Building a Board Game Empire on Disney's Shoulders

Jacobe Chrisman's Wonder Forge has perfected the not-boring board game.

- David Sax

On a large, reclaimed-metal conference table in the lofty, brightly painted Seattle offices of Wonder Forge—among roaming dogs, treadmill desks, a surfboard, and Snoopy and Darth Vader figurines—the company’s latest board game is ready for play. Flight of the Jaquins, which is scheduled to be released in May, is based on the Disney Channel’s Elena of Avalor; Elena, as anyone with young kids knows, is a Latina princess with magic powers. The game’s cardboard playing surface and other components will look familiar to adults who grew up with Monopoly, Sorry!, and the Game of Life: illustrated instructions in English (and Spanish); colored dice that correspond to treasure cards; a stack of spell-casting cards; and four plastic Jaquins, which are mythical flying jungle cats. The centerpiece is a pop-up Mission-style castle where Elena and her friends live, and it presents Wonder Forge Chief Executive Officer Jacobe Chrisman, 43, with a challenge. “How do we do something big and real but also make it safe for kids and resilient enough that it won’t break if your brother steps on it?” he asks, examining the proto type. “All of which has to fit into a $15 package.”