Monopoly to replace a game piece
 

Monopoly set to replace one of its tokens, asking fans which piece to retire
Even the Depression-era game, it seems, is feeling the Recession-era pinch...and the urge to replace ‘staff.’ The new ‘Save Your Token’ campaign encourages fans of the iconic tokens to vote to save their favorites.

BY CHRISTINE ROBERTS / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Which ones will stay and which one will go? Monopoly is asking fans to vote on which of its eight iconic tokens should remain play and which new tokens should be put on board.

At nearly 80 years old, Monopoly is set to retire one of its eight classic tokens. And its up to fans to choose which ones will remain on the board to pass “GO.”

The Hasbro-owned game kicked off its “Save Your Token” campaign Wednesday, asking players to vote for the tokens they want to keep. The racecar, iron, Scottie dog, wheelbarrow, shoe, top hat, thimble and battleship are at all risk for the ax.

The iconic game piece with the least amount of votes will be sent to the slammer forever, with no “Get Out of Jail Free” card in sight. It will be replaced by one of Monopoly’s newly-proposed tokens: a toy robot, helicopter, cat, guitar or diamond ring.

Hasbro developed the new pieces in an attempt to modernize the Depression-era brand, said Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president of marketing for Hasbro Gaming.

"The tokens that are in the game today represent household items from the 1930s when the game was first introduced," Berkowitz told the Daily News. "We wanted to introduce a new token to the game that's more representative of today's Monopoly players."

Gerrick Johnson, a toy analyst for BMO Capital Markets, told USA Today that sales of board games have dropped dramatically in recent years as people turn to their smartphones and tablets for entertainment.

The toy robot, designed to look like Monopoly's Rich "Uncle" Pennybags, may replace one of the game's classic tokens.

“Newness always helps, and there has not been a lot of newness," Johnson said, adding that Monopoly “will be around for another 100 years” because it is so classic.

The beloved property-trading game dates back to the early 1900s, when it was patented by Charles Darrow and then sold to the Parker Brothers.
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The tokens were reportedly the brainchild of Darrow’s nieces, who suggested using charms from charm bracelets as game pieces. Six of the current pieces have been on the board since the game was released in 1935. The Scottie dog and wheelbarrow appeared in the 1950s.

Players have developed a serious sense of attachment to their tokens since the game hit store shelves.

“There's a love affair with the token that each player has settled on over time. It's very seldom that you see a player not care about what token represents them on the game board,” Monopoly expert Philip Orbanes told USA Today.

The Battleship is one of the classic Monopoly pieces facing the ax. Voters can make their opinions heard on Monopoly's Facebook page or on Twitter.

Predictably, a handful of fans on Facebook scoffed at the idea of a new game piece.
“(O)utrageous!!!sacrilegious!!! keep all the old tokens - forget the new. Some things should not be tampered with,” MaryLou Truszkowski wrote.
“Don't know why you would change anything about the most popular board game ever but if I had to choose on I guess it would be the Thimble," Darrin Tissandier added.
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Others, however, were a bit more enthusiastic about the change.
‎”Man's best friend" should stay (the Scottie dog)! And then bring on the "Girls best friend", the diamond ring!! :))” Bridgit Fiedler wrote.
Fans have up until Feb. 5 to vote for their tokens on either Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #tokenvote.
The first Monopoly game with the new game piece will be released this summer.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1236376

Get rid of the stupid shoe I say.

The proposed new pieces:

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/new-mo...game-piece.jpg

I always love being the thimble

that goddamned iron is ****ing worthless.

Iron, wheelbarrow or shoe, I think, can all easily go.

I've never had an edition that came with a battleship.

The iron is a dead man walking.

Nobody wants to be the iron. Ever. Hasbro knows this and this is nothing more than a PR stunt.

I hope shhhh rigs the vote and the racecar gets drummed. That's what Hasbro gets for being clever.

I've never seen anyone be the thimble.
I never realized the canon and horse were gone until I read it somewhere today

LMAO thats the one i want to axe.

I always played the battleship.

The wheelbarrow is finished. It's antiquated and peasant-ish, and it tips over all the time. Loser. Finished.

The robot and helicopter don't feel Gilded Age-ish enough for Monopoly. I say bring on the diamond ring.

im always the scottie dog

Save your token?

They jacked us. SUE

Hey, I like the wheelbarrow :huh:

**** the iron or the shoe.

I played monopoly one time with Pioli. He said boardwalk was too expensive and sold it to me for 30 bucks and marvin gardens.

I bet the Iron goes. The new token should be modern...

As long as the top hat stays, I'm good.

Thimble is for losers.

I always hated Monopoly. My dad always destroyed us when we would play by hording all the slum properties. Never had a desire to go back and play since I was a teenager.

We're getting soft. Hasbro pansies.

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Do not take away the Dog or the Car you basterds!

I played the covetous Jew.

I didn't realize that the man on horseback and the howitzer were gone.

I'm surprised that there isn't more hate for the hat. I always thought that it was the worst piece.

Hey, wait a minute....I'm the iron.....damn wheelbarrow needs to go

Anyone who doesn't pick being the dog is just stupid.

I'm going to have to re-think this.

Who wouldn't like the shoe? Its like walking through life.

It's more like a wore out boot from the 30s.

They better keep the hat and racecar. of the new one, the helicopter is cool

I always thought of the playing pieces as being representative of your "character"'s working-class days, and the blue-collar labor they were in before they started investing in buildings. The thimble was a tailor, the shoe was a cobbler, the hat was a milliner, the battleship was a seabee, and so on.

Beats me what the Scottie dog player was. Maybe a snooty divorcee living off her ex-husband's alimony, and carrying that hairy rat around in her purse.

The more things change.....

The iron sucks

That would have to be a huge purse. Maybe you're thinking of a Yorkie.

I always grab the Top Hat.
The new tokens look like shit.
Why not a nude token?

In honor of the times they should add the condom. SO a battleship is a common household item?

I'm glad I'm not the only one that always called dibs on being the banker...

_

I always win with the thimble.

You're either "man on horse" or you're last.

Iron sucks....followed by thimble.

From the new ones....keep 'copter or robot.

Why would anyone want to be the ring? (isnt that the "luxury tax" image on the board?)