My SCRABBLE® Collection: Part 1

In my 10+ years of blogging, I have mentioned Scrabble 38 times. We have played it in numerous languages and in various countries. The game, and all things with the word SCRABBLE® written on them, are some of my most favorite treasures. Hence me sharing them with you and a little history, too.

This is my oldest set, circa 1953. Something good came from the Crash of 1929. In 1933, an out of work architect named Alfred Mosher Butts invented a game that would lift the spirits of millions.

Attempting to combine the thrill of chance and skill, Butts entwined the elements of anagrams and the classic crossword puzzle into a scoring word game first called LEXIKO. This was then refined during the early 1930s and 1940s to become CRISS CROSS WORDS and finally the much loved SCRABBLE®.

This set is awarded the most temporary. Scrabble Chocolate Edition came with 32 tiles made completely of chocolate. It was a fast game indeed.

In 2004, this Jay Franco & Sons Scrabble Beach towel was my favorite gift to give. While it is only a game for two, and the foam tiles tend to take flight with the slightest of breezes, it is still one of my favorite versions of the game and I haven't seen one since.

This 1966 Deluxe Scrabble Plastic Tiles and Scoring Racks is just odd to me. It came without a board and all I can determine is this is a replacement set. Interestingly, of all my Scrabble sets, I have never seen scoring racks. I like them though. Hmmm.

I added this vintage (1976) Scrabble Travel Edition, by Selchow and Righter, to my collection after paying $2 for it at a thrift store in Washington. I don't think this game has ever been played.

This is my first, and much loved, Travel Scrabble.

Then I moved on to this folio that zips closed. It seemed more durable for throwing into a bag for gaming on the road.

And how about this SUPER SCRABBLE? "You'll find 200 wooden letter tiles, comprising a unique letter distribution, that permits you to make words not possible in regular gameplay (without using the blanks). The Super Scrabble gameboard has nearly twice the amount of spaces of a standard board (441 spaces compared to 225). The added room allows your words to spread further and faster than ever before. To the familiar double and triple letter and word scoring spaces are added all new quadruple letter and word-scoring spaces, tempting you to reach for bigger and bigger bonuses! Tis is the best-selling word game of all time in a SUPER fun version. Larger game board, 200 tiles and quadruple words & letters. Classic Scrabble game play with More Spaces, More Tiles, and More Scoring add to your fun!"

Scrabble was more than just a board game to me. If you haven't seen or don't remember, there was even a game show on TV and I was a contestant in 1987. Check out this blogpost if you'd like to know more or want to watch my efforts. Wild.

SCRABBLE - a word defined as 'to grasp, collect, or hold on to something'; and a word that truly captured the essence of this remarkable concept (and my rationale for gathering Scrabble games).

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