Each TOY or GAME has a STORY to share with kids.

Today, it’s the Game of UNO’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)…

WHAT is the Game of UNO:  UNO is a 4-color card game in which players must match the color or number of the card before him.  Specific ACTION cards make the game more fun and reliant on strategy to win.  The object of UNO is to be the first to get rid of all the cards in your hand into a discard pile.

WHO invented UNO:  UNO was invented in 1971 by Merle Robbins, a barbershop owner from Reading, OH who loved playing cards.  Merle’s wife Maria and his son and daughter-in-law, Ray and Kathy, were involved in the idea as well.

As the story goes, Merle got into an argument with his son one night while playing the card game Crazy Eights.  It seems that Merle and his son disagreed on some Crazy Eights rules.

Merle solved the Crazy Eights rules problem by inventing his own card game that he called UNO.  UNO is similar to Crazy Eights, but Merle and his family found that they liked UNO much better.

As UNO became more and more popular in Merle’s circle of card-playing family and friends, Merle’s family decided to invest $8,000.00 to manufacture the first 5,000 UNO decks of cards. Merle sold his UNO game right from his barber shop, and friends and local businessmen sold them, too.

By 1981, Merle’s UNO had become quite popular.  Merle and his family made the decision to sell the rights to UNO to International Games for $50,000 plus royalties.  International Games marketed UNO and sales hit the roof, so to speak. 

The rest is history… and UNO has become a staple in family games for kids of all ages.

UNO’s easy-to-follow rules are what make it such a wonderful family game, but thinking about your opponents’ cards and moves makes UNO a challenging game, too.  You’re basically all by yourself, or UNO, with your game strategies!

Grab a deck of UNO Game Cards for your kids and grandkids and bring them into the colorful world, and the story of UNO.  Who knows?  Your kids may be “ta-dah-ing” you at your own childhood game!

And join me here each day in July for TOY STORIES on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! A little fun, a little learning and a little “ta-dah!”