Selchow and Righter
Selchow and Righter was an American game manufacturer and licensor best known for Parcheesi and Scrabble.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Selchow and Righter was an American board-game manufacturer whose business developed from a nineteenth-century publishing and game-distribution operation into a major producer and licensor of mass-market games. The company traces its origins to 1867, when it was established as E. G. Selchow & Co. In 1880, after John Righter joined the business, it adopted the Selchow and Righter name. For much of its history the company operated as a jobber: rather than relying exclusively on internally originated products, it produced, distributed, and licensed games created by other parties. Its earliest major success was Parcheesi. Selchow and Righter acquired rights to the game in 1870 and trademarked the name in 1874, helping turn the race game into a long-running American commercial product. The company also operated under the name Chaffee & Selchow for a period from 1897 to 1902. During the first half of the twentieth century, its activities covered a broad range of tabletop products, including original games, licensed properties, family games, educational or word-oriented products, and games connected with popular culture. A significant strategic shift took place under Harriet T. Righter, John Righter's daughter. She served as company president from 1923 through 1954 and presided over a period in which Selchow and Righter placed greater emphasis on manufacturing its own games, advertising, and organized marketing. Anagrams, first published by the company in 1934, was among the notable products associated with this period. Later products included Jotto, licensed in the 1970s, and a large catalog of family, travel, sports, mystery, action, and children’s games. The company's most consequential modern licensing relationship was Scrabble. Selchow and Righter licensed the American rights from James Brunot in 1952 and purchased the Scrabble trademark in 1972. This made the company a central American commercial steward of one of the world's best-known word games. The business also became the United States licensee for Trivial Pursuit in 1982, licensing the game from Horn Abbot through 1988. These arrangements illustrate the company's later role as both a manufacturer and a rights holder for established game brands. Coleco Industries acquired Selchow and Righter in 1986 for $75 million in cash and notes. Coleco itself entered bankruptcy in 1988, after which Hasbro purchased Coleco's primary assets. The transaction ended Selchow and Righter's independent corporate existence, while important game properties associated with the company continued under subsequent ownership. The former Selchow and Righter building in Bay Shore was later occupied by other businesses, including coating and architecture firms. Selchow and Righter is therefore remembered less as a continuing standalone company than as a historic American game publisher whose portfolio and licensing activity helped shape the commercial board-game industry.
History
Selchow and Righter originated in 1867 as E. G. Selchow & Co., founded by E. G. Selchow in the United States. John Righter joined the enterprise in 1880, prompting the adoption of the Selchow and Righter name. The company also conducted business as Chaffee & Selchow between 1897 and 1902, reflecting changes in its corporate and partnership structure. The company's first major commercial property was Parcheesi. It obtained rights to the game in 1870 and secured a trademark for the name in 1874. Parcheesi became a durable part of the American game market and established Selchow and Righter as an important tabletop-game business. For decades, however, the company was principally a jobber, producing and licensing games developed by other creators rather than functioning solely as an originator of proprietary titles. The business changed direction during Harriet T. Righter's tenure as president from 1923 to 1954. Under her leadership, Selchow and Righter expanded its manufacturing activity and gave advertising and marketing a more prominent role. The company published Anagrams in 1934 and maintained a broad product catalog that included games for families, children, travelers, sports fans, and hobby players. Its output also included titles connected with television, popular culture, mystery themes, and educational or word-based play. Selchow and Righter's later history was strongly shaped by licensing. It licensed Scrabble from James Brunot in 1952 and acquired the Scrabble trademark in 1972. The company also licensed Jotto during the 1970s and obtained U.S. rights to Trivial Pursuit from Horn Abbot in 1982, retaining that license through 1988. These agreements made the company an important channel through which established game concepts reached American consumers. In 1986, Coleco Industries bought Selchow and Righter for $75 million in cash and notes. Coleco entered bankruptcy in 1988, and Hasbro acquired Coleco's primary assets in the resulting disposition for $85 million in cash plus options to purchase Hasbro shares. This ended Selchow and Righter as an independent company. Its historical importance rests in its long manufacturing career, its stewardship of Parcheesi and Scrabble, and its role in developing the commercial model of combining in-house production with licensing. The company's former Bay Shore building was later occupied by unrelated businesses.
- 1988
Independent operations end after Coleco bankruptcy
[1]Coleco's bankruptcy leads to Hasbro's acquisition of its primary assets, ending Selchow and Righter's independent corporate existence.
