Monopoly Board Game

All About Monopoly

Who hasn't heard of Monopoly? This Parker Brothers board game was the brainchild of inventor Charles Darrow, who, in around 1930, created this game of strategy and chance after reminiscing with some friends about their favorite vacation destination as children -- Atlantic City, New Jersey. Darrow, who was out of work like many Americans during the Great Depression, was said to have penned the idea for the game one evening on his kitchen table's tablecloth.

After sketching out the playing field, which included numerous properties, railroads and the utility companies that serviced them, he then crafted houses and hotels for his little city out of scrap lumber and cardboard. A neighborhood paint store gave Darrow free samples with which he color-coded the properties. He used buttons for playing pieces, play money and dice to round out the game. And almost evert evening, Charles Darrow and his family and friends sat around the "table" playing his new board game, which consisted of buying, renting and trading properties.

Parker Brothers

The popularity of Darrow's new board game, originally called The Game and later coined by friends as Monopoly, grew by leaps and bounds. By 1934, he was getting hundreds -- and later thousands -- of orders, which were sold in department stores in Pennsylvania and New York City. But he could not keep up with the demand. That was when Darrow contacted Parker Brothers, a large board game manufacturer, which first declined interest in the game, but after seeing its popularity grow in places such as New York City, the company changed its mind. Parker Brothers purchased the rights to the game and Darrow was able to retire at age 46 as a millionaire.

How to Play Monopoly

The Monopoly board game is relatively simple to play. To win the game, you must own more properties than your opponents and have the most money. Players start at Go, roll the dice to move around the board, try to buy up as many properties as possible and fill them with hotels. The ultimate properties to own are Park Place and Boardwalk. Opponents who land on your properties must pay rent. Along the way, there are taxes that must be paid, as well as the chance of landing in jail. For instance, rolling doubles on the dice three times in a row will land you behind bars. For a complete list of original and house rules, check out the Monopoly Collector Web site.

Original Monopoly Playing Pieces

The original edition of Monopoly comes with:

• Game board
• A pair of dice
• Play money
• 32 houses cards
• 12 hotels
• 11 tokens, which today include:
  • Dog
  • Wheelbarrow
  • Horse and rider
  • Race car
  • Iron
  • Shoe
  • Cannon
  • Top hat
  • Thimble
  • Boat
  • Sack of money
• Chance and Community Chest cards
• Title deed for each property

So, Who Is Rich Uncle Pennybags?

Yes, Monopoly has a mascot. In 1936, Parker Brothers (which is now owned by Hasbro) created Rich Uncle Pennybags -- the top-hatted older gentleman who graces not only the Chance and Community Chest playing cards, but also in the second "O" in the word Monopoly on the box's cover. He was said to be modeled after banker J.P. Morgan, because of his stature and influence in society. Since 1999, Rich Uncle Pennybags has also been known as Mr. Monopoly.

Different Versions of the Monopoly Board Game

To date, there are nearly 100 specialty versions of the Monopoly board game on the market -- one for just about everyone and covering many venues. Some are educational, while others are pure entertainment. There are versions for pet lovers, sports fans and even those geared toward certain U.S. cities. Some of the more popular versions include:

• My Marvel Heroes Monopoly
• Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly
• Hasbro Monopoly Here & Now Limited Edition
• Monopoly Junior Edition
• Monopoly Deluxe Edition
• Disney Monopoly
• A Christmas Story Monopoly
• James Bond 007 Monopoly