Whether you love it or not, there’s no denying that Monopoly is one of the world’s most popular board games. Since it was launched in 1935, over 300 million Monopoly games have been sold, and the game has been played in more than 100 countries worldwide. In fact, Monopoly was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998.
But you think you know more about the game? there are some little-known facts about Monopoly that may surprise you.
The game was inspired by the “Landlord’s Game”
Before the game was sold to Parker Brothers, there was a patented board-game in 1904 for called the “Landlord’s Game” which was similar to the Monopoly game we know today.
In this game, players moved around a board buying properties and paying rent. Sound familiar? Years later, in 1933, Charles Darrow would make a few tweaks to this board game and eventually sell the game to Parker Brothers in 1935.
The biggest Monopoly boards
The world’s largest permanent Monopoly board measures 9.44m x 9.44m. Opened in 2002, the game is located in a park in San Jose, California. It’s made of granite and has scaled-up dice, tokens, houses, and hotels.
Parker Brothers initially turned the game down.
During the early 1900s, the Parker Brothers, was the biggest American and toy, manufacturer.
Before it became a success, Parker Bros. firstly rejected the game due to 52 fundamental errors such as the length and complexity of the game. Fortunately for all of us, they changed their mind in 1935.
The Monopoly Man was inspired by a real tycoon. (J.P Morgan)
Rich Uncle Pennybags, the iconic Monopoly Man was inspired by J.P. Morgan, a powerful banker who helped finance the construction of railroads and organized several major corporations including General Electric.
There isn’t that much money in the bank.
The amount of money in Monopoly’s bank is less than you think. Although putting a hotel on Boardwalk can make you feel like a millionaire. The total bank is really only $20,580.
Monopoly is a worldwide sensation.
The game has been sold in 114 countries and translated into 47 languages. Although the game is based on real-life places in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Monopoly is truly an international phenomenon.
The longest game lasted more than two months.
The National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York has an exhibit titled Monopoly: As part of this exhibit, there are some records for the longest Monopoly game.
- Longest Monopoly game – 1,680 hours over 70 straight days
- Longest Monopoly game in a treehouse – 286 hours
- Longest Monopoly game underground – 100 hours
- Longest Monopoly game in a bathtub – 99 hours
- Longest Monopoly game upside-down – 36 hours
The board pieces were inspired by the creator’s niece.
The original board pieces were inspired by Charles Darrow’s niece and were created to resemble figures on her charm bracelet.
The most expensive Monopoly set is $2 million
The original Monopoly game sold for $1.95. If you purchase today, you’ll pay about $22.
But The most expensive Monopoly set in the world was created by San Francisco jeweler, Sidney Mobell. It cost $2 million.
The largest number of people playing Monopoly at once
In January 2017, 733 people played Monopoly in a single venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Participants played the officially licensed Rustic Cuff edition of Monopoly.
