Did you grow up playing board games? I did and Monopoly was one of the games that we enjoyed playing with family and friends. The car, thimble or iron were my first three choices. I recall many Monopoly marathon weekends. We would leave our stack of colorful money on the board to save our spot, eat a lunch or dinner and then resume playing later in the day. Consider it a sign of the times - fans were asked to vote, electronically, on retiring tokens and introducing new. Sadly, the thimble did not make the cut and will be retired.
"The Story Behind the Monopoly Pieces" - read at CoolMaterial
Photo Credit: Cool Material
PRESS RELEASE:
Hasbro Inc. is gearing up to celebrate World MONOPOLY Day on March 19 by announcing the winning tokens from the MONOPOLY Token Madness Vote. Fans across the globe have spoken, and the eight tokens set to "pass GO" in the next generation of the MONOPOLY game are the Scottie dog, top hat, car, battleship, cat, T-rex, rubber ducky, and penguin tokens.
During the MONOPOLY Token Madness vote, January 10 - 31, 2017, fans across more than 100 countries selected the eight tokens they hoped to see in the next generation of the game from a list of 64 contenders. This monumental MONOPOLY campaign drew more than 4.3 million votes, empowering fans to make their mark on this iconic game.
While the Scottie dog, top hat, car, cat, and battleship tokens can breathe a sigh of relief, the iconic thimble, boot, and wheelbarrow tokens didn't make the cut. Instead, they're planning to take some time off and will not be part of the next generation of the MONOPOLY game.
"Sew" long, Thimble: The lucky Thimble token is down on its luck. With just over 81,000 votes, this token will be left out of the next generation of the game after more than 80 years.
The Boot gets booted: Mr. MONOPOLY needs a new pair of kicks, because the once popular boot token - modeled after the working shoe of the 1930s - received just over 83,000 votes, and was ultimately booted from the game.
Bye, bye Wheelbarrow: The wheelbarrow token, a staple in the game since the 1950s, will wheel no more. With just over 60,000 votes, this historic token was voted out of the next generation of the game.
Some of the success of the tokens making their way into, or keeping their spot in the MONOPOLY game can be attributed to many brands and organizations campaigning for select tokens. Car sharing service, Zipcar campaigned to keep the Car Token in the game by tweeting playful and often hilarious memes to their fans asking them to #SaveTheCar. The New England Aquarium rallied fans of their adorable Penguin population to #VotePenguin, and hosted MR. MONOPOLY to meet the penguins on the day the vote kicked off, which was broadcasted via Facebook live to the MONOPOLY brand's nearly 11 million Facebook fans.
The new, fan-picked lineup of MONOPOLY Tokens includes:
Scottie Dog Token: The best friend of Mr. MONOPOLY since the 1950s, the Scottie Dog token proved its popularity by receiving the most votes - making it the overall first place winner.
T-Rex Token: The mighty T-Rex token stomped its way into the new game, garnering the second most overall votes and making history as the first dinosaur token of Mr. MONOPOLY.
Top Hat Token: Coming in third place in overall votes, the Top Hat token - a staple in the game since 1935 - will keep Mr. MONOPOLY looking dapper well into the future.
Car Token: This 1930s roadster will continue fueling adrenaline rushes for Mr. MONOPOLY in the next generation of the game; coming in fourth place in overall votes.
Rubber Ducky Token: Coming in fifth in overall votes, the new Rubber Ducky token is truly all its "quacked" up to be.
Cat Token: Fans voted the Cat token into the game in 2013, and she clawed her way back in as one of the eight winning tokens, coming in sixth place in overall votes.
Penguin Token: Waddling into the game in seventh place in overall votes, the Penguin token is the new style muse for Mr. MONOPOLY.
Battleship Token: The beloved Battleship token represents the first round-the-world trip for Mr. MONOPOLY; securing the eighth spot in overall votes, this token's legacy will cruise into the next generation of the game.
"The MONOPOLY Token Madness Vote was our biggest fan-powered program to date and the global MONOPOLY community has spoken!" said Jonathan Berkowitz, senior vice president of marketing for Hasbro Gaming. "The next generation of tokens clearly represents the interests of our fans around the world and we're proud to have our iconic game impacted by the people that feel most passionate about playing it."
The next generation of the MONOPOLY game will be available for purchase beginning this fall, but consumers don't need to wait until the fall to get in on the MONOPOLY game play.
Consumers can pick up the MONOPOLY Token Madness Edition game, which includes the 8 current tokens, and 8 golden tokens, available now for the approximate retail price of $19.99.
MONOPOLY is the world's favorite family game brand and is enjoyed by more than 1 billion players in 114 countries across the globe. MONOPOLY tokens have been a key element of the game since it was introduced in 1935.
Fans can visit Facebook.com/Monopoly, @HasbroNews on Twitter and @Hasbro on Instagram (#MonopolyVote) to tip their top hats to say goodbye to the Thimble, Boot and Wheelbarrow tokens, and welcome the new tokens into the next generation of the game.
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Do you have a favorite MONOPOLY token?