Monopoly and Variations of

The shrewd, cunning, or just plain lucky player gets filthy rich within a few hours, but then again, they are as likely to go to jail or declare bankruptcy. In the game of Monopoly, players start on equal footing, but the roll of the dice and the luck of the draw soon tip the balance of wealth into a few players' favor. Monopoly is a competitive real estate acquisition game in which players travel around the board, seeking to procure colorful deeds and avoid paying rent to others. This cutthroat game rose to popularity at the height of the Great Depression and continues to be the best-selling game of all time—more than 250 million sold. Since its advent, the thrill of wealth accumulation and economic domination has attracted roughly 480 million players around the world. Indeed, the phrase, “Do not pass Go, do not collect $200!” indicates immediacy in the American vernacular.

Charles B. Darrow is often credited with Monopoly's creation, but a number of forerunners inspired Darrow's hit game. Educator and single-tax enthusiast Elizabeth J. Magie created the Landlord's Game in 1904. Many of Monopoly's features originated with this game, including the concept of property ownership, free parking, Go to Jail, and utilities spaces. Magie's game interested business and economic students at universities across the country and many professors used it as a teaching tool. However, when Magie submitted the idea to the Parker Brothers toy company, they rejected it because of its complexity, educational nature, and overtly political agenda. In 1932, Dan Layman, a former college Landlord's Game fan, created a similar version complete with official rules (something Magie's game lacked) and renamed it Finance. Again, Parker Brothers turned it down citing its complexity and length of play as critical flaws.

Then, in 1933, unemployed repairman Charles B. Darrow's college friend introduced him to the Lanlord's [Page 395]Game. Enthralled with the game, and with plenty of time on his hands, Darrow continued to play on his own, adapting elements of the game. He redesigned the board, added color, renamed the properties with Atlantic City street names, and started playing his Monopoly game with friends and neighbors. Soon, Darrow was inundated with special orders for the game.

Monopoly has versions for 103 countries and 37 languages. Most foreign editions use local currency and property names. The thrill of wealth accumulation and economic domination has attracted roughly 480 million players around the world.

He approached both Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers with it, but both companies turned him down saying the game was too long, complex, and unfamiliar to game players. Undaunted, Darrow produced more sets and sold them through New York's FAO Schwartz toy store and Wanamaker's and Gimbels department stores. Monopoly's incredible success during the 1934 Christmas season caught Parker Brothers president Robert Barton's attention, and he quickly negotiated a deal with Darrow. Within 18 months, Parker Brothers sold more than two million games. To ensure the Monopoly windfall, Parker Brothers bought out or shut out the competition. They purchased the patents on both Layman's Finance and Magie's Landlord's Game, trademarked virtually every aspect of the game, and sued other toy companies that tried to capitalize on Monopoly's success with games like Inflation, New York, Big Business, Carnival, and Easy Money.

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