UNO

UNO is a card game by Mattel. The standard card deck of UNO consists of cards 0 to 9 in four different colours, a change-colour card, a reverse card, and +2 and +4 cards. To win, players need to get rid of all their cards. When a player only has one card left, they need to yell out “UNO”, hence the name of the game. UNO resembles the card game Crazy Eights, played with regular playing cards, a shedding-type game where players also have to get rid of all of their cards to win. The game is suitable for almost all ages, 7+. UNO was invented in 1971 by Merle Robbins, a barber from Ohio, USA. Mattel purchased the rights to UNO in 1996, which franchised the game, and made it as popular as it is today. UNO is now the best-selling card game in the world. The family appeal and simplicity of the game contributed to its success. There is also room for rule variations for the game, keeping debates on how to play exactly.

The name UNO, Spanish for the number 1, sounds foreign and suggests it was not invented in an English-speaking country. However, inventor Robbins claims that they chose the Spanish word because it sounds nice. They also chose this name to subtly market the game: like Bingo, the word is repeatedly called out during the game and sticks to your mind.