A Century of American Toys and Games

From Chinese checkers to the Wheel of Fortune board game — the story of how one family business shaped the way Americans play.

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"A wonderful trip down memory lane, and a remarkable story of perseverance... The pictures are priceless!"  —Richard E. Grey, former chairman and CEO of Tyco

"This book chronicles the 'ins' and 'outs' of the everchanging toy industry better than anything I have ever read... For me, as a competitor and friend of Pressman Toy, this book is inspirational and instructional."  —Bob Moog, President and Co-founder of University Games

"This is a must-read for anyone interested in the toy industry, and actually anyone interested in how to successfully build a business."  —Tom Kalinske, former CEO of Mattel, Matchbox, Sega, and Leapfrog

When Jack Pressman went into business as a manufacturer of basic playthings like lead soldiers and toy xylophones in 1922, he could little have imagined that his small venture would become one of the iconic American toy companies. The firm scored its first megahit in the 1920s, when it popularised Chinese checkers, and it went on to introduce enduring favourites like Rummikub and Tri-Ominos. Today the Pressman Toy Corporation remains well known for its line of classic board games in eye-catching red boxes, as well as games based on popular TV shows. This centennial history traces the growth of the company under the leadership of three successive Pressmans: Jack, his wife Lynn (one of the first female CEOs in the industry), and their son Jim. It is a story that reflects the development of the toy industry as a whole — encompassing the rise of plastics, the emergence of character licensing and TV advertising, and the surprising endurance of the physical board game in our digital age. Abundantly illustrated with new colour photography as well as rare archival images, this will be an essential volume for anyone with an interest in the history of play.