The popular board game Trivial Pursuit, with over 100 million copies sold, originated in 1980 at The Cave, a bar in the El Capistrano urbanisation in Nerja, where two Canadian journalists created the first 6,000 questions.
Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling board games in history, was born in a small bar in Nerja. It was 1980 when Canadian journalists Scott Abbott and Chris Haney settled in a house in the El Capistrano urbanisation, in the Málaga town, to shape a question-and-answer game inspired by Scrabble. For months, they worked up to 16 hours a day to draft the first 6,000 questions, a project they initially called 'Six Thousand Questions'.
To unwind, the creators found refuge in The Cave, a stone bar then run by Phil Donnason, a South African raised in Canada and settled in Nerja. There, over pints of beer, they explained their idea to the locals, most of whom thought they were crazy. But Donnason saw potential and decided to risk 1,000 Canadian dollars in the project, a sum that would make him a millionaire.
The investor who got it right
Phil Donnason passed away in 2023, but his story lives on in Nerja. As Aaron, the current owner of The Cave, recalls, Donnason confessed in an interview that he thought he would never recover his investment. However, two years later, the bar's phone rang: it was Chris Haney, not to ask for more money, but to announce that Trivial Pursuit had become a global phenomenon. 'The bar owner made millions,' emphasises Aaron, who today maintains the venue as a museum of that achievement.
The game's success was overwhelming. Since its commercial launch in 1982, over 100 million copies have been sold worldwide, in 26 languages. Its famous coloured 'cheeses' (green, blue, pink, brown, orange, and yellow) have become an icon of popular culture, and some theories suggest that their circular shape was inspired by the railing of the Balcony of Europe, the viewpoint square in Nerja, although this has never been officially confirmed.
A legacy that endures on the Costa del Sol
The story of Trivial Pursuit is an example of how an idea conceived in a corner of the Costa del Sol can conquer the world. The creators, Scott Abbott and Chris Haney, both sports journalists, combined their passion for general knowledge with summer leisure. Besides The Cave, they often visited the beach bar Ayo, on Burriana beach, to recharge with paella.
Today, The Cave remains a meeting point for the curious and players alike. Aaron, who runs the venue with a knowing smile, welcomes those who come to learn about the game's origin. 'The next time a Trivial question makes you hesitate, remember: the answer is often in Nerja,' he jokes. The bar, with its stone walls and cosy atmosphere, is a living testament that creativity knows no small places.
For the people of Málaga, this story adds another reason for local pride. Nerja, known for its beaches and the series 'Verano Azul', is also the birthplace of a game that has brought families and friends together for decades. Anyone wanting to relive that moment can visit The Cave, in El Capistrano, and toast with a beer to the fortune of Phil Donnason and the brilliance of two journalists who unknowingly created an eternal classic.
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