Abraham Nathanson
Encyclopedia
Abraham Nathanson was an American
graphic designer. He created the game Bananagrams
, a game that uses letter tiles similar to Scrabble
with the addition of the element of speed.
Nathanson was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
, on November 26, 1929, where he graduated from Pawtucket East Senior High School
. Following the completion of his service in the United States Army
, Nathanson enrolled at Pratt Institute
, where he studied graphic design
. He left college after a year and opened a design studio in Pawtucket with his brother. He went into business for himself, opening George Nathan Design in a historic mill in Centerdale, Rhode Island, a firm that made graphics for gift items.
Frustrated with the slow pace of a Scrabble
game he was playing with his grandson, Nathanson sought to create a game that combined the word game aspect of Scrabble, but that had the excitement of the element of speed. He told the Boston Globe that "we need an anagrams game so fast, it'll drive you bananas". At the age of 76, he created Bananagrams, which uses a set of 144 tiles and no board, with players arranging the tiles to form words in crossword fashion. The first player to play out all of his tiles in a crossword grid shouts "Bananas" to indicate he has won; games last about 10 to 15 minutes. The banana-shaped pouch was designed by his former wife.
He manufactured 50 copies of the game, half of which his daughter sold in England and the other half he quickly sold in the U.S. Another 500 sets were manufactured and quickly sold. The game was an instant hit at the 2006 London Toy Fair and was named game of the year by the Toy Industry Association
in 2009. In addition to domino-like Appletters and spelling game Pairs in Pears, the Banagrams brand has been spun off to Facebook
and the iPhone
, with the original game selling 3 million copies in 2009.
Nathanson, a resident of Cranston, Rhode Island
, died at age 80 of cancer on June 6, 2010, at his summer home in Narragansett
. He was survived by three daughters and four grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
graphic designer. He created the game Bananagrams
Bananagrams
Bananagrams is a word game invented by Abraham Nathanson of Narragansett, Rhode Island, wherein lettered tiles are used to spell words.Nathanson conceived and developed the idea for the game with the help of his family...
, a game that uses letter tiles similar to Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
with the addition of the element of speed.
Nathanson was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
, on November 26, 1929, where he graduated from Pawtucket East Senior High School
William E. Tolman High School
William E. Tolman Senior High School is one of two public high schools located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States. It was built and opened in 1926 along the east bank of the Blackstone River as a "state of the art" educational facility...
. Following the completion of his service in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Nathanson enrolled at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, where he studied graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
. He left college after a year and opened a design studio in Pawtucket with his brother. He went into business for himself, opening George Nathan Design in a historic mill in Centerdale, Rhode Island, a firm that made graphics for gift items.
Frustrated with the slow pace of a Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
game he was playing with his grandson, Nathanson sought to create a game that combined the word game aspect of Scrabble, but that had the excitement of the element of speed. He told the Boston Globe that "we need an anagrams game so fast, it'll drive you bananas". At the age of 76, he created Bananagrams, which uses a set of 144 tiles and no board, with players arranging the tiles to form words in crossword fashion. The first player to play out all of his tiles in a crossword grid shouts "Bananas" to indicate he has won; games last about 10 to 15 minutes. The banana-shaped pouch was designed by his former wife.
He manufactured 50 copies of the game, half of which his daughter sold in England and the other half he quickly sold in the U.S. Another 500 sets were manufactured and quickly sold. The game was an instant hit at the 2006 London Toy Fair and was named game of the year by the Toy Industry Association
Toy Industry Association
The Toy Industry Association is a trade association that promotes the marketing of new toys, games, and puzzles. The organization usually has trade shows at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City during February. Consumers in general are not able to attend...
in 2009. In addition to domino-like Appletters and spelling game Pairs in Pears, the Banagrams brand has been spun off to Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, with the original game selling 3 million copies in 2009.
Nathanson, a resident of Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
, died at age 80 of cancer on June 6, 2010, at his summer home in Narragansett
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 15,868 at the 2010 census, but there is a greater population in the summer. The nickname for the town is "Gansett". The town of Narragansett occupies a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank...
. He was survived by three daughters and four grandchildren.