxes placed on the spaceBThe player receives $100 from the bankCNothing — the player simply rests there with no penalty or rewardDThe player draws a Community Chest card - 12.
In what year was the board game Sorry! first published in the United States?
A1928B1940C1948D1934 - 13.
What is the maximum number of players allowed in a standard game of Scrabble?
A4B6C8D10 - 14.
Which company published the plastic pegboard version of the naval battle game Battleship in 1967?
AParker BrothersBMilton BradleyCIdeal Toy CompanyDMattel - 15.
Which of the following was one of the original classic Monopoly playing tokens?
AA crownBA guitarCA wheelbarrowDA pair of scissors
Answer Key
Alfred Mosher Butts, a New York architect, invented the game in 1938, carefully analyzing letter frequencies in newspaper articles to decide how many tiles of each letter to include.
Parker Brothers purchased the rights to Monopoly from Charles Darrow and published it commercially in 1935, right in the middle of the Great Depression, when the game's fantasy of wealth became an enormous hit.
Anthony Pratt, a solicitor's clerk from Birmingham, England, patented the game in 1944 with his wife Elva, who designed the mansion board — the game was published commercially in 1949.
Butts named his 1938 tile-word game Criss-Cross Words — the name Scrabble was coined in 1948 by entrepreneur James Brunot, who bought the rights and turned it into a nationwide success.
Milton Bradley published Candy Land in 1949 after schoolteacher Eleanor Abbott invented it while recovering from polio — she wanted a cheerful game that children with limited mobility could easily enjoy.
In Clue, the winner is the first player to correctly accuse the right suspect, in the right room, with the right weapon — all three must be correct, or another player gets a chance to win.
A standard Scrabble board is a 15-by-15 grid of 225 squares, 61 of which are premium squares colored to double or triple the value of a single letter or an entire word.
Haney and Abbott came up with Trivial Pursuit in December 1979 while playing Scrabble in Montreal — the game was released to the public in 1981 and became one of the best-selling games in history.
Milton Bradley published Operation in 1965; the game was originally conceived by University of Illinois design student John Spinello, who sold his prototype for $500 and the promise of a job that never materialized.
Elizabeth Magie patented The Landlord's Game in 1904 to illustrate the economic theories of Henry George — Charles Darrow later adapted a folk version of her game into what became modern Monopoly.
In the official Monopoly rules, Free Parking is simply a neutral resting spot — the beloved house rule of collecting fines and taxes there was invented by players and has never appeared in the published rules.
Parker Brothers published Sorry! in the United States in 1934, based on a British game from 1929 — and both versions trace their roots to Pachisi, the ancient cross-and-circle game from India.
Official Scrabble rules accommodate two to four players — four is the maximum for a standard game, though competitive Scrabble tournaments are almost always played one-on-one.
Milton Bradley published the iconic plastic grid version of Battleship in 1967 — earlier versions of the ship-guessing game had been played with pencil and paper on graph pads since at least World War I.
The wheelbarrow was one of the eight classic Monopoly tokens, alongside the top hat, thimble, boot, race car, battleship, Scottie dog, and iron — all modest everyday objects fitting for a game about buying real estate.