U.S. Games Systems

Introduction

U.S. Games Systems (USGS) stands as one of the most prolific and influential producers of tarot and playing cards in the modern era. Founded by Stuart Kaplan in 1968, the company is credited with standardizing the distribution of tarot decks in North America. Their publication of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot played a pivotal role in fueling the “tarot renaissance” of the late 20th century, transforming the cards from an obscure occult curiosity into a mass-market cultural phenomenon.

Insert Image: [The Magician card from the 1971 Rider-Waite Tarot deck, featuring the iconic yellow box packaging associated with U.S. Games Systems.]

Caption: The 1971 edition of the Rider-Waite Tarot helped establish the imagery of Pamela Colman Smith as the global standard for tarot reading.

History

Origins and the Swiss 1JJ

The company was established in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1968 by Stuart Kaplan (1932–2021). Kaplan’s entry into the world of cartomancy was serendipitous; while attending the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany that same year, he discovered a distinctive Swiss tarot deck. This was the Swiss 1JJ Tarot, a pattern dating back to the mid-19th century which replaces the traditional Pope and Popess cards with Juno and Jupiter to avoid religious controversy.

Captivated by the artwork, Kaplan imported the deck to the United States. To support sales, he authored Tarot Cards for Fun and Fortune Telling (1970), a guide that helped demystify the cards for an American audience unfamiliar with the system (U.S. Games Systems, n.d.).

The Waite-Smith Acquisition

Shortly after the company’s founding, Kaplan secured a landmark agreement with the London-based publisher William Rider & Son. He obtained the rights to publish the Waite-Smith Tarot, originally created in 1909 by two members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: the mystic Arthur Edward Waite and the artist Pamela Colman Smith.

Prior to Kaplan’s intervention, Rider & Son had continued to print the deck, but the quality had deteriorated significantly over decades of reprinting from worn plates. The post-World War II editions were notoriously poor, often suffering from muddy colors and loss of line detail ^[1] .

Kaplan launched a revitalized edition, often referred to as the “Rider Tarot,” featuring crisper line work and the now-iconic yellow packaging. This release coincided perfectly with the blossoming New Age movement and the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s. The accessibility of the USGS edition, combined with Kaplan’s marketing, resulted in massive sales. By the end of the 20th century, Kaplan reported that USGS had sold over $100 million worth of the Waite-Smith Tarot, extending its reach well beyond the Anglophone world ^[1] .

Expansion and Publishing Legacy

Following the commercial triumph of the Waite-Smith deck, U.S. Games Systems diversified its catalog to include historical facsimiles and modern artistic reinterpretations. Notable publications included:

• The Crowley-Harris Thoth Tarot: A complex esoteric deck painted by Lady Frieda Harris under the instruction of Aleister Crowley.
• Tarot de Marseille: Various editions of the standard French pattern used for gaming and divination since the 17th century.
• Oswald Wirth Tarot: A reprint of the designs by the 19th-century Swiss occultist, known for integrating Kabbalistic symbolism into the Majors.

Stuart Kaplan passed away in 2021, but his contribution to the field extended beyond manufacturing. He authored the monumental four-volume work, The Encyclopedia of Tarot (1978–2005). For historians and collectors, this series was revolutionary; it provided the first comprehensive, visual taxonomy of tarot history, legitimizing the study of playing cards as a serious academic and historical pursuit (Kaplan 1978–2005).

Today, U.S. Games Systems remains a family-run business and continues to operate as a premier manufacturer in the global playing card market.

References