Monopoly (game)

Identification Board game in which players buy, sell, and trade properties

Inventor Elizabeth Magie

Date Created in 1903; published by Parker Brothers in 1935

In 1935, when 20 percent of the American population was unemployed, Monopoly offered a welcome escape into a world in which players could get rich quickly and forget the reality of economic privation. Though the game was released during the Depression, more than one million copies were sold between 1935 and 1936.

Monopoly gained popularity during the Depression, but it had been patented in 1903 as the Landlord’s Game, created by Elizabeth Magie. It was designed to demonstrate the evils of property taxes and promote a single-tax system. Magie attempted to get it published twice: in 1909, with Parker Brothers, and in 1923, with Milton Bradley. Both companies rejected the game, finding it too complicated. Although neither company published her game, homemade copies of the game circulated around college campuses, and versions of the game were used as educational tools in college classrooms.

In 1932, one of the homemade versions was introduced to Charles B. Darrow, an unemployed repairman in Pennsylvania. The game that Darrow played was similar to the one eventually published by Parker Brothers. It featured Atlantic City street names, rectangular spaces, and Chance and Community Chest cards. Darrow soon created copies of the game himself, which he sold successfully to friends, relatives, and local residents. Darrow even included a Community Chest card that reflected Depression-era politics. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102, signed in 1933, became the card “We’re off the Gold Standard, Collect $50.00.” Darrow copyrighted his version in 1933, protecting the rules, layout, and appearance of the game. In 1934, he presented it to Parker Brothers, who rejected it. Darrow then ordered five hundred copies printed, which he sold himself at Wanamaker’s Department Store. The game was a huge success, and other department stores began to place orders with Darrow, including the high-profile toy store FAO Schwartz.

Robert Barton, head of Parker Brothers, watched the success of Darrow’s game in early 1935. During the Depression, Parker Brothers experienced a drastic drop in sales and had to fire many employees. In the hope that this game would revitalize the company, Barton met with Darrow in March, 1935, to gain the rights to the game. Barton was successful. Darrow signed a standard inventor’s contract, which stated that he was the sole creator of the game. However, when Barton sought to patent his game, his application was denied. The U.S. Patent Office uncovered Magie’s 1903 and 1924 patents for the Landlord’s Game, which was too similar to Monopoly, and therefore the latter could not be patented. Barton subsequently bought the patents from Magie for five hundred dollars. Parker Brothers began to distribute the game in 1935, selling one-quarter of a million copies. The company sold more than one million more the following year. The game was featured in magazines, on the radio, and in film.

Monopoly has not changed significantly since its publication in 1935. Players roll dice to move around the board and can buy property on which they land. If another player lands on a property that is already owned, she or he must pay the owner rent. If a player acquires all of the properties in a color group, she or he has a monopoly, which increases the value of the property and raises the rent. The goal of the game is to bankrupt the other players.

Impact

Monopoly remains a popular board game; it has sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Throughout its history, it has also been more than a game. During World War II, it was used to sneak maps, money, and supplies to Allied prisoners of war. After Monopoly was displayed as part of the American National Exposition in Moscow in 1959, the Soviet Union banned the game, claiming it was capitalistic propaganda. During the 1970’s, Monopoly was at the center of a landmark case, Anti-Monopoly, Inc. v. General Mills Fun Group. Parker Brothers claimed Ralph Anspach, creator of Anti-Monopoly, infringed upon the trademark for Monopoly. Citing a consumer poll, Anspach argued that “monopoly” was a generic word, not a brand name, because people did not associate it with the company. In 1985, the two parties settled in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Parker Brothers maintained control over Monopoly and Anti-Monopoly. This case set a precedent for the protection of other companies’ brand names, even if their identity was not associated with their product.

Bibliography

Anspach, Ralph. Monopolygate: During a David and Goliath Battle, the Inventor of the Anti-Monopoly‹¨« Game Uncovers the Secret History of Monopoly‹¨«. Philadelphia: Xlibris, 2007.

Orbanes, Philip. Monopoly: The World’s Most Famous Game—And How It Got That Way. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2006.