Selchow and Righter
IndustryGames
Founded1867; 157 years ago (1867) (as E. G. Selchow & Co)
Defunct1986 (Games)
The trademark was not sold.
FateClosed, Games sold.
SuccessorColeco Industries, Inc.
Headquarters
Bay Shore, New York, New York
,
U.S.

Selchow and Righter was a 19th- and 20th-century game manufacturer best known for the games Parcheesi and Scrabble. It was based in Bay Shore, New York.

It dates back to 1867[1] when it was founded as E. G. Selchow & Co. In 1880, to reflect his new partnership with John Righter, the company name was changed to Selchow and Righter.[2] Games were also produced by Chaffee & Selchow, particularly between 1897 and 1902. Until the mid-twentieth century Selchow and Righter was considered a "jobber", a game company that produced and licensed other peoples' games. Under the leadership of John Righter's daughter, Harriet T. Righter, who was the company's president from 1923 to 1954, Selchow and Righter began manufacturing games, and put more emphasis on advertising and marketing campaigns.[3]

Their first hit was Parcheesi, which they purchased the rights to in 1870 and trademarked in 1874. In 1952 they licensed Scrabble from James Brunot, then purchased that trademark in 1972.[1] Other notable S&R games include Anagrams (1934), which is a Victorian word game, originally published by Selchow and Righter, Jotto (1955), which was licensed by Selchow and Righter in the 1970s, and Trivial Pursuit which was licensed from Horn Abbot in 1982.

Other games which were produced by Selchow and Righter:

Selchow and Righter was purchased by Coleco Industries in 1986 for $75 million USD in cash and notes.[10] Coleco Industries purchased the games from Selchow & Righter, but not the trademark of the company's name. The trademark for "Righter" in the commercial use of games and entertainment remains under the control of the Righter Family; specifically, Philip Righter, the great-great-grandson of John Righter, the company's original co-founder.

In 1989, Coleco declared bankruptcy and its primary assets were purchased by Hasbro for US$85,000,000 (equivalent to $208,928,859 in 2023) in cash, plus options to buy one million shares of Hasbro stock at a price of $28.85 (at the time the deal closed, Hasbro stock was worth only $20 a share).[11]

Trojan Powder Coating, Tri-State Powder Coating, and Williams Architecture now occupy the site of the former Selchow and Righter building.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Hasbro Scrabble - History". 2005.
  2. ^ "A Brief History of American Games". Toy Shop. 1997.
  3. ^ Petrik, Paula (1986). "The House That Parcheesi Built: Selchow & Righter Company". The Business History Review. 60 (3): 410–437. doi:10.2307/3115884. ISSN 0007-6805. JSTOR 3115884.
  4. ^ Whodunit | Board Game. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
  5. ^ Whodunit Mystery Detective Game – Rules Archived 2012-10-23 at the Wayback Machine at Welcome To Boddy Manor (retrieved 12/27/2009)
  6. ^ Mr. Ree! | Board Game. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved on 2012-12-05.
  7. ^ http://reviews.ebay.com/Mr-Ree-The-board-game-that-inspired-quot-Clue-quot?ugid=10000000001916624 Mr. Ree! The board game that inspired Clue
  8. ^ Tim, Walsh (2005). Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Kansas City MO: Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 85.
  9. ^ "Vintage SPEED Board Game Selchow & Righter S&R Metal Pieces Planes Boats Trains | #413702807". Worthpoint. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  10. ^ "Coleco Acquires Selchow & Righter". AP (Associated Press). 1986-05-05.
  11. ^ "Hasbro's Purchase of Coleco's Assets". New York Times. 1989-07-13.
  12. ^ "Trojan Powder Coating Co./Tri-State Powder Coating and Willams Architecture occupy former Selchow and Righter site".

External links

Scrabble
Authority control databases
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