Out of the Box Publishing
Encyclopedia
Out of the Box Publishing is a Wisconsin
based Publishing Company specializing in family, card and party games. As of December 2008, they have published over 45 titles.
Out of the Box Publishing is best known for games that are innovative, easy to learn and quick to play. The company has received numerous awards including Mensa
Select, Toy of the Year and National Parenting Center.
by Mark Osterhaus, Alan Waller, Cathleen Quinn-Kinney and John Kovalic
. The first game published by the company was Bosworth
, a four-player chess variant which has since been retired. In the summer of 1998, Out of the Box Publishing acquired the license for their most well-known game, Apples to Apples
, from inventor Matthew Kirby. Over the next ten years, Out of the Box grew into a leading American game company, supplying games to thousands of specialty toy stores, Target
, Wal-mart
and Toys R Us. In 2007, the company sold the licenses to Apples to Apples
, Blink
, Snorta and Qwitch to the Mattel
Corporation, several owners retired and several new owners (including children of the previous owners) were invited to join. Since the sale Out of the Box has new growing games, such as Backseat Drawing, Ninja versus Ninja and Word on the Street.
Out of the Box accepts game submissions from new inventors as well as established inventors. The company receives over 600 submissions a year and publishes about 5 games per year. Instructions for submitting a game are located on the company’s website.
, was also the illustrator for Munchkin
and Dork Tower
.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
based Publishing Company specializing in family, card and party games. As of December 2008, they have published over 45 titles.
Out of the Box Publishing is best known for games that are innovative, easy to learn and quick to play. The company has received numerous awards including Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
Select, Toy of the Year and National Parenting Center.
History
Out of the Box Publishing was established in 1998 in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
by Mark Osterhaus, Alan Waller, Cathleen Quinn-Kinney and John Kovalic
John Kovalic
John Kovalic is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer.Kovalic is best known for his Dork Tower comic book, comic strip and webcomic, and other humorous work set in and about the fantasy role-playing game genre, such as The Unspeakable Oaf...
. The first game published by the company was Bosworth
Bosworth (game)
Bosworth is a four-handed chess variant manufactured by Out of the Box Publishing company since 1998. It is played on 6x6 board and uses 4 sets of standard chess pieces....
, a four-player chess variant which has since been retired. In the summer of 1998, Out of the Box Publishing acquired the license for their most well-known game, Apples to Apples
Apples to Apples
Apples to Apples is a party game originally published by Out of the Box Publishing, and now published by Mattel. It is designed for four to ten players and played for 30–60 minutes....
, from inventor Matthew Kirby. Over the next ten years, Out of the Box grew into a leading American game company, supplying games to thousands of specialty toy stores, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, Wal-mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and Toys R Us. In 2007, the company sold the licenses to Apples to Apples
Apples to Apples
Apples to Apples is a party game originally published by Out of the Box Publishing, and now published by Mattel. It is designed for four to ten players and played for 30–60 minutes....
, Blink
Blink
Blinking is the rapid closing and opening of the eyelid. It is an essential function of the eye that helps spread tears across and remove irritants from the surface of the cornea and conjunctiva. Blink speed can be affected by elements such as fatigue, eye injury, medication, and disease...
, Snorta and Qwitch to the Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
Corporation, several owners retired and several new owners (including children of the previous owners) were invited to join. Since the sale Out of the Box has new growing games, such as Backseat Drawing, Ninja versus Ninja and Word on the Street.
Games
Out of the Box Publishing is best known for games that are innovative, take less than 5 minutes to learn and less than a half an hour to play. All Out of the Box games are family-oriented and appropriate for kids and adults.Out of the Box accepts game submissions from new inventors as well as established inventors. The company receives over 600 submissions a year and publishes about 5 games per year. Instructions for submitting a game are located on the company’s website.
List of published games
- Word on the Street (2009)
- Backseat Drawing Junior (2009)
- Letter Roll (2009)
- Ninja versus Ninja (2008)
- The Chain Game (2008)
- Backseat Drawing (2008)
- Rock! (2008)
- Zen Benders (2008)
- Party Pooper (2008)
- My Word (2008) rerelease
- aBRIDGEd (2006)
- 10 Days in Asia (2006)
- Cineplexity (2006)
- Cover Up (2006)
- Mix Up (2006)
- Pepper (2006)
- Qwitch (2006) rerelease
- 10 Days in Europe (2005)
- Blink (2005) rerelease
- Easy Come, Easy Go (2004)
- Harry's Grandslam Baseball (2004)
- LetterFlip! (2004)
- Squint Jr. (2004)
- Wallamoppi (2004)
- Apples to Apples Party Box Expansion One (2004)
- Apples to Apples Party Box Expansion Two (2004)
- 10 Days in Africa (2003)
- 10 Days in the USA (2003)
- Basari (2003)
- Cloud 9 (2003)
- Fish Eat Fish (2003)
- Gavitt's Stock Exchange (2003)
- Tutankhamen (2003)
- Whad'Ya KnowMichael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?Whad'Ya Know? is an American comedy, interview, and quiz radio show. Hosted by Michael Feldman, it was created in 1985. It is produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed weekly by Public Radio International...
(2003) - Wildside (2003)
- Apples to Apples Party Box (2003)
- Snorta (2003)
- Gold Digger (2002)
- Squint (2002)
- Apples to Apples Custom Cards (2002)
- Apples to Apples Kids (2000)
- Shipwrecked (2000)
- Apples to ApplesApples to ApplesApples to Apples is a party game originally published by Out of the Box Publishing, and now published by Mattel. It is designed for four to ten players and played for 30–60 minutes....
(1999) - BosworthBosworth (game)Bosworth is a four-handed chess variant manufactured by Out of the Box Publishing company since 1998. It is played on 6x6 board and uses 4 sets of standard chess pieces....
(1998)
Distributors
Out of the Box Games are distributed by:- ACD
- Alliance Game Distributors
- Premier Hobby Distribution
- Brown Box Distribution
- GTS Distribution
- David Westnedge LTD (UK and Ireland)
- Pegasus Spiele (Germany)
- Northbridge Trading Company (Canada)
- Universal Distribution (Canada)
- Everest Distribution (Canada)
- Karmatex (India)
- PS Games (Netherlands)
- Swan Panasia (Taiwan)
- Wargames HK (Hong Kong)
- Ventura (Australia)
- Jayz International (New Zealand)
- Korea Boardgames (South Korea)
Trivia
The artistic director and one of the founders of Out of the Box Publishing, John KovalicJohn Kovalic
John Kovalic is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer.Kovalic is best known for his Dork Tower comic book, comic strip and webcomic, and other humorous work set in and about the fantasy role-playing game genre, such as The Unspeakable Oaf...
, was also the illustrator for Munchkin
Munchkin (card game)
Munchkin is a card game by Steve Jackson Games, written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic, that has a humorous take on role-playing games, based on the concept of munchkins ....
and Dork Tower
Dork Tower
Dork Tower is an online comic created, written and drawn by John Kovalic. It chronicles the lives of a group of geeks living in the fictional town of Mud Bay, Wisconsin. Mud Bay's design is strongly influenced by the author's home town of Madison, Wisconsin. Topics have included role-playing...
.