How the inventor of Cluedo missed out on making his fortune - after selling the rights to the board game for just £5,000
Anthony Pratt came up with the concept while holed up in the kitchen of his Birmingham home during World War II blackouts, initially calling the game Murder.
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Published: 11:06 GMT, 30 December 2025 | Updated: 11:06 GMT, 30 December 2025
The inventor of Cluedo missed out on making his fortune from the iconic board game after selling the rights for just £5,000, his daughter has revealed.
Anthony Pratt came up with the concept while holed up in the kitchen of his Birmingham home during World War II blackouts, initially calling the game Murder and basing it on his job performing in grand country hotels and stately homes.
The professional musician and his wife Elva, who designed the iconic board, were also fans of detective fiction, particularly Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie mysteries.
Since its release in 1949, Cluedo has become the second best selling game of all time after Monopoly, an achievement which should have made Mr Pratt many millions.
But its creator instead sold the rights for £5,000 in 1965 before the game became a global success.
His daughter Marcia Lewis said her phlegmatic father did not regret the financial blunder and was content with creating something which brought 'happiness and joy' to millions.
The retired civil servant, who lives in Glamorgan, Wales, said: 'I'm obviously very proud of what my mum and dad helped to create - it has become a part of people's culture in 40 countries.
'It has brought families together for generations around the Christmas dinner table and all year round and I don't think my parents would have ever imagined how big it would become.
The inventor of Cluedo Anthony Pratt, pictured with his wife Elva, missed out on making his fortune from the board game after selling the rights for just £5,000, his daughter has revealed
Marcia Lewis, pictured, said her father did not regret the financial blunder and was content with creating something which brought 'happiness and joy' to millions
'In the end I think my dad was just proud of what he achieved and wanted to be remembered as creating something which has brought so much joy and entertainment instead of somebody who just made a lot of money.'
The classic whodunnit game challenges players to work out which of a motley group of characters - Colonel Mustard, Reverend Green, Mrs Peacock, Mrs White, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlett - murdered the mysterious Dr Black.
Participants also need to deduce the murder weapon - famously including candlestick and lead piping as options - as well as the room in which the crime took place.