Monopoly

So, I've never been a huge Monopoly fan, but I played more games of Monopoly this week than I ever have in my life (as I mentioned in my previous blog). When we were setting up a game one time, the inside of the box had all these interesting facts posted on the inside. Immeidiately, I decided they were blog-worthy.

--The creator of Monopoly was unemployed, but now I am sure that rakes in millions of dollars since over 250 million copies of the game have been sold worldwide.

--Monopoly was rejected in 1933 by Parker Brothers, but was picked up shortly after.

--The spaces on the board are taken from Atlantic City, New Jersey.

--The three most-landed-on properties are Illinois Avenue, “GO” and the B&O Railroad.

--Monopoly is licensed in 80 countries and published in 26 languages. It's even published in Braille.

--The character's names on the board: Mr. Monopoly is the name of the MONOPOLY® man, the character locked behind the bars is called Jake the Jailbird, and Officer Edgar Mallory sends him to jail.

--Craziest games according to this website:

--On a Train:
In 1967 while finishing off a $2 million train robbery, the trains hijackers played a game of Monopoly® with the stolen money.

--On a Ceiling:
Two University of Michigan students painted an 8 x 8 foot Monopoly® board on their dormitory ceiling and played the game using helium-filled balloons as tokens.

--In a Tree:
In Louisville, Kentucky, six teenagers played in shifts to set the first "treetop" Monopoly® record.

--Underground:
Seven Colorado teenagers dug a backyard cave and played the first recorded underground Monopoly® game.

--On a Mammoth Board:
One of the largest Monopoly® games was played on a board which was laid out on the streets and sidewalks at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Players cast huge foam dice from the third floor fire escape and they were informed of their moves via walkie-talkie and messengers on bicycles.

Think about how the creator was unemployed when he created the most popular board game of all time. That's encourgaing for anyone who has creative ideas and inventions in mind... Imagine if he had just given up and sat on his idea. That's why we should always explore our creative imaginations.

I was most surprised that this board game has been around for over 75 years, and it still is one of the most widely recognized and played board games, not just in this country, but worldwide. Everyone has played it, and either loves it or hates it. We have memories playing it with family members and friends, whether over a matter of hours or days.

For Monopoly stories, I remember Ang telling me about playing with her father. He talked her into a bad deal, which she accepted since she trusts her father, and then cried later when she realized the bad deal. That story makes me laugh.

Anyway, share any good Monopoly stories here. It's an incredible game.