Toys in the Hood: 1 Uno Circle

Over the past few months, I've been working with Lance Tawzer, curator at the Elmhurst Historical Museum in Elmhurst, Illinois on an exhibit called Toys in the Hood. It will run from April 28th through September 18th and unveils Chicago as the epicenter of toy creation. Many toy companies and toy invention studios call or called the Windy City their home. If you've got plans to visit Chicago this summer, then you've got to check it out.

A fun aside to the research: We cover Uno in the exhibit because it was launched in nearby Joliet, Illinois. An interesting man named Bob Tezak discovered this little card game, invented by barber Merle Robbins and his son. Tezak bought the rights to the game and made it a huge success. I had the pleasure of corresponding with Bob for my book, Timeless Toys and he told me about the game's crazy success and oddly shaped, Uno office building.

As International Games flourished it became evident that America was in love with Uno. "We sold over 11 million games in 1980 and [then again] in 1981,” Tezak shared. At the game’s peak, Uno cards were printed around the clock by plants in Hong Kong and Belgium. The success afforded the original owners of the company many luxuries; Tezak, for example, enjoyed a private company plane and several homes. But it was International Game’s new Joliet office that became the symbol of Uno’s success.

The address was 1 Uno Circle. The reason behind the street address was obvious enough, but the shape of International Games new Joliet headquarters was harder to put your finger on. From the ground it was a curvy, unidentifiable oddity. From the air, it looked much like the tilde mark “~” which meant, “approximately equal” in mathematics. It was state of the art and finished in cut stone. That’s why the cost to build it in 1981 was “approximately equal” to 2 million dollars. Today it houses a land surveying firm, but still draws stares and more than its share of questions. To many in Joliet, it remains the house that Uno built.

Thanks to Google Maps, I can show you exactly what Tezak and his team built at 1 Uno Circle, Joliet Illinois.