James Brunot and Scrabble Commercialisation
Alfred Butts created Scrabble. But James Brunot made it a phenomenon. The retired government worker from Connecticut took a living-room prototype and — through four years of money-losing persistence, a crucial rename, and one lucky encounter with a Macy's executive — transformed it into a game that would sell millions of copies. This is the story of how business sense and timing created an empire from 100 wooden tiles.
1948
Brunot buys rights
2,400
First year production
1952
Macy's breakthrough
4,500/week
Post-Macy's orders
The Deal With Butts
Brunot encountered Scrabble at a dinner party where friends were playing Butts' handmade set. He immediately saw commercial potential that Butts — exhausted from a decade of rejections — had given up on. In 1948, Brunot offered a simple deal: he would handle all manufacturing and marketing; Butts would receive a royalty per set sold.
💡 The Crucial Rename
Brunot knew Criss-Crosswords was too generic and too long. His wife suggested Scrabble — meaning to scratch or scrape — which captured the frantic feeling of searching for words among scattered tiles. The name was catchy, memorable, and unique enough to trademark.
The Hand-Production Years (1948-1952)
🧩 Building from Nothing
1948: Brunot and his wife hand-produce sets in their Newtown, Connecticut living room
Each set required hand-stamping 100 tiles, printing the board, cutting cardboard, and assembling the box
Production: ~12 sets per day at peak — two people working full shifts
Price: $2.50 per set wholesale — barely covering materials
Loss: approximately $450 in the first year (significant in 1948 dollars)
Distribution: small toy shops, bookstores, and gift shops in Connecticut and New York
The Macy's Breakthrough
The story is almost too perfect. In 1952, Jack Straus — president of Macy's department stores — played Scrabble while vacationing. When he returned, he was astonished to learn his own store did not carry it. He placed a large order immediately. Macy's promotional power turned a cottage industry into a national craze within months.
| Timeline | Event | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 1952 | Straus plays Scrabble on vacation | Personal discovery |
| Fall 1952 | Macy's places first order (quantity unknown) | First major retailer |
| Winter 1952 | Macy's promotes Scrabble in-store | Customer demand explodes |
| Early 1953 | Other retailers place orders | National distribution |
| Mid 1953 | Brunot cannot keep up — 4,500 orders/week | Production crisis |
| Late 1953 | Brunot licenses to Selchow & Righter | Mass production begins |
Licensing to Selchow & Righter
Overwhelmed by demand he could not meet from his living room, Brunot licensed manufacturing to Selchow & Righter — an established game company with factory capacity. This decision traded control for scale: Brunot received royalties while S&R handled production, distribution, and marketing at industrial scale.
✓ Brunot Keeps Production
Full control, higher margin per set. But severe production limits — could serve maybe 50,000 sets/year maximum.
✗ License to Selchow & Righter
Less control, lower margin per set. But access to factories producing millions of sets annually — meeting global demand.
Smart timing: Brunot licensed at the perfect moment — demand was proven, so he negotiated from strength
Retained royalty: Both Brunot and Butts received ongoing royalties — generating income for decades
Brand retention: The Scrabble name and design remained unchanged — S&R manufactured but did not redesign
Legacy: Brunot remained comfortable until his death. His deal structure ensured Scrabble funded his retirement.
📚 Dig Deeper
Key Takeaways
✓ Summary
▶ How James Brunot turned Scrabble from a living-room prototype into a global phenomenon.
▶ Use our free word finder tool to explore these concepts in practice.
▶ Check the related articles below for deeper dives into connected topics.
🔗 Try our free Scrabble Word Finder — instant results as you type
Open Word Finder →
Loading comments...