Monopoly Game Token Vote Goes to Social Media

Facebook users are voting on the next generation of game tokens. Will your favorite token survive? CREDIT: stock.xchng View full size image

Monopoly, the classic American board game created during the depths of the Great Depression, is getting an update with a uniquely 21st-century twist.

Facebook users have been invited to vote on which of the game's iconic tokens will be retired, and which new piece will replace it, USA Today reported.

The social media marketing gambit seems to be working: Monopoly now has almost as many Facebook fans (more than 10,211,000) as Madonna (about 10,727,000).

The vote to "Save Your Token" appeals to those with a favorite game piece, most of which have been around since the game's first edition in 1935. And people can get very passionate about the tiny tokens.

"You remember grabbing that token and that being your icon that represents you in the game," Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president of marketing for Monopoly maker Hasbro, told USA Today."That passes down from generation to generation. I see it with my kids today. I'm the race car, and they can't be the race car."

According to some online chatter, a few tokens are a shoo-in for surviving the vote. Scottie, the beloved dog token, will almost certainly be passing "Go" and collecting $200 for a long time, according to Time.com, "but the iron and wheelbarrow are definitely in trouble."

An equally rousing debate over the five new token candidates is taking place on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere. Hasbro is offering a cat, which is expected to do well in the online voting, which ends Feb. 5. A robot and helicopter are expected to appeal to kids, while a guitar and a diamond ring offer a certain flashy excitement.

This isn't the first time Monopoly has updated its tokens. Originally offered with simple wooden pegs, metal game pieces like a cannon, a horse, a purse and a lantern have all come and gone. Hasbro has used more than 20 tokens since the game was introduced, according to Time.com.

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