Uncle Pennybags

 Since starting this blog I've come across several editions of Monopoly. In my experience if a game has Monopoly in the title it is a licensed version, but if it only has "opoly" it is unlicensed. Meaning it was not produced under the Monopoly trademark and has a more liberal take on the game board, pieces and game play. The name Monopoly is a registered trademark. It has been registered in the United States since 1935, and is currently owned by Hasbro Inc. of Rhode Island. The trademark applies to the name, real estate trading game, distinctive pieces, money and board spaces. However the style of game play and game mechanics are not covered under the copyright.

  I found " Monopoly Chocolate" for sale at Home Goods. It looks like a fun gift for kids or a board game fan. It was $7.99 and also available at both Home Goods and TJ Maxx locations. Upon further review of the box, this is actually a playable game with game pieces. The rules are on the back of the box.

 Monopoly Jenga is a twist on the classic block balancing game of Jenga. The blocks in this version are railroads, properties, free parking, Chance and Community Chest. Each block is assigned a point value. The strategy is to collect the most property sets and railroads without making the tower fall. Once the tower collapses, all points are added up and the player with the most points wins. While it is nice to have an additional element to Jenga play, I don't think this really replicates the same atmosphere as a traditional monopoly game. I do like the idea of colored blocks and values. I would like to create my own Jenga version. That should be a creative fun project.

  I purchased a new Monopoly Surprise Community Chest set. This is produced by Hasbro and BasicFun! copyrighted 2021. I was under the impression that this was a mini Monopoly game. However I believe I was mislead, the packaging says "Rare tokens to Find!" and "Collect over 25 new tokens!"  I definitely appreciate the re-usable blue classic community chest box. Upon opening the box, it looks like expansion tokens to collect. The best part is that they are individually wrapped for a mystery unboxing. We are also provided a Community Chest Checklist to keep track of what we have and what is left to collect. And here are my tokens unboxed. Not bad at all, these are all metal and fairly good quality. They can be used for game play or decoration. My only negative comment would be the duplicate houses. 

 In addition to dozens of books written about Monopoly there is also a Monopoly Wiki. This website has history, fun facts, and various editions of the game. There are currently 768 pages and the owners are asking for submissions.  If you are looking for a topic I have not covered, you will most likely find it here. Follow the link below. Monopoly Wiki 

 Community Chest is a pool of funds from a community used for charitable purposes. It's also commonly know as Community Trust, Community Foundation, United Way. The first Community Chest was started in Cleveland Ohio in 1913.

 For those of you who find yourself with an incomplete Monopoly game, you should consider selling it for replacement parts. Ebay has a ton of listings for various pieces. You can find just the game board, instructions, extra houses, game tokens, community chest, etc.  I was in fact looking for speed monopoly game, but was able to purchase just the red dice. Next I'm off to find a printable version of the instructions or game play with these dice.

 It has always been my vision for this blog that I would write about the history of monopoly and variations of the game. While I can appreciate the various editions and art work, I'm more interested in editions with variations on the classic game play. I hope to cover: Finance by Parker Brothers 1932 Easy Money by Milton Bradley Company 1935 Add Stock Exchange by Parker Brothers 1937 Game of Rich Uncle by Parker Brothers 1946 Advance to Boardwalk by Parker Brothers 1985 Free Parking by Parker Brothers 1988 Monopoly Don't go to Jail 1991 Monopoly Card Games (Free Parking/Water Works) by Hasbro 1999 Monopoly Speed Dice by Parker Brothers 2007 Monopoly Cheaters Edition by Hasbro 2018 Monopoly Rivals Edition (2 player) by Hasbro 2020 Monopoly Bid 2020 Monopoly Builder by Hasbro 2021 Monopoly Diced! by Hasbro 2021 Monopoly Junior