MONOPOLY®

In the 1960s, we always had a Monopoly game set up at our house in the summertime. Games would go on for days or even weeks. It made our house the place all the neighbor kids would come so they could (in varying combinations) play. Sometimes we would play for a few minutes or an hour, or, when it rained, all day, and then we'd stop and pick up where we left off later. It seemed like it could take forever to accumulate all the properties and build houses and hotels. But it was like our own little world that we controlled and we just loved it, even more than watching TV.

- Rosa, Fort Wayne, IN

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

My brother and I would play Monopoly until late and night/early in the morning. My mom didn't like the game because it never really ended.
We also had Monopoly for our computer and my brother would accuse it of cheating when he'd be losing.

- Tammy, Sacramento, CA

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

I have a lot of fond memories of playing Monopoly with family and friends. I remember my brother did NOT like to lose.

I taught it to my son when he was about 4r yrs old. He cried when he did not have Water Works AND Electric Company. I had to make a trade with him and than he was happy :)

- Beth, West Fargo, ND

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

Playing monopoly made me feel so grown-up. I imagined that this was what it felt like to be an adult; paying rent, buying houses; etc. I was especially thrilled when I was the banker...what a huge responsibility! It taught me to count money. We also had "house rules" regarding monopoly, specifically we put money from the Chance and Community Chest cards into the center and whoever landed on Free Parking got the money. It was like winning a lottery.

- Cheryl, Indianapolis

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

My older sister and I would play this game often and she always seemed to win without really trying. She talked me into playing by letting me be the "banker" and having the "dog" as my token.

Today, one could write a dissertation about the historical and social political representations of capitalism and land ownership represented. Back then, all I wanted was the railroads!

- Marni, Celina, Ohio

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.
 

My friends and I discovered Monopoly in West Englewood, NJ sometime between 1952 and 1955. Our games went on for days at a time, so we had to set up the board in a house where it wouldn't be disturbed.

- Jill, South Bend, IN

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012

I enjoyed playing this board game very much when I was a kid. It might have had some influence on me later in life, because in college I majored in Finance and Economics.

- Butch, Batesville, IN

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

Nothing was better on a hot summer day than to go down to the cool basement and play Monopoly. My sister and I would leave it set up for days on end and keep coming back to continue the game.

- Connie, Indianapolis

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

In the mid 90's my best friend Erica and I would play Monopoly for hours on end. We would play every weekend from the time we got to each other's house until it was time to go home the next day or even 2 days later. We would stay up all night. We became the Monopoly pros within our families. It became the weekend ritual. It was the best time. It was nice to be able to teach my teenage neice and nephew how to play just a few years ago because they never played before. Great memories!

- Jennifer, Indianapolis

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

In the mid-fifties, when I was in grade school, my friends and I spent a great deal of time playing monopoly. One game would stop and then resume for several days or even over a week, as we had to go to school, eat, sleep, etc. I still have my original game wood houses, not the cheap plastic of today!

- Maureen, Greenfield, IN

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

Any time there was a school vacation, we would play Monopoly - that was the only time we could stay up late enough time to finish a game. Sometimes it was in the ealy morning when we went to bed!! We thought it was so cool to actually play a complete game in one setting.

- Deb, Peru, IN

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

My friend, Bonnie, and I were Monopoly fiends. We would start a game and keep playing the same game for weeks in her room. I would go home and come back the next day and we would just pick up where we left off. I have many happy memories of playing Monopoly!

- Sue, Indianapolis

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

When I was growing up my brother and I would take turns every other weekend and spend with my grandma. So when it was my turn, her and I would spend Friday nights sitting at the table for hours and play monopoly. My grandma and I were close. And playing monopoly with her is probably my best child hood memory.

- Laura, Indianpolis

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

I once won a game where my only monopoly was the cheap purple properties of Mediterranean and Baltic avenues.

- Sanford, Westfield, IN

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

We would set this game up on a rainy day when we could not go outside to play. Many times we would continue to play the same game for days on end.

- Katheryn, Westfield, IN

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.

I was a Monopoly Maniac as a kid, and I was a ruthless player. I played to win, and I always did. I’m not a sore loser at all, but I ruled the Monopoly board when I played with family or friends. I don’t know what it is about that game, but it turns me into a competitive beast. I always loved to play with my uncle when he visited from Chicago. He’s pretty competitive, too, and the games got a little wild! We both were very good at strategy, and some games would last for hours. I remember games that lasted all day, and we’d stay up until Midnight to finish. I always won. He says he let me win because I was just a kid, and he didn’t want to hurt my feelings. I never believed him when he said he let me win because he was always pretty annoyed at losing.

The ONLY game I ever lost was to my friend’s son…who was eight years old. I was probably 24, and an eight year old beat me at Monopoly. That made a bit of a dent in my ego, but we played fair and square. I was in shock when it happened, but he was so excited. I congratulated him, and he ran off to tell his mom that he was the new Monopoly champ.

- Kris, Indianapolis

This story was submitted as part of the 100 Toys Project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Vote for your favorite and share a toy memory through Aug. 17, 2012.