Anthony E. Pratt

Anthony Ernest Pratt (10 August 1903 – 9 April 1994) was the inventor of the English detective-themed board game Cluedo, currently owned and marketed by American entertainment company Hasbro.

In the lead-up to the 150 millionth sale of Cluedo in 1996, Waddingtons began a hunt to find out about the elusive creator of the board game. It was eventually revealed that Pratt had died two years earlier of natural causes.

Early life and education Pratt was born at 13 Brighton Road in the Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, England. He received his secondary education at St. Philip's School in Edgbaston. His favourite subject was chemistry, but he suffered from poor eyesight, which affected his education. Pratt was a gifted musician and a proficient pianist from an early age. When he left school at 15, he wanted to pursue a career in chemistry and was apprenticed to a local chemical manufacturer. But with no formal qualifications in chemistry and a growing interest in music, he went on to pursue a musical career.

Career During the interwar years, Pratt became a musician and earned a living playing piano recitals in country hotels and on cruise ships, where he travelled to places like New York and Iceland.

He sold the international rights for in 1953, but continued to receive UK royalties until the patent expired in 1967.

In November 2025, Pratt's daughter donated his correspondence and memorabilia relating to the game, including an original version, to Birmingham Archives at the Library of Birmingham and to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

In 2013, Pratt was honored with a blue plaque crediting him as the creator of Cluedo. Pratt's blue plaque is currently installed at 9 Stanley Road, Kings Heath.

Books Parlett, David, The Oxford History of Board Games: Oxford University Press, 1999, Jaffe, Deborah, The History of Toys From Spinning Tops to Robots: The History Press Ltd, 2006, McDowell, Michael, Clue: A Novel: Fawcett, 1985, Cameron, Vicki, Cluedo Mysteries: Running Press, 2003, Treat, Lawrence and Hardie, George, "Cludeo" Armchair Detective: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd, 1983,