Fun Things to Know About the Monopoly Board Game

What’s adult life in this world all about? Well, they say it begins when you start looking for work or any kind of livelihood. Then, you earn money for a living. You spend your hard-earned money on your daily needs, and sometimes on emergencies. When you have more of it, you save to buy a property – all the while avoiding any circumstance of getting broke. It’s a cycle every grownup knows as a fact of life.

Doesn’t that sound like the popular board game we all know and play? That’s right! The Monopoly game is all about buying, selling, and acquiring properties – just make sure you don’t loose all your money (sell houses if necessary). Monopoly continues to be one of the most popular board games played by many, and has branched out to several different versions that delight kids of all ages and families of varying interests. You can also find Monopoly games themed after famous movies and pop culture franchises.

Read about the most sought-after Monopoly games with a fun twist!

Monopoly Game Fun Facts

The Monopoly board game is a great educational tool to help kids learn about mortgage value, investing, and how money works in daily life. It's popularity shows no signs of sliding down. So today, we take a look at some of the important fun facts about Monopoly, which most people may not know about. Read on!

• There’s a Monopoly Movie in the Works with Margot Robbie at the Helm

With the recent success of the Barbie live-action movie starring Margot Robbie and co-produced by Mattel, the famous Australian actress now jumps ship to another toy company – this time, Hasbro.

Announced at this year’s Las Vegas CinemaCon, LuckyChap Entertainment, owned by Margot Robbie, is co-producing a Monopoly movie with LionsGate and Hasbro Entertainment. LuckyChap has this to say...

“Monopoly is a top property — pun fully intended! Like all of the best IP, this game has resonated worldwide for generations, and we are so excited to bring this game to life alongside the wonderful teams involved at Lionsgate and Hasbro.”

• The Original Monopoly Game Was Not About Investing

Many historians attribute the original version of the game to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie who invented a board game named the Landlord’s Game. It was intended to be a teaching tool that would show the potential negative effects of sole ownership of land properties, i.e. landlords owning three houses, four houses, or more while unfairly profiting from tenants who don't even own just one house.

• The Monopoly Board Game’s Origin Is Quite Convoluted

The origin and evolution of this real-estate and property trading board game is quite convoluted, marred by controversy and intrigue. While Lizzie Magie is credited for the original game concept, an unemployed engineer by the name of Charles B Darrow, is said to be the one who labelled and patented a game with the name we now know as Monopoly, just a few years before World War II.

Darrow eventually sold the rights to the Parker Brothers toy company. The company initially rejected the idea, but changed its mind when one of the higher ups found its potential. Today, Hasbro Gaming owns Monopoly which has been played by over a billion people across the world since its official release.

• The First Monopoly Sets Were Based from Streets of Atlantic City

Monopoly is very popular around the world, and some versions have properties named after famous streets and landmarks outside the United States where the original Monopoly was patented. However, did you know that the sets of the first version released by Parker Brothers were based from the streets of Atlantic City in New Jersey? Although misspelled, one of the most notable is Marvin Gardens which was coined after Marven Gardens in Atlantic City.

• The Original Board Pieces Used Were Familiar Objects

Before the rocking horse and others, did you know that players use familiar objects such as buttons and charm bracelet parts as moving tokens for their game play? Yet, the shortage of raw materials due to the wars of the early 20th century did not prevent the production of new Monopoly tokens. The iron, racing car, thimble, shoe, top hat, and battleship were among the first sets.

• The Monopoly Man with the Top Hat Was Not in the Original Logo

During its first 50 years, the Monopoly logo just had a red rectangle with black text. It was only in the 1980s that the Monopoly man with the top hat got included in the logo.

• The Longest Monopoly Game Lasted for 70 Days

Unlike other board games, Monopoly doesn’t have a finish line or a goal that, when reached, the player wins. In Monopoly, players just move their tokens around the board with no end in sight. They continue to play as they aim to get rich by acquiring more properties and avoid losing money. The game usually ends when majority of the players quit, which is not really part of the rules (like landing on the Free Parking space).

Some sources say that the longest game of Monopoly ever played lasted for 1,680 hours or a total of 70 straight days.

• There Are So Many Versions of Monopoly, Both Official and Unofficial

How many versions of Monopoly are there? Board game geeks estimate that there are up to 7,000 Monopoly versions in existence. However, because the game has been played since the first half of the 20th century, and Hasbro continues to produce many editions of Monopoly, even estimates don't come close to the actual number. Besides, there are also other Monopoly versions created outside of the official licence.

Do you know of other fun and interesting facts about the timeless board game Monopoly? What are your favourite game pieces, classic or modern? Tell us about them! To see a range of Monopoly games for the whole family, click here!