Monopoly, introduced in 1935, leads every sales ranking. The idea for the game came from anti-monopolist Elizabeth Magie, who popularized The Landlord’s Game at the turn of the 20th century. It appears her idea was taken by Charles Darrow, who sold it to Parker Brothers, who turned it into the most popular board game in history. There are thousands of different versions (no one knows how many), and the game was banned at different times in China, Cuba, Russia, Hungary, and even at Buckingham Palace!

Chess and checkers are excluded from the list because there is no reliable sales data for either. Here are the ten best-selling board games:

1. Monopoly: 275 million
2. Scrabble: 150 million
3. Clue: 150 million
4. Battleship: 100 million
5. Trivial Pursuit: 100 million
6. Backgammon: 88 million
7. Candy Land: 50 million
8. Rummikub: 50 million
9. The Game of Life: 50 million
10. Othello: 40 million