Since its first publication in 1935, but much more so over the last couple of decades, the Monopoly brand and game have proven to be one of the most versatile and willing to chase any trend or preference. Not only has it produced thousands of editions, with the largest single collection exceeding over 3,000 official versions, but the game has also diversified to different mediums and playing styles.
Now, continuing with the titanic board game’s stance of appealing to just about everyone, it’s announced that there will be a token change in 2023. Apparently, fans of the game happy to partake in online polls have found that the humble Thimble beats the mighty T-Rex.
T-Rex to go extinct from Monopoly games this year
You couldn’t have written a more David and Goliath story for this battle of Monopoly tokens, but as is fitting, David beats Goliath once again. The token change will mark the conclusion of a fan vote that took place over three weeks in April and May of last year. At the end of it, the classic Thimble token was voted as the most deserving of making a return.
Winning with a 30 per cent share of the votes to make a comeback, the Thimble was the clear winner. Mirrored was the emphatic loss of the T-Rex, which received 30 per cent of the vote to leave. From spring this year, the standard tokens included in new editions and reprints of the game will be the Rubber Ducky, Penguin, Top Hat, Scottie, Battleship, Hazel, Race Car, and Thimble.
Long-time players of the board game will note that the token line-up, even with the Thimble returning, is very different to those of ten years ago. The change has been gradual and regularly fan-driven, which continues to play into Monopoly’s winning strategy of ‘anything for the fans.’ It’s because of this that 2023 will see somewhat niche and peculiar editions for Ed Sheeran, Jimi Hendrix, Labyrinth, and Beetlejuice.
Embracing all opportunities for new games keeps Monopoly fresh
Monopoly hasn’t been shackled to the board game format, expanding the brand well beyond tokens and paper money into several different forms of gaming. With the rise of digital gaming, Monopoly became one of the earliest movers into the branded casino games space. As detailed in the comprehensive slot guide, Monopoly games are so numerous that they have their own category, and all are accompanied by Mr Monopoly himself.
Along with the official Monopoly games Mega Movers, Big Spin, Grand Hotel, Megaways, Mega Match, Utility Trails, On the Money, Hot Property, and probably some others with ‘Mega’ in the title, the brand’s also gone big to become live game shows. Monopoly Live and Monopoly Big Baller headline these innovative Monopoly creations. So powerful and alluring is the Monopoly brand that it can even succeed in the feared premium mobile gaming arena.
Invariably, people who play mobile games want to do so for free – at least, initially – because the standard for these games is often low, to say the least. Monopoly – Classic Board Game holds firm as the fourth-ranking among top paid game apps in the UK on Android and Apple devices. Of course, it’s joined on digital gaming platforms by 2021’s hit Monopoly Madness.
The creators have also been keen to innovate the core product when the opportunity presents itself. This has led to unique board gaming experiences, from premium boards to editions that tweak the formula, like Monopoly Avengers – which has you stack power and fight villains to determine the winner – or the One Ring-centric Lord of the Rings Edition. Anyone who’ll miss the T-Rex token could turn to the Jurassic Park Edition, which has a rampaging large tyrannosaurus rex token.
Who would have guessed that a Thimble would beat a T-Rex, but that’s what the fans have demanded, and as always, Monopoly has listened and changed its product once again to continue its eternal appeal.