The game of Scrabble was first developed as 'Lexico', in the 1930s by American, Alfred Butts whose early prototypes for the game, not including a playing board were initially rejected by manufacturers. After the concept was put on hold during the war years and several more name and concept changes, Scrabble was patented in 1948 and by the early 1950s its mass appeal spread across America. It was subsequently marketed in the UK through J. W. Spears and Co in 1954.
Junior Scrabble was developed in 1958 out of a popular request for a simplified version of the game for younger children around the age of 6-8. The main differences from the original version are the letters and words put down on the grid board are not scored and the premise of the game centres around helping children learn to spell and develop their vocabulary skills. The board also has two sides for different levels of play and suggested words are already printed to help and prompt younger children to formulate their own words. Junior players can move on to the more advanced and fully formed concept of scrabble on the reverse side of the board, before graduating to using the original, more advanced version of the game.