10 Classic Board Games That Changed Play and the IP Behind Them

From Monopoly to Twister, the board games we grew up with all have IP stories. Ten iconic games and the patents that turned hobbies into global icons.

Published

2025-07-31

Summary

Growing up, many of us made lifelong memories around household board games. But behind the laughter and nostalgia lies a hidden hero: intellectual property , which enabled inventors and companies to transform hobbies into global cultural icons. Recently, the USPTO spotlighted the original patent for Twister —so we thought it would be fun to revisit ten iconic games and explore the IP stories behind each. 1. Twister (“Pretzel”) Invented by Charles F. Foley and Neil W. Rabens, Twister was patented…