Monopoly Fans Will Choose Which American Landmarks Will Represent 22 U.S. Cities in New "Monopoly: Here & Now" Edition
EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. -- April 24, 2006 -- What properties would appear on the MONOPOLY game board if America's most popular game were designed in the 'here and now'?
Would New York Ave. be replaced with New York's Times Square? Instead of Illinois Ave., would the game board include a landmark from the state of Illinois? And would Rodeo Drive battle it out with the Golden Gate Bridge for the coveted 'Boardwalk' spot on the board?
Beginning April 24, 2006, Americans will get the chance to vote on which famous landmarks from America's greatest destination cities should be included on the game board of the new MONOPOLY: HERE & NOW Edition. MONOPOLY fans can visit www.monopoly.com to cast their on-line ballots for legendary streets, neighborhoods and national monuments from 22 cities -- ranging from New York City to Honolulu -- that will be represented on the board.
Additionally, the votes will determine where each city's selected landmark will appear on the game board, with the city generating the most on-line votes landing on the coveted spot traditionally occupied by Boardwalk.
"We encourage Monopoly fans to participate in the design of our new game board by voting often at our website for their favorite landmarks," said Matt Collins, Vice President of Marketing for Hasbro. "Remember, elections are often won by a slim margin, so your vote could be the difference needed to land your favorite American city on a blue property space."
The on-line polls will be open April 24, 2006 until May 12, 2006 and the final results will be unveiled in late summer when the game arrives on store shelves. MONOPOLY fans may vote as often as once a day.
The updated game will also include modern-day rents, contemporary game tokens, and airports replacing the railroads.
"For more than 70 years, Americans have enjoyed pretending to 'own it all' by purchasing Atlantic City, NJ streets," said Collins. "The new MONOPOLY: HERE & NOW Edition allows players to own it all in today's world as they buy some of the most valuable and famous real estate in the country."
The cities that will be represented on the board include the following:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Cleveland
- Dallas
- Denver
- Honolulu
- Houston
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Minneapolis/St. Paul
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York City
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- San Francisco
- St. Louis
- Seattle
- Washington, D.C.
For a compete list of the landmark candidates for each city, visit www.monopoly.com.
Since 1935, more than 250 million copies of MONOPOLY have been sold in 80 countries and 26 languages. More than 200 different editions of the game have been published, but the most popular continues to be the classic "Number Nine." Affectionately known by its original product number, "Number Nine" is based on the streets of Atlantic City and is nearly identical to Charles Darrow's original submission to Parker Brothers. The MONOPOLY name and logo, the distinctive design of the game board, the four corner squares, the MR. MONOPOLY name and the character, as well as each of the distinctive elements of the board and playing pieces are trademarks of Hasbro for its proprety trading game and game equipment. (C) 2006 Hasbro, All Rights Reserved.
Hasbro is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.
