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Game publisher From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
![]() The company's last logo ![]() The company's historical logo | |
Industry | Games |
---|---|
Founded | 1867 | (as E. G. Selchow & Co)
Defunct | 1986 (Games) The trademark was not sold. |
Fate | Closed, Games sold. |
Successor | Coleco Industries, Inc. |
Headquarters | , |
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]
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