WASHINGTON – Between missions over Iraq and Afghanistan, Air Force Maj. Matt Butler’s thoughts often turned to home in the Midwest, playing lawn games like horseshoes and bocce at barbecues or picnics. He thought he could combine parts of those games, add an element of luck and make a pretty good outdoor game of his own.
Rollors, a combination of bocce ball and horseshoes, is played by rolling wooden discs toward a target. Points are awarded based on how the disc lands when it reaches the target. (Photo courtesy of Matt Butler; Rollors.com)
He was on to something, because Rollors has sold 25,000 units at retailers ranging from small businesses to REI and Target, he said. While stationed in Florida in 2009, he connected with a local contractor and got to work on a prototype. The game involves rolling wood, hockey-puck-sized discs at a target. How they land determines the points awarded.
“I started showing it around and bringing it over to friends at barbecues, at picnics — anyplace that I could find a chance to take it out,” he said. “People actually liked it so much they started offering to buy it from me. At that point I thought, ‘I might have something here.’”
Butler found a contractor to help him with the manufacturing, hired a website designer, got the game patented, and launched a limited liability corporation. Then he started selling directly to consumers.
When a local magazine found Rollors at a church craft fair, word got out and demand exploded. He licensed the game to Wisconsin-based Maranda Enterprises about two years ago — essentially meaning they “rent out” the intellectual property of the game for a cut of the wholesale profits — and Butler is happy with the arrangement. Maranda helped with distribution and shipping, and the maker was careful to not meddle with the game’s rules or all-wood design.