What is Yahtzee?
A: Yahtzee is a dice game made by Milton Bradley (a company that has since
been acquired and assimilated by Hasbro).
The game is a development of earlier dice games such as
what?
A: Poker Dice, Yacht and Generala.
It is also similar to Yatzy, which is popular where?
A: In Scandinavia.
The objective of the game is to score points by doing
what?
A: Rolling five dice to make certain combinations.
The dice can be rolled up to how many times in a turn
to try to make various scoring combinations?
A: Three, and the dice must remain in the box.
A game consists of how many rounds?
A: Thirteen.
After each round, the player chooses what?
A: Which scoring category is to be used for that round.
The scoring categories have varying point values, some
of which are fixed values and others for which the score depends on what?
A: The value of the dice.
A Yahtzee is five-of-a-kind and scores how many points?
A: 50 points, the highest of any category.
The winner is the player who scores what?
A: The most points.
The most important predecessor of Yahtzee is the dice game Yacht, which is an English cousin of Generala and dates back to at least 1938.
When was the first commercial usage of the name Yahtzee?
A: A few weeks earlier on April 3.
Lowe classified his product as what?
A: a Poker Dice Game.
Lowe is also responsible for introducing what to the
U.S. market?
A: Bingo.
According to Hasbro, the game was invented by whom?
A: An anonymous Canadian couple, who called it The Yacht Game because they
played it on their yacht with their friends.
Later they asked Lowe if he would do what?
A: Make up some sets to be given as gifts to their friends who enjoyed the
game.
Lowe perceived the possibility of marketing the game
and did what?
A: Acquired the rights to the game from the couple in exchange for 1,000
gift sets.
This story is expanded by Lowe in what 1973 book?
A: A Toy is Born by Marvin Kaye.
According to Lowe, why did the game not initially do
well commercially?
A: Because the rules and appeal were not easily conveyed in an
advertisement.
Eventually, he had the idea of organizing what?
A: Yahtzee parties at which people could play the game and thereby gain a
first-hand appreciation of it.
The idea was successful, and enthusiasts did what?
A: Quickly popularized the game through word of mouth.
The E.S. Lowe Company sold Yahtzee from 1956 to when?
A: 1973.
The game and its contents were copyrighted by Lowe in
what years?
A: 1956, 1961, 1967, and 1972.
In 1973, Milton Bradley purchased the E.S. Lowe Company
and assumed the rights to what?
A: To produce and sell Yahtzee.
During Lowe's ownership how many Yahtzee games were
sold in America and around the globe?
A: Over 40 million.
According to current owner Hasbro, how many Yahtzee
games are sold each year?
A: 50 million.