The Evolution of Pictionary: From Concept to Market
This chapter explores the detailed journey of developing the game Pictionary, focusing on the iterative process of design and the challenges faced along the way. It compares the contemporary board game landscape with its past, discussing the rise of competition and changing business practices in an evolving industry. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creativity, authentic entrepreneurship, and the need to adapt strategies to ensure lasting success amidst modern distractions.
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Paris, 1987. Rob Angel, during the game’s launch in France
Rob Angel is the inventor of Pictionary. You have played this game. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t.
He Invented the game in 1985 and started manufacturing it in his studio apartment in Seattle, and then literally went out onto the streets, trying to sell it to people face to face.
Since then, 38 million copies of Pictionary have been sold worldwide. It’s one of the biggest games of human history. Is just staggering how many people have enjoyed this game.
He and his partners grew that company for a decade, handling everything themselves, figuring it all out the hard way, not knowing how to run a business, not knowing anything. They were kids.
They eventually sold it and Rob talks a lot in this conversation about what that was like and just the journey of making a success from the ground up and some of the personal experience of doing that.
I think there’s so much to learn from hearing these stories. It’s very soulful talking to Rob. He’s a guy who got successful long time ago and has really spent most of his time since then, just trying to help other entrepreneurs out.
He was on the board of a foundation to help fight AIDS because he lost one of his co-founders to AIDS in the eighties. That’s also kind of a success story, where we’re much better at handling AIDS now but It was pretty scary there in those days. We talked a little bit about that in this episode as well, but I’m just happy to be sharing such a delightful person with you guys.
Commencement Speech, Western Washington University College of Business & Economics, Class of 2019
Rob was a a waiter who came up with the idea for creating the international best selling board game “Pictionary”. In his own words he describes his invention as a “positive emotional experience” and wanted to share that feeling with the world after he played the game with his roommates.
Not all was smooth sailing at first… Challenges were constant but he assures that with focus, determination and holding to his and his partners shared vision, succeeded not only creating the game but a branding company that made it the biggest selling game in the world, spanning 60 countries and selling 38 million games until it was sold the IP to Mattel in 2001.
Today, Rob is an entrepreneur, explorer, investor, philanthropist, and sought-after speaker on a mission to help people create their own success and best life by encouraging them to have the confidence to take their first small step.
