A Brief History of MASTERMIND®

MASTERMIND® was first conceived in 1970 by an Israeli Postmaster Telecommunications expert named Mordecai Meirowitz. In 1971, he showed his unique game at the Nurnberg Toy Fair to a small English company, Invicta Plastics, Ltd

At the time, Invicta had an injection molding operation and point of purchase display business. The company based in Oadby, UK purchased the entire intellectual property rights to the game and founder, Mr. Edward Jones-Fenleigh further developed the game and released The Original MASTERMIND® later that year.

It quickly became the fastest selling game to date.

MASTERMIND® An instant classic

Starting in 1973, the box art featured a man in a suit sitting at a table with a woman standing behind him. This iconic image remained on the cover for years to come.

MASTERMIND® went on to win Game of The Year Award in 1975.

Pressman Toy Corporation purchased the rights to the game in 1982 and continues to manufacturer MASTERMIND® in the United States.

Hasbro manufactures and distributes to the rest of the world with the exception of Israel where it’s manufactured by Orda Industries. MASTERMIND® has sold over 55 million copies in over 80 countries around the world and continues to challenge minds as it has for over 30 years!

References

http://www.tnelson.demon.co.uk/mastermind/history.html
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/road/gbd76/toys.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(board_game)