- 1986
Acquired by Coleco Industries
[1]Coleco Industries purchases Selchow and Righter for $75 million in cash and notes.
- 1982
Trivial Pursuit licensed in the United States
[1]Selchow and Righter becomes the U.S. licensee for Trivial Pursuit.
- 1972
Scrabble trademark acquired
[1]The company purchases the Scrabble trademark.
- 1952
Scrabble licensed
[1]Selchow and Righter licenses Scrabble from James Brunot.
- 1934
Anagrams published
[1]The company publishes Anagrams, a word game with Victorian-era roots.
- 1880
Company renamed Selchow and Righter
[1]John Righter joins the business and the company adopts its long-standing name.
- 1874
Parcheesi trademarked
[1]Selchow and Righter trademarks the Parcheesi name.
- 1870
Parcheesi rights acquired
[1]The company acquires rights to Parcheesi, its first major commercial success.
- 1867
E. G. Selchow & Co. is founded
[1]E. G. Selchow establishes the business that later becomes Selchow and Righter.
Products and positioning
A mass-market American tabletop-game manufacturer, publisher, and licensee focused on family entertainment, word play, classic board games, and popular licensed properties.
Classic board game · 1870
Parcheesi
Parcheesi was Selchow and Righter's foundational commercial success. The company acquired rights to the game in 1870 and trademarked the name in 1874. Its race-around-the-board format made it a durable family-game property and an important early example of the company's ability to commercialize and protect a recognizable game brand.
Word game · 1952
Scrabble
Selchow and Righter licensed Scrabble from James Brunot in 1952 and later purchased the trademark in 1972. The property became one of the company's most important assets and illustrates its transition from a general game jobber into a significant rights holder and manufacturer of internationally recognized word-game products.
Word game · 1934
Anagrams
Anagrams was published by Selchow and Righter in 1934. Described as a Victorian word game, it represents the company's interest in language-based tabletop play and its role in bringing established word-game formats to a mass consumer audience.
Word game · 1955
Jotto
Jotto was among the word games licensed by Selchow and Righter during the 1970s. Its inclusion in the company's catalog reflects the continued importance of deduction and vocabulary games within Selchow and Righter's product strategy.
Trivia board game · 1982
Trivial Pursuit
Selchow and Righter served as the United States licensee for Trivial Pursuit beginning in 1982, licensing the game from Horn Abbot. The relationship lasted through 1988 and added a major quiz-based family game to the company's portfolio shortly before its acquisition by Coleco and the subsequent transfer of Coleco assets to Hasbro.
Mystery board game · 1972
Whodunit
Whodunit, released in 1972, was a deduction game for as many as six players. Players investigated a murder by examining alibi tokens and collecting clues concerning the culprit, weapon, room, and motive. Its structure placed it in the same broad family of commercial mystery board games as Clue while using its own investigative framework.
Video game · 1983
Glib
Glib was a 1983 Atari 2600 title developed by Qualtronic Devices and issued in the wider Selchow and Righter catalog. It shows that the company experimented beyond conventional tabletop products during the early home-video-game era.
Marketing campaigns
- 1923Expanded advertising and marketing program
United States
During Harriet T. Righter's presidency, Selchow and Righter increased its emphasis on advertising and marketing while expanding the manufacture of games rather than relying primarily on jobbing and licensing.
Outcome. The shift helped establish a more consumer-facing mass-market model for the company.
Brand decisions
1986
Accept acquisition by Coleco IndustriesM&ABackground
Selchow and Righter was an established game company with valuable tabletop properties, including Scrabble and Parcheesi.
Action taken
Coleco Industries acquired the company for $75 million in cash and notes.
Aftermath
Selchow and Righter became part of Coleco and later ceased to exist independently after Coleco's bankruptcy and Hasbro's asset acquisition.
Acquisition consideration. $75 million (1986)
1982
License Trivial Pursuit for the U.S. marketStrategyBackground
Trivial Pursuit had become a prominent quiz-game property owned by Horn Abbot.
Action taken
Selchow and Righter took the United States license for Trivial Pursuit, retaining it through 1988.
Aftermath
The license broadened the company's portfolio shortly before its acquisition by Coleco.
1952
License Scrabble from James BrunotStrategyBackground
Selchow and Righter had a long history as a manufacturer and licensee of games created by other parties.
Action taken
The company licensed Scrabble and later acquired its trademark in 1972.
Aftermath
Scrabble became one of the company's defining properties and a major part of its historical legacy.
Sources1 sources
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