Master Mind was invented in 1970-71 by Mordecai Meirowitz, an Israeli Postmaster / Telecommunications expert. His idea was at first turned down by many of the leading toy companies, but he persisted, and took it to the International Toy Fair at Nuremberg in February 1971, where he showed it to a small English company, Invicta Plastics Ltd. The small Leicester based company bought up the entire intellectual property rights to the game, and under the guidance of it's founder Mr. Edward Jones-Fenleigh, refined it, and released it in 1971-72. It was an immediate hit, and went on to win the first ever Game of the Year Award in 1973. It also received a Design Centre Award, and the Queen's Award for Export Achievement. Something about this game caught the imagination of the public, and it became the most successful new game of the 1970's. It has sold over 55 million copies in 80 countries around the world. Mastermind is still being made and sold today. To see the many variations that have been made over the years, take a look at the Master Mind Box Art pages.
Comments welcome - email me: toby@tnelson.demon.co.uk
