MONOPOLY CHEAT SHEET: THE HISTORY, ITS REINCARNATIONS, AND THE BEST PROPERTIES IN LONDON AS FILM CONFIRMED

Hasbro is hoping that Margot Robbie can do for Monopoly what she did for Barbie, with news that her production company is working on a film about the classic board game. 

LuckyChamp, the company she co-founded in 2014, is working alongside Lionsgate to put together the film that will surely boost sales of the game, which turns 90 next year. 

It has not been said if the Australian actress will star in the untitled film, nor if the plot will be centred around the property, renting, the hotel industry, or a prison stint. It’s also up for debate who could play the only character associated with the game, the Monopoly Man. 

But with Mattel-blessed Barbie breaking numerous records upon release last year, Hasbro will be dreaming of a similar success – maybe even enough profit for a house in Mayfair. 

Monopoly has been a board game of glamour but also strife between families over the years – with the Simpsons once perfectly capturing how it can provoke arguments. 

This is the story of how Monopoly came to be on the big screen. 

Origins of Monopoly

Monopoly was first produced in 1935 and the credit for the initial sale goes to Charles Darrow, who encountered a prototype while visiting friends Charles and Olive Todd in Philadelphia. 

The story goes that Charles later needed money and asked his friend for a copy of the rules, which he was then able to sell to the Parker Brothers, who made it a huge success.

However, the story has been challenged in the book The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game by Mary Pilon. 

According to the Guardian, the book argues that Monopoly was drawn up by a “bold, progressive woman” named Elizabeth Magie in Washington DC. In the early 1900s, Magie developed what she called The Landlord’s Game – born out of her frustration with capitalism. She then passed on the game to various friends, which is how the Todds came to learn of it.

While Magie’s story has been unsung, the success of the game has been a runaway success, selling millions of copies worldwide for the Parker Brothers before their company was bought by Hasbro in 1991. 

As of 2015, it has sold more than 275 million copies worldwide. Around 485 million people have played it and it is found in 114 countries in 47 languages. 

The reincarnations

The original Monopoly was based on Atlantic City but, within one year, the Parker Brothers had licensed it for versions outside of the US. 

The London version came soon after and a little known piece of history is that British prisoners of war were sent copies containing objects which helped them escape.

Globalisation continued after the war and the game now holds something of a, err, monopoly on the board games market, having a reported 99 per cent global awareness. New versions are introduced every year, with Hasbro allowing businesses to buy squares on local editions which can then be sold on, such as the Tunbridge Wells version. 

Among the 1,144 versions to have ever gone on sale, there have been several for London, including an Olympic Games edition. There are currently 155 varieties on sale worldwide. 

Tips and tricks if you want to win

These days, the cost-of-living crisis is such that playing Monopoly might be the only way you will ever be a home owner – so it’s important to take this opportunity.

There are many guides and strategies in how to win Monopoly – the actor Will Smith even dedicated a small section of his book to detailing his own plan of action. 

In the London version, the squares most commonly landed on are the oranges (Bow Street, Marlborough Street, and Vine Street). The least landed on are the brown squares of Old Kent Road and Whitechapel. Trafalgar Square, a red, statistically comes up the most but the red section as a unit is less frequent than the oranges. 

The dark blue and brown squares are at the top and bottom of the board, based both on price range and logistics. Statistically, counters are least likely to land on those. However, as there are only two, rather than three, to collect, it is a good strategy to buy them as it can be easier to move on to houses and hotels.

Wikihow suggests trying to focus on getting all of the utilities or the stations, one set or the other. It also suggests not fearing going bankrupt if you have property as you can always get a mortgage and come back into the game… Great life advice right there. 

What is the McDonald’s Monopoly game? 

It would be unnatural for a game with Monopoly’s nature  to not sell out its brand – and, since 1987, it has been running promotions with McDonald’s. 

In the UK, the game runs annually from a set time period, which in 2023 was September 6 to October 17, and allows customers to win prizes from a board. These can be cash prizes but are more likely to be some extra McNuggets. 

It has not been confirmed when it will run in 2024.

Who could play the Monopoly Man? 

No name has been announced for a character who may not even be in the film. So speculation is obviously rife.

Here are our best suggestions.

Tom Hanks

Having played Walt Disney, Hanks can be a bubbly elder statesman. 

Ian McDiarmid

For a sinister face of capitalism, who can also turn on the charm, look no further than the man who played Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious in the Star Wars franchise. 

Patrick Stewart

Stewart has the authority and the hairline to play the old timer. 

Ian McKellen 

The English actor can sport a moustache to order and wore a top hat for his 2015 turn in Mr Holmes. 

Will Smith

He loves Monopoly, so why not?

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2024-04-11T13:54:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd