10 Fun Facts About Monopoly

Who patented 'The Landlord's Game', the precursor to Monopoly?

She wrote two rule sets, one rewarding shared wealth and one rewarding ruthless monopolies; only the second survived into the game we play.

Which line that actually served Atlantic City in the mid-1930s gave its name to a square on the US board?

It is now part of Norfolk Southern and CSX, and the board's 'Short Line' came from the local Shore Fast Line.

Which of these properties is one of the two least expensive to purchase on a standard US Monopoly board?

Both stood in what was then a low-income, African-American district of Atlantic City, and their squares were purple before Parker Brothers recoloured them brown.

How much money does each player typically start with in a standard game of Monopoly?

Localised editions use the same figure in their own currency, and the Speed Die variant raises the starting bank to 2,500.

In Monopoly, how many houses must be on each property of a colour group before a hotel can be built?

The houses go back to the bank when the hotel goes down, and a set holds only 32 of them, so hoarding houses can lock rivals out of building.

Under the official rules of Monopoly, what does a player get for landing on the 'Free Parking' space?

The jackpot version, where fines and taxes pile up in the middle of the board, is the best-known house rule in the game and stretches play for hours.

Which classic Monopoly token was voted out in 2013 and replaced by a cat?

The thimble, wheelbarrow and boot followed it out in 2017, giving way to a penguin, a Tyrannosaurus rex and a rubber duck.

Which square's name is a misspelling that Parker Brothers only apologised for in 1995?

The real neighbourhood outside Atlantic City is Marven Gardens, a contraction of Margate City and Ventnor City.

The game's mascot was renamed Mr. Monopoly in 1999. What had he been called until then?

He first turned up on Chance and Community Chest cards in 1936, and one account has him modelled on the financier J. P. Morgan.

In what year did Parker Brothers first commercially publish the game Monopoly?

Marketing began on 5 November that year, and a patent for the board design was issued to Charles Darrow on the last day of December.