Uncle Pennybags

  In 1973 a University Professor Ralph Anspach released Anti-Monopoly intending to show that monopolies were harmful. The game has been updated and rereleased through out the years. The board resembles Monopoly, however properties are replaced by businesses.  The goal is to break the trusts of 3-business monopolies, trusts or oligopolies. The players are trust-busting lawyers who rotate around the board bringing lawsuits against the monopolies. Players earn social credits, at the end of the game the player with the most social credits is the winner.  In 1974 Parker Brother's sued Ralph Anspach for trademark infridgement. The case played out over the span of 10 years with several appeals and overturned rulings. Finally Anspach and Parker reached a settlement, permitting him to continue using the name Anti-Monopoly and distributing the game. Wanting to "capitalize" on the success of Anti-Monopoly, Hasbro released Monopoly Socialism in 2019. Ultimately Monopoly Socialism was

 I had originally planned to write an article soley about Monopoly Builder. This was a game I found in a thrift store but decided not to purchase. I thought it looked like it was for kids and another version of Monopoly Jr. It's true what they say, never judge a book by it's cover, or in this example never judge a game by it's packaging. I wish I had taken the time to research this online while I was in at the thrift store. Of course I later realized this game is not Monopoly Jr. and I experienced my own buyer's remores.  As I researched Monopoly Builder, I encountered several Monoply games I would classify as physical building games. These are Monopoly Builder, Monopoly Hotels, Monopoly City and Monopoly U-Build. Each games is some what of a stand alone in itself. These games are a lot more complicated then the standard Monopoly. I would consider most of them educational games and definitely recommend buying for children who have already shown an interest in Monopoly.

  Hasbro has just released "The Super Mario Bros. Movie Edition" of Monopoly (4/4/23). This is a limited editon movie tie in. It features 6 collectible Mario tokens, gold coins instead of cash, spaces named after locations in the movie. The chance and community chest cards are replace with question block and Browser's fury. Players who land on a Warp Pipe space can move to any space between it and the next Warp Pipe space. The Bowser token moves around the board separately. Beware: Bowser can swipe properties, steal coins, and send players to Jail. Here are some of the various Mario themed Monopoly games released through out the years:

  I have always been a fan of Atlantic City. I really wanted to write an article about the famous Monopoly Atlantic City spaces. However when starting to research, I found little information online. I realized that it might be easier to go in person and take some picturs of the famous spaces.  Thankfully a new Monopoly Tour has just started running in Atlantic City.  Atlantic City Tours has several tours available and started offering the Monopoly City Tour in March 2023. Here is the description from their website : Take this guided Bus, Limousine, or Tesla TOUR of Atlantic City and travel through the actual streets of the MONOPOLY game to discover how and why the game was created while learning the history of the streets the most popular board game in America was inspired by and the properties were named after. The mode of transportation will be determined by availability at the appointed tour date and time. They are also offering a Monopoly Experience where you are invited to play Mo

 I never thought that writing a Monopoly blog would be so much work. I did some research in the very beginning to make sure there would be enough topics for me to write about. The more I research, the more games popped up. I thought I had a complete listing of the games I wanted to cover. While writing about the Monopoly card games, I realized that 3 more exists. I had not realized Monopoly Deal had a Millionaire version. It is considered a rare game, and used versions start around $30 on ebay. Luckily I was able to download the instructions and will be able to write my post without owning the game. However I'm unsure if it should be a new post or an update to the original Monopoly Deal post. I also owned a thrifted version of Monopoly Millionaire Edition, but donated it back with out writing a post about it. It seemed somewhat complicated, I would have to play the game with others to properly cover it. I decided it was too much work and since it wasn't on my original list it c

Monopoly Bid is another fast play card game. It's made for 2-5 players. It features 32 action cards, 50 money cards and 28 property cards. The winner is the first player to complete 3 property sets. To start the game, shuffle the property cards and place facedown in a pile. Shuffle the money and action cards together. Deal each player 5 cards, then place the rest of the cards facedown as the draw pile. The third pile will be the discard pile.  The youngest player is the first player. To begin a turn, all players draw one card. Then if it's your turn, you play as many action cards as you want. Then flip over the top property card and auction it.  To auction, each player chooses how much they will bid. The auctioneer will shout 1,2,3 BID. Then players reveal their cards face up. The highest bidder takes the property. If there is a tie no one wins and the property is placed at the bottom of the pile. Similarly, if no one bids on the property it's placed on the bottom of the pr

