Scrabble is a word game invented by American architect Alfred Mosher Butts in 1938. It was initially called Criss-Crosswords and Butts manufactured a few sets himself, but was unsuccessful in selling the game to any major game manufacturers. In 1948, James Brunot bought the rights to produce the game. He rearranged some of the gameboard squares, simplified the rules, and renamed the game “Scrabble.” The game’s big break came in 1952 when Jack Straus, president of Macy’s, played the game and subsequently placed a large order for the game for sale at Macy’s. Selchow and Righter, a Long Island-based game manufacturer, licensed the right to produce the game after Brunet was unable to meet production demand. They purchased the rights outright in 1972. Hasbro acquired Scrabble in 1986. Hasbro owns the trademark for Scrabble in the U.S. and Canada, while Mattel owns the trademark everywhere else.