The Resume

(December 12, 1866-September 26, 1952)
Born in Salem, Massachusetts
Game designer and businessman
Designed over 100 games
Founded Geo S. Parker & Co. (1883)
Company name changed to Parker Brothers (1888) after his brothers Charles and Edward joined

Why he might be annoying:

The company's signature games (including Monopoly, Clue, Risk, and Sorry!) were not designed by George.
Many of the games he designed were inspired by then-current events ('Klondike' by the Alaska gold rush, 'War in Cuba' by the Spanish-American War, etc.), which may explain their failure to endure.
The company was bought by Hasbro (1991), which eventually eliminated Parker Brothers as a brand, marketing its games under the 'Hasbro Gaming' label.

Why he might not be annoying:

He designed his first game, 'Banking,' when he was sixteen.
When two Boston publishers turned it down, he spent $40 to publish 500 sets himself and sold all but 12, clearing a profit of $100 (1883).
He went against prevailing opinion and designed games for enjoyment without imparting a moral lesson.
For the first two decades of the company, he designed almost all of its games and wrote all of the rulebooks.
He said his goal was games that 'look well, play well, and sell well.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 88]
• Game and Puzzle Designers
• I am a New Englander
• I Died in 1952 (Ranked: 85)
• Inventors
• My Name, My Company
• Profiles 54501-54750 (Ranked: 54661)
• Toy Makers
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 19520926)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying