Uno was created in 1971 by Merle Robbins, a barber from Ohio. Robbins and his wife printed 5,000 copies of the game and traveled around the US selling them at campgrounds. It grew in popularity in the 1980s after the Robbinses sold the rights to the game. And then, in 1992, Mattel acquired it.They named it “Uno” after the rule to announce when only one card is left in one's hand, but also to subtly market the game's name repeatedly—like the game bingo—during play.