Do we want a less competitive Scrabble?

Is Scrabble going Woke?

That’s the first thing I thought when I saw a CNN report about Mattel bringing out a version of the popular board game that is less “intimidating.”

Less intimidating? Words are now microaggressions? I wanted a tile for Y.

The new Scrabble Together is also more “collaborative” and “accessible.” The changes make the board game less competitive, too.

Instead of competing, CNN reports, players “collaborate” to complete “goal cards” and if you are a little, um, shall we say slow, there are “helper cards.” 

So now, in addition to thinking Woke, I am also thinking New Coke, the 1985 marketing disaster that remains a prime example of why one should not tamper with a successful brand.

After having achieved the miracle of participation trophies, where everyone gets a medal for just showing up, Mattel wants to make everyone a winner.

Isn’t that special?

Having stood the test of time as one of the most successful board games in history, said Ray Adler, Global Head of Games at the company, “we want to ensure” — here it comes — “the game continues to be inclusive for all players,” he said, forgetting to add “even the really stupid ones who can’t spell ‘cat.’”

But — wait!

Something’s wrong. 

Back in the ‘60s, I worked for three years as a journalist in the toy industry, where one of my major achievements was a huge blowout of both the G.I. Joe and Barbie fan clubs, which were huge.

Barbie was made by Mattel.

Scrabble was not. Scrabble was made by Hasbro.

You have to read all the way to the end of the CNN story to learn that Mattel has the rights to Scrabble in the United Kingdom, where it did research showing that the Brits seem to be less interested in competition. Maybe Brexit had a bad effect on them.

A quick call — by me — to Hasbro confirmed that the company has no plans to change Scrabble in the good old U.S. of A., where competition is safe for another day.