Sport and Games Atlas

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Jenga

Dexterity and Physical Skill Games

Jenga is a physical skill game in which players take turns removing one wooden block at a time from a tower built of stacked blocks and placing it on top, with the game ending for whoever causes the tower to collapse. It was created by Leslie Scott, who developed the game from a stacking-blocks pastime she grew up playing in East Africa, and it was released commercially in the United Kingdom in 1983 before spreading internationally. Jenga is widely cited as a defining example of a physical dexterity game distinct from the board and card game traditions.

Facts
Origin Year
1983 1
Originating Region
Contested and layered: Ghana for the family game's origin in the early 1970s, United Kingdom for the 1983 commercial trademark and launch 1
Game Type
Physical skill and dexterity game, stacking 1
Governing Body
No governing body; commercially owned, originally by Leslie Scott and Pokonobe Associates, now marketed by Hasbro. 1
Classification
Player Count
Single-Player 1
Player Count
Two-Player 1
Player Count
Small Group (3-6 Players) 1
Player Count
Large Group or Variable 1
Sport
Game Type (category)
Dexterity Game 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Jenga
Wikipedia
  • Lead section, first sentence
    Jenga is a game of physical skill created by British board game designer and author Leslie Scott and marketed by Hasbro.
  • History section, first paragraph
    Scott launched the game she named and trademarked as "Jenga" at the London Toy Fair in January 1983 and sold it through her own company, Leslie Scott Associates.
  • History section, second paragraph
    In April 1985, Grebler acquired from Scott the exclusive rights to Jenga for the United States and Canada, and then in October of that year, Scott assigned the worldwide rights in Jenga to Grebler, which he in turn assigned to Pokonobe Associates.
  • Infobox, players field
    1 or more
View the Source
Wikidata: Jenga
Wikidata Q869870, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source

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