The History of UNO: From a 1971 Barbershop to Mattel Classic

UNO is one of the best-known card games in the world, yet its story begins somewhere unexpected: a small-town barbershop in Ohio. This pillar guide traces the history of UNO from Merle Robbins’ 1971 invention, through its 1972 sale to International Games, to Mattel’s 1992 acquisition and the game’s spread into homes, phones and pop culture. Every date and figure below is drawn from museum, news-archive and industry sources, and it acts as your map to the rest of our UNO guides.

Who invented UNO?

UNO was invented by Merle Robbins, a barber from Reading, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. Robbins was not a professional game designer — he ran a barbershop and dreamed up the game with his family at home. Because he owned the original concept, UNO’s true creator is an independent inventor, not a toy company. Mattel, the brand most people associate with UNO today, did not create the game; it bought it decades later.

Robbins developed the game with help from his family, including his son Ray. The name “UNO” is the Spanish and Italian word for “one,” a nod to the game’s signature rule: a player must call out “UNO” the moment they are down to a single card.

When was UNO made?

UNO was made in 1971. That is the year Robbins finalized the game and began producing the first physical decks by hand. The following timeline shows how a homemade deck became a worldwide classic over roughly five decades.

It is worth separating two dates that often get confused: 1971 is when UNO was invented and first sold locally, while 1972 is when the rights changed hands and commercial mass production began. Both years are correct — they simply describe different stages.

How did Merle Robbins create UNO?

Merle Robbins created UNO to settle a family argument about the rules of Crazy Eights, a traditional shedding card game. Robbins and his son Ray disagreed over how the game should be played, so Merle designed his own version with the rules built directly into the cards. Using a felt-tipped pen, he wrote each card’s action — such as skip or draw — straight onto the card, so no outside rulebook was needed to know what a card did.

That single design choice is the heart of UNO. Instead of memorizing which ordinary playing card triggered which effect, players could read the instruction on the card itself, which made the game fast to learn for all ages. The colour-and-number system layered on top of those action cards became the format still used today.

From the barbershop to International Games

UNO went from homemade novelty to national product when Robbins sold the rights to International Games in 1972. To fund the first run, the Robbins family mortgaged their home to raise about $8,000 and had 5,000 copies of the game printed. The early decks were assembled on the family dining-room table, and Merle sold them straight from his barbershop, while Ray handed some out to his students.

The decks sold out. That success attracted Robert Tezak, an Illinois businessman, whose group bought the rights from Robbins for $50,000 plus a royalty of 10 cents on every deck sold. Tezak founded International Games Inc. in Joliet, Illinois, in 1972 and scaled up production and marketing. The royalty deal meant Robbins kept earning as sales grew — enough, according to museum accounts, to let him retire from barbering.

How did Mattel turn UNO into a global classic?

Mattel turned UNO into a global classic after agreeing to acquire International Games on 23 January 1992. At the time of the deal, International Games had roughly $30 million in annual sales, about 50 employees, and marketed more than 30 games across 25 countries, with UNO as its flagship. Mattel’s then-CEO called UNO the top-selling game in the industry by unit sales.

Under Mattel, UNO gained the manufacturing reach, distribution and marketing muscle of a major toy company. The game is now produced and sold in dozens of countries and is regularly ranked among the best-selling card games ever made. That global footprint is why UNO shows up everywhere from family game nights to airport gift shops — and why so many house variations exist. If you want the standard game first, start with our guide on how to play UNO.

What is inside a classic UNO deck?

A classic UNO deck contains 108 cards. They break down into four colours — red, yellow, green and blue — plus wild cards:

• Number cards: each colour has one 0 and two each of 1 through 9.
• Action cards: each colour has two Skip, two Reverse and two Draw Two cards.
• Wild cards: four Wild cards and four Wild Draw Four cards, which belong to no single colour.

That adds up to 25 cards per colour (100 total) plus eight wilds, for 108. Since 2015, many retail sets include 112 cards, adding customisable Wild cards that let players write their own house rule. If you would rather print a set to learn or travel with, see our printable UNO rules.

How did UNO spread through pop culture?

UNO spread through pop culture by branching into dozens of themed versions, digital editions and viral debates. Once the core game was established, Mattel released a steady stream of variants, including UNO Attack (a launcher that fires random cards), UNO H2O (waterproof plastic cards), UNO Flip! (double-sided cards with a light and dark side), the higher-stakes UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy, and the two-player-friendly Dos. A dedicated mobile version, UNO!, extended the brand to phones and tablets and added online multiplayer.

The game also entered the wider cultural conversation. In 2018, UNO was inducted into the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame alongside pinball and the Magic 8 Ball. In 2019, Mattel publicly clarified that “stacking” Draw Two and Draw Four cards is not part of the official rules — a statement that sparked a wave of online debate among fans who had always played that way at home. Those house-rule arguments are exactly the kind we untangle in our collection of UNO guides. Younger players get their own beginner-friendly path in UNO for kids, and bigger gatherings are covered in our guide to playing UNO in large groups.

Common myths and mistakes about UNO’s history

Several popular beliefs about UNO’s history are wrong. Clearing them up helps you separate the real story from repeated internet claims.

• “Mattel invented UNO.” False. Merle Robbins invented it in 1971; Mattel acquired the game through International Games in 1992.
• “UNO started as a big-company product.” False. The first 5,000 decks were financed by a home mortgage and assembled on a dining-room table.
• “Stacking Draw cards is official.” False for classic UNO. Mattel confirmed in 2019 that you cannot stack Draw Two or Draw Four cards under the official rules — stacking only appears in specific variants such as UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy.
• “UNO is just Crazy Eights.” Not quite. UNO was inspired by Crazy Eights, but its printed action cards, colour system and wild cards make it a distinct game.
• Mixing up 1971 and 1972. 1971 is the invention year; 1972 is when the rights were sold and mass production began.

Explore the rest of our UNO guides

This history page is the starting point for our wider library on the game. From here you can dig into the rules, strategies and variations that grew out of the story above. Browse the full collection from the UNO Rules homepage, and if you still have questions after reading, our UNO FAQ answers the most common ones in one place.

Vanliga frågor (FAQ)

Who invented UNO?

UNO was invented by Merle Robbins, a barber from Reading, Ohio, in 1971. He created it with his family, including his son Ray, and first sold the decks from his barbershop before selling the rights to International Games.

When was UNO made?

UNO was made in 1971, the year Robbins finalized the game and produced the first hand-assembled decks. Commercial mass production began in 1972 after International Games acquired the rights.

Why is the game called UNO?

UNO means “one” in Spanish and Italian. The name refers to the rule that a player must announce “UNO” when they have just one card left in hand.

When did Mattel buy UNO?

Mattel agreed to acquire International Games, the company that made UNO, on 23 January 1992. That deal brought UNO under Mattel, which still produces it today.

How many cards are in a classic UNO deck?

A classic UNO deck has 108 cards: number and action cards in four colours plus eight wild cards. Since 2015, many sets include 112 cards, adding customisable Wild cards for house rules.