The concept of playing cards has been around for quite a while. Playing cards first appeared in Europe in the late 14th century, but have existed in China and the East since decades earlier. To this day, people still enjoy card games. Most card game players play card games because they find it a relaxing and enjoyable way of spending time with friends or relatives. Playing card games together helps strengthen personal ties and acceptance within groups.
As mentioned before, UNO has a broad family appeal, contributing to its ongoing success. The game is also being marketed with the idea of being a fun family game. Have a look at this 1980s commercial for UNO:
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Mattel also makes UNO variations especially for children, with cartoon animals on the cards for example. They also make variations that are not explicitly made for children, but which incorporate popular culture figures popular amongst children. For example, they have made a variation with figures from the popular children’s show The Muppet Show.