Leslie Scott

She/Her/Hers

Inventor Of Jenga!

Leslie Scott is a professional board game designer and the founder of Oxford Games Ltd. Scott has devised and published over forty games but is probably best known as the inventor of Jenga, which she self-published (as Leslie Scott Associates) and launched at the London Toy Fair, 1983.

Born in East Africa, Scott grew up in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Ghana, and was educated in Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone and England. She now lives primarily just outside the university city of Oxford, though still spends many months of each year in Africa with her husband, Prof Fritz Vollrath, a zoologist and the chairman of Save the Elephants.

Leslie Scott co-created many games with her former business partner, designer Sara Finch, most of which were published by Oxford Games Ltd. These include classics such as Ex Libris; Anagram; Bookworm; Flummoxed (that are on the market still) as well as Tabula; Playing Shakespeare; Retro; The Hieroglyphs Game; Hazard; Old Money; The Sailor's Knot and Tabula. Scott & Finch designed games for other publishers, too, including The Great Western Railway Game (GIbson Games); Thomas the Tank Engine book of games (Marks & Spencer), The Basel Game (Basel City), Jammie Dodg'ems (Burtons Biscuits), The Bodleian Game (Oxford University); Escape from the Temple of Laughter (Scholastic).

In 1984 - ten years before internet shopping existed - Scott & Finch edited, produced and launched Good Gift, an editorial guide to shopping by post.

In 1985, the rights to Jenga were acquired by Pokonobe Associates. Pokonobe licensed Jenga to Irwin Toy who relaunched the game at the Toronto Toy Fair, 1986. Subsequently, Jenga was licensed to Hasbro where it remains one of the company's major game brands.

In 2009, Leslie Scott wrote 'About Jenga; the remarkable business of creating a game the became household name.' (Greenleaf Book Book) The book has been translated and published in both Japan and South Korea.

Leslie Scott is a founder trustee of the Smithsonian UK Charitable Trust, and a Senior Associate of Pembroke College, Oxford.