Pictionary is a simple and fun board game in which teams of players take turns in order to guess a word based on sketches drawn on a sheet of paper while racing to reach the finish square. You’ve probably played it at some point or still play it, but did you know these interesting facts about Pictionary’s history?
Pictionary Originated as a Fun Game Among Friends
Pictionary inventor Robert Angel originally conceived Pictionary in 1981 as a fun game to play with his friends after work. At the time, the game required a player to locate a random word in a dictionary and then sketch it for his teammates to guess the word.
Trivial Pursuit Paved the Way for Pictionary
Angel was initially hesitant to turn Pictionary into a full-fledged board game but changed his mind after witnessing the success of Trivial Pursuit, a board game with a similar concept. He borrowed $35,000 from his uncle and partnered with a friend and one outside investor to start producing the board game by himself in his apartment.
Shortage of Pictionary Copies Caused Fights
Pictionary became so popular by the end of the 1980s that finding a copy in stores became a challenge. This shortage even caused fights, with a well-documented case of two men entering a fistfight in one California store in 1988 over a last copy of the game.
Pictionary Inspired Three Game Shows
There were three game shows inspired by Pictionary. The first one premiered in 1989 and aired for one season, while the second one also aired for one season between 1997 and 1998. Finally, a third iteration of the show premiered in 2022, with Stand by Me star Jerry O’Connell serving as a host.