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Monopoly originated from an educational game called The Landlord’s Game in 1906, but was re-imagined during the Great Depression. Tokens were not included in early sets, but since the 1940s, classic tokens such as the top hat and boot have been included. However, some tokens will be phased out in the newest version and replaced by a T-Rex, rubber duck, and penguin. The Scottish Terrier was voted as the top-rated token in an online vote. Monopoly has been published in 47 languages and sold in 114 countries since its 80th birthday in 2015.
The Monopoly board game traces its roots back to 1906, with the release of The Landlord’s Game, an educational game designed to teach people about property, rent, and taxes. When the game was re-imagined as Monopoly during the Great Depression, prevailing economic conditions were harsh, so early sets only included the board, money, and cards needed to play. Players had to provide their own tokens, such as bracelet charms and Cracker Jack prizes. Since the 1940s, the game has come with tokens in the shape of a battleship, boot, cannon, Scottish Terrier, horse and rider, iron, racing car, thimble, top hat and wheelbarrow. However, some of these classic tokens will disappear from the newest version of Monopoly. The iron token was replaced by a cat token in 2013 and now, in a bid to appeal to a new generation, the boot, wheelbarrow and thimble will be phased out, replaced by a Tyrannosaurus rex, rubber duck and penguin.
An iconic game keeps rolling:
In an online vote, Hasbro asked players to choose their favorite tokens from 64 contenders. The winning pieces were announced on the Monopoly Twitter feed and on a special website earlier this year.
More than 4.3 million Monopoly fans from 146 countries voted. The Scottish Terrier was top rated and joins the Race Car, Top Hat, Cat and Battleship as existing tokens that will continue to ‘Go Go’.
In 1935, when Parker Brothers first marketed the game, it sold for about $2 USD. As of the board game’s 80th birthday in 2015, the game has been published in 47 languages and sold in 114 countries.
