The history of UNO

1969

The UNO card game was developed in 1969 based on a traditional game idea by Merle Robbins. As owner of a hair salon he developed this game to play it with his son. The game idea convinced family and friends so much that their savings were invested in the production of 5,000 card games.

1971

The first editions of the card game were distributed in 1971 and within the USA. Due to the sales success Merle Robbins transferred the rights of the game to a friend, who marketed the game internationally through the company International Games. Merle received $50,000 plus 10 US cents per game sold.

1992

Since 1992 it has been distributed and marketed by Mattel – after the acquisition of International Games. Meanwhile the card game UNO is known worldwide and is one of the best-selling card games ever. Today, over 1 billion cards are produced annually.