Upwords®

It is said that in recessions people stay in a lot and play board games. One game that I recommend is called Upwords®.

This is the main drawing of Elliot Rudell's Game board and playing pieces. You get points for altering words by building upwards (get the pun), to a limit of 5 pieces. So FOOT might change to COOT by putting a C on top of the F. Each tile contained within an altered word gets you a point. 

Unlike Scrabble®, the players continue until nobody can play, rather than when a player has used all their letters. To my mind that, and the ability to build up, makes it more creative. 

Rudell applied for his patent in 1982 and it was published in 1988. The US trade mark was applied for in 1983, citing first use in that year, and is shown as owned by Milton Bradley. It is registered as "Apparatus for Playing a Parlor-Type Three-Dimensional Strategy Board Game". I see that the British trade mark database shows it being filed for there in 1984 -- and owned by Hasbro. Hasbro in fact has taken over Milton Bradley (and also Parker Brothers).

Rudell has scores of patents for toys. They are listed on the web site for Rudell Design. The company is a prolific provider of concepts which are taken on by toy companies, much like Marvin Glass, who gave us the Mousetrap® game and many others. Toys and games by both companies are sold under the trade marks of others and so are not readily identifiable as their work.  

Comments

[Alistair Kelman]

It has recently been licensed to Microsoft who are now allowed to produce an electronic version - see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upwords

[Mary Mcfadden]

can a player at the end of the game who declares they have no more moves later come back and build a word off of his opponent's last move.

[KVM Switches]

A parlor game that, during the play thereof, allows a plurality of players.