The next Monopoly game token to 'Pass GO!' and collect $200 will be... the cat! After a month of voting on Facebook, and an overwhelming response from fans and organisations from 185 countries around the world, the cat has been chosen and will become the newest addition to the classic game from Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS). The cat was able to scratch past the toy robot, guitar, helicopter and diamond ring in the Monopoly "Save Your Token" campaign by receiving 31% of the fan vote.
In the vote to decide which classic tokens would be 'saved' by fans, the Scottie dog was a clear early favourite, eventually securing 29% of the vote. Meanwhile, supporters of the iron, wheelbarrow and shoe campaigned vigorously to save their favourite tokens from a lifetime in jail and ensure it would remain in the game. After a very close race, fans weren't hot for the iron. With only 8% of the vote, the iconic token fell behind the wheelbarrow and the shoe and will be pressed out of service from the Monopoly game for good. Despite being an integral part of life when the token was added to the game in the 1930s, the iron has fallen out of favour with today's fans and will be retired from the game.
Hasbro will begin to replace the iron with the new cat token on the Monopoly production lines immediately, so those who want to continue to play with the iron and the seven other classic tokens have a limited time to pick up the existing version of the game. The new Monopoly game featuring the cat token will arrive on store shelves in mid- to late-2013.
"We know cat lovers around the world will be happy to welcome the new cat token into the Monopoly game," said Eric Nyman, senior vice-president and global brand leader for Hasbro Gaming. "While we're a bit sad to see the iron go, the cat token is a fantastic choice by the fans and we have no doubt it will become just as iconic as the original tokens."
Hasbro held the Monopoly "Save Your Token" campaign on Facebook from 9 January through 5 February 2013. Fans can visit Facebook.com/Monopoly to bid farewell to the iron and view additional Monopoly "Save Your Token" campaign content.
