Monopoly drops a Boulder edition
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Christopher Taylor, executive director of the Museum of Boulder, presents Monopoly: Boulder Edition with Mr. Monopoly. Photo: Mitchell Byars/Axios Boulder
Monopoly unveiled a Boulder version of the classic board game on Thursday, swapping Boardwalk and Park Place for local landmarks and quirks.
Why it matters: The game doubles as a love letter to Boulder's culture, scenery and, yes, weirdness.
- Plus, it will feel good to pay Boulder rent in fake money for once.
The latest: City officials, Hasbro representatives and even Mr. Monopoly himself rolled out the game at the Museum of Boulder.
- The board game is available for purchase at the Museum of Boulder for $43. It will also soon be on sale at local businesses featured in the game.
What's new: Instead of railroads and luxury taxes, Monopoly: Boulder is stacked with familiar landmarks like:
- Chautauqua and Boulder Creek.
- Restaurants like Japango and The Village.
- Institutions like the Boulder Theater and Boulder Bookstore.
- Chance and Community Chest cards include trips to Eldora, calling rangers about backyard bears, and Tube to Work Day.
- The board also features a plaid theme and photos of the Flatirons, the city and, of course, a prairie dog.
Yes, but: The classic pieces remain the same, so unfortunately you cannot cruise around the board with a Subaru or a moose.
Behind the scenes: Top Trumps USA announced plans to release a Boulder edition last year, after launching one for Colorado Springs.
- Top Trumps project manager Jennifer Tripsea said the company got lots of community feedback for spaces and cards.
- "It was absolutely fun, but also tough since there are only 22 property squares," Tripsea told us. "We wanted to make sure we represented a little bit of history, a little bit of food, the arts, and of course we want to include local scenery."
Zoom out: Top Trumps has come out with numerous regional versions of the game, including editions for Nashville, Tampa and Richmond.
What they're saying: "It's good to have something to celebrate," Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett told us.
- "When people are playing, we want them to feel like they're traveling around the city," Tripsea added.