50 things you didn't know about Monopoly

Monopoly's inventor, Charles Darrow

Charles Darrow of Philadelphia first developed the Monopoly game in 1933.

The original game was made from materials from Darrow's own home. A piece of oilcloth covered the board, and the cards were handwritten.

The original houses and hotels were made from wooden molding scraps.

The original Monopoly die-cast tokens were inspired by Darrow's nieces, who recommended metal charms from charm bracelets.

Parker Brothers began selling Monopoly in 1935

Monopoly inventor Charles Darrow first manufactured and sold the game in local Philadelphia department stores. The Monopoly board is based on Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Darrow attempted to sell Monopoly to Parker Brothers, but was initially rejected for "52 fundamental errors" that included the game's length, theme and complexity.

Following the local success of the game, Parker Brothers reconsidered its initial rejection and negotiated the rights to market the game.

Parker Brothers in the United States and Waddington's in the United Kingdom began manufacturing and selling Monopoly in 1935.

Within a year of the game's release in the United States, 35,000 copies of the game were being made each week.

Monopoly during WWII

Escape maps, compasses and files were inserted into Monopoly game boards smuggled into POW camps inside Germany during World War II. Real money for escapees was slipped into the packs of Monopoly money.

In the 1970s, a Braille edition of the game was created for the visually impaired.

In 1972, the commissioner of public works in Atlantic City threatened to change the names of the real Baltic and Mediterranean avenues, but public outcry vetoed the bill.

Hasbro is releasing the 80th anniversary edition in 2015

The original Monopoly game included 10 metal tokens, representing an iron, purse, lantern, race car, thimble, shoe, top hat, battleship, cannon and rocking horse.

The Monopoly 80th Anniversary Edition game, which was released this month, features one iconic token from each of the game's eight decades, including a bathtub, locomotive, money bag, cat, cannon, cavalry rider and the Monopoly World Championships trophy.

The brand's official birth date is March 19, 1935, when Parker Brothers acquired the rights for the game from Charles Darrow.

The original Monopoly game sold for about $2

The London version was the first licensed Monopoly game. To make the game relevant to British consumers, the names of the properties were changed to well-known streets in London. This is a practice that continues today whenever the game is introduced to a new country.

Currently, Monopoly is published in 47 languages and sold in 114 countries.

Monopoly is subtitled "The Fast-Dealing Property Trading Game."

Monopoly licensing

More than 300 licensed versions of the Monopoly game have been themed to topics such as sports teams and movies like "Despicable Me."

The Alex and Ani Monopoly Collection of jewelry features the most beloved tokens: the house, the car, the Scottie dog and the cat.

The McDonald's Monopoly game has been around for more than 20 years and is currently available in more than 10 countries.

The game has been played by characters in the movie "Zombieland" and TV series "Gossip Girl."

Game changers

In 2010, residents of Canada, Turkey, Russia, South Korea, Peru and Hong Kong voted to create updated versions of the game for their areas.

In 2011, the Monopoly Millionaire game upped the ante by changing the rules: The winner is now the first player to make $1 million.

In 2013's Monopoly "Save Your Token" campaign, fans voted to replace the iron token with a new cat token.

In 2014, the My Monopoly game allowed players to personalize their own game at home with their own photos.

Many compete in the Monopoly World Championships

The Monopoly World Championships have taken place in various cities around the world.

The first winner was Lee Bayrd from the United States, which was held in 1973 in Liberty, New York. The last time a U.S. player won the championships was in 1974.

The most recent winner was Bjorn Halvard Knappskog of Norway (pictured).

The most recent Monopoