The game was invented in 1948 by William Schaper. It sold in the millions after being launched in 1949. There were many games called "Cootie" in the early years of the 20th century. Only Schaper's game had a free-standing cootie though. The game is now produced by Hasbro subsidiary Milton Bradley. In 2003, "Cootie" was named to the Toy Industry Association's "Century of Toys List".