Hallmark has partnered with Hasbro through out the years to release several Christmas ornaments. Sadly it does not appear to be part of an annual line like the Barbie ornaments. I found these for sale on the  Ornament Shop site. I found 4 version of Hallmark Chanel Edition Monopoly games. Each features their own collectible tokens. Here is the discription found on one of the boxes: "You’ll be transported right into the picturesque world of Hallmark Channel as you travel around the board and buy, sell and trade properties inspired by everything you love about the network. Whether you’re buying a Christmas Tree Farm or a Bed & Breakfast, building cottages and inns, or getting out of jail free because you started a prison knitting club, you’ll experience all the thrills of this classic game in an entirely new way!" Celebrate All Year Long Holiday Edition Welcome to Keepsake Village Count down to Christmas

In 1940 Parker Brother's released Dig, a boardgame featuring Uncle Pennybags. This was a party game for 2-6 players. The dealer selects a calling card with 2 categories. He chooses one and players use a wand with a gummy end to pick up letters. The first player to spell a word in that category receives 1 share of the gold mine. Every time a player receives 5 shares of the gold mine, it is traded for a gold bar. The first player with 3 gold bars wins.   Uncle Pennybags is found on the calling cards, gold mine and gold bar cards. He has his signature walking cane in one hand, but in his left hand he has both a pick axe and shovel over his shoulder. He might seem over dressed for digging for gold. However, the instructions do recommend formal wear for the players. This was a fun game to research. I'm not sure how popular it would be today. It shows how much times have changed since the 1940's.

  Monopoly Lifesized is a relatively new 4D in person Monopoly experience that opened in August 2021. This expereience was put together by Hasbro and Gamepath Entertainment. It's located in London in the old Paperchase HQ building on Tottenham Court Road. There are currently plans to open US and Australia locations in the near future. Monopoly Lifesized is described as a life size version of the board game with interactive actors. It includes puzzles, challenges, races,etc. Teams roll the dice and travel around the board as they would in regular game play. The challenges are based on the space they land on and the chance/community chest cards drawn. There are plenty of photo opportunites and there are 4 version of the game to choose from. There is even a themed restaurant, aptly called "The Top Hat Restaurant & Bar." All the reviews I read online were very positive. It's currently ranked #128 on Tripadvisor for things to do in the UK.

 In several version of Monopoly there is the option to make deals with other players. I love the idea of a paper contract. This helps eveyone keep track of what deals were made.  InJeaniousArt has come up with the genius idea to sell contract templates on her Etsy store . The digital download costs $2 and once downloaded you may print as many times as needed.

 Monopoly themed fabric can be found online on Etsy , Ebay and Joann's . While some might consider the fabric tacky, I have a couple ideas of what to make. Small pouches to hold game tokens, deed cards, etc. I would love to make a small purse. I can also imagine kids bedsheets and window curtains.  Here are some of my favorites:

 In 1988 Parker Brother's released Free Parking (Feed the Meter) Card Game. It is made for 2-4 players. It includes 4 parking meters which can be set between 60-0 minutes and 90 playing cards. The cards will fall into the following catagories; feed the meter, point cards, special parking, and second chance. On a players' turn they will draw a card from the tray and play a card. Alterntively they can choose to exchange 3 cards they are holding for new cards from the tray. They can also draw a second chance card at the end of their turn. The game ends when one player reaches 200 points. Feed the Meter Cards; There are 38 cards with the time amounts 20,30,40 and 60 minutes. This allows players to add the corresponding time to their meters and avoid violations. Point Cards: These cards allow players to score points by spending the time they have on their meters to run errands. Special Parking Cards: These cards will either protect a player or hinder an opponent. There are 4 types o