As one of the world’s most beloved board games, Hasbro’s Monopoly has always proven adept at adapting, replacing its city streets with versions of global capitals and tying in movies and TV shows into the gameplay. But now the tokens used to move players around the board to the point where they earn €200 are set to be replaced, with emojis and the hashtag symbol.
Hasbro has opened public voting for what it’s calling Monopoly Token Madness. The public’s selection will determine which eight pieces are including in the 2017 official board, with the winners announced on March 19th, known as World Monopoly Day.
It’s not the first time that Hasbro has tinkered with the tokens since the game debuted in 1935, with 2013’s update replacing the classic iron piece with a cat figurine chosen by public poll.
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But Token Madness will up the ante, with none of the existing pieces, including the top hat and Scottie dog, on the chopping block if they cannot muster public support. In total, 64 pieces are vying for a place on the board, with everyone invited to visit VoteMonopoly and select their favourite eight from the group.
Although known the world over as a game in which ruthless capitalism is the key to winning, Monopoly was first created by a Quaker named Lizzie Magie, who filed a patent for The Landlord Game, “a practical demonstration of the present system of land-grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences.”
Charles Darrow, a down-on-his-luck salesman during the Great Depression, was shown a version of The Landlord Game by a friend, redesigned it as Monopoly and sold it to Parker Brothers. The gaming company turned it into a global hit, selling millions of copies worldwide.
