Significance of Monopoly Pieces

Factual Questions
1

What is the significance of the Monopoly pieces? Is there any? How do they tie into the theme of the game? They seem so random.

In case you had no childhood and were deprived of this wonderful game, the pieces are: A wheelbarrow, a battleship, a horse with a rider, a car, a thimble, a cannon, an old style shoe, a Scottie dog, an iron, and a top hat. (A sack of money and a train have been added in newer editions.) The game was invented in 1934 by Charles Darrow of Germantown, Pennsylvania so imagine it somehow ties to that time period.

…and what is your favorite piece? I will refuse to play unless the car represents me. I’ll only visit my hotels at Park Place and the Boardwalk in luxury and style.

2

They were charms from a charm bracelet.

3

Here is Cecil’s answer to this question.

4

I remember playing Monopoly when I was a youngster (circa 1955) with my parents’ Monopoly set. It had generic colored wooden game pieces. According to Cecil’s linked column, these were produced during the WWII years.

5

But it’s signed “Ken.” Who’s that?

I’m usually the Scotty dog. I’ll also play with the shoe, if someone else calls the Scotty dog first.

6

Battleship for me.

7

I am ALWAYS the top hat.

8

I like the train and the pot of money actually, but if I have to go classic, I’ll take the Car or the Scotty Dog if i’m in the mood.

9

Not when you play against me, yer not!

10

It’s actually a Staff Report by Straight Dope Science Advisory Board member Ken, rather than a column by The Perfect Master. Cecil, I’m sure, would have added more of his own take on the matter.

11

I’m always the shoe and I kick other pieces off the board when I land on the same space as them. :smiley:

12

Cecil would have also insulted the person asking the question. That’s Cecil’s style. :cool:

13

Did they produce such sets for a while after WWII? I recall playing the game (and our game was purchased in the mid-1960s) with colored wooden pieces.

14

That wiki page mentioned that some Canadian editions used generic wooden tokens. I remember when I was young, some of my friends had Monopoly sets with the wooden pieces, but when I got my own set, it had the metal tokens.

15

Wooden pieces were used during WWII due to the shortage of pewter used to make the metal tokens. Some of the early sets made in the 30’s also had what are called composite pieces, besides some the the familiar pieces such as a shoe, car and cannon there was also a pink elephant and a bathtub. First versions Monopoly game also had a lantern piece, it had a small green marble inside of it that kids like to remove, this would break the token. It anyone knows where I could buy one, I would like that very much. I have every version of every token included in all US versions of Monopoly except the older style lantern. I have a broken lantern but the green marble is missing. I also have over 400 other tokens from various other versions of Monopoly and over 60 complete games. Last time I played a game a few months ago I used a 57 Chevy token.

16

No it wasn’t.

17

Is there a point to a post like that if you aren’t going to politely correct the information?

Basically, it seems that Elizabeth Magie invented it, though it wasn’t patented until Darrow did it.

You can read about it here:

History of Monopoly

:slight_smile:

18

I like to be the shirt button or sometimes the paper clip. If I’m last to choose and those are taken, I’ll settle for being the used stamp. I’d rather just not play than be the thumbtack, though.
Hey, just because you guys still have all the pieces that came with your sets doesn’t mean we all do.

19

I was always the doggy. In the gameset I grew up with, the battleship was lost before I was old enough to play. :frowning:

20

The set I grew up playing (60s) had been my father’s, and just had colored pawn-shaped pieces. I always assumed that he’d lost the metal tokens at some point and replaced them with parcheesi men…but from reading the Straight Dope on this subject, it sounds like we had one of the original 1935 editions. I bet it would be worth something…