Milton Bradley

March 6, 2011

by Bruce Whitehill

Though games had been produced In the United States in reasonable quantity since the 1840s, the business of American games did not take hold as an industry until 1860 when Milton Bradley, a draftsman and lithographer, made improvements in the printing proces. This allowed for the mass-production of color images, including the lithographic sheets that were pasted onto gameboards and boxes. As a sideline to his lithography business, Bradley published The Checkered Game of Life, a “morality” game, later described by Playthings magazine as “the first game with a purpose (that) taught a lesson of success through integrity and right living.” It wasn’t the first—but was the first to sell well.

(The portrait Bradley published of Abraham Lincoln just before he grew his beard is a valuable piece of ephemera now, as so few were sold.)

Bradley’s success was furthered by the introduction of what could be considered the first “travel games”—small versions of The Checkered Game of Life, designed to fit in the pocket or knapsack of soldiers during the Civil War. In 1866 he patented the first American croquet game. By 1876, he was producing colorful folded gameboards exactly the same size as the standard size today (47 cm [18 1/2”] square).

Bradley was interested in education and was very active in the new “kindergarten” movement. He produced many games aimed primarily at children, often depicting animals and sometimes based on popular folk stories. He sold a wide line of school supplies and optical toys in addition to educational games for youngsters and their families.

In 1876 he was awarded the Medal of Excellence at the Centennial Exposition—“the first award ever made for ethical teaching of children through play”. The company opened a New York office in 1892, and by 1903 had offices in Kansas, Atlanta, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Milton Bradley the man died in 1911, but his company continued through the 20^th century.
In 1920, Bradley bought McLoughlin. For a short time following its purchase of McLoughlin, Milton Bradley Company reproduced a few McLoughlin games under the Milton Bradley label. In some cases, the cover of the game was changed but the board remained exactly the same. In other cases the Bradley games, board and box, are exactly the same as their McLoughlin counterpart. The company was prolific.

Many of Milton Bradley’s early games were what we now call “dexterity” games, like tiddley winks or ring toss games. Most early Bradley games were not dated and the numbering system is unreliable for determining original dates of manufacture.

Many Bradley parlor games of the period showed at least six people on the cover, suggesting the game was suitable for all ages; often both sexes of three generations would be represented.

The company survived the Depression, offering inexpensive games which, like movies, were all most people could afford for amusement. But World War II brought restrictions, forcing the company to greatly reduce its game line. After a strong recovery, Bradley produced what is probably the first television-based game, Hopalong Cassidy, in 1950, starting a trend that would change the game industry. In 1984, the dynasty ended when Milton Bradley Company was purchased by Hasbro. The Bradley plant near Springfield is still used to manufacture the many games in the Hasbro/Bradley/Parker line.

The Milton Bradley saga is a great American success story. Bradley purchased the New York company, E.S. Lowe in 1973, and with it the popular game of YAHTZEE. In addition to its early successes and its television games, Milton Bradley introduced many other games which have become classics, including: BATTLESHIP, CONCENTRATION, CONNECT FOUR, HANGMAN, THE GAME OF INDIA, THE GAME OF LIFE, MOUSETRAP, OPERATION, PASSWORD, RACKO, SIMON, STRATEGO, and TWISTER.