Created to celebrate Monopoly’s 80th anniversary, 80 lucky French sets are now hidden amongst 30,000 80th anniversary edition boxes of the game covering the classic, junior, electronic and vintage editions of the ubiquitous family game. The operation to switch the notes was completed in secret in Creutzwald, the town in eastern France where the games are packaged together.
The top prize, present in only one set, has every game note replaced by real money, totalling 20,580 euros or 23,268 dollars. Ten additional sets include five 20-euro notes, two 50-euro notes and one 100-euro note for a total of 300 euros whereas 69 sets include five 10-euro notes and five 20-euro notes for a total of 200 euros.
The fiercely competitive game where players buy property on the board and collect rents from players landing on spaces is available in 43 languages and 111 countries across numerous editions. Digital versions are also available on popular smartphone and tablet platforms. Initially created to educate people after the Great Depression, it has caused tension and rivalry amongst the most sedate families for years.
Hasbro France’s brand manager Florence Gaillard said “We wanted to do something unique. When we asked our French customers, they told us they wanted to find real money in their Monopoly does.”
So that is what the company has done in a move that is sure to please many unexpecting purchasers of the game over the next few months.
It is possible to identify a box that contains real money though. The sets that contain the euros expand ever so slightly, causing the box top to look a little uneven. It is too minute to be easily noticeable though and the weight is identical to a normal set.
The prospect of real money could entice even more players than the brand already has to the product. Abuot 500,000 games are sold each year in France alone but it is played by millions worldwide, especially during family meetings. Only one problem can be found with the idea: if you have real money in the box, would you use it to play the game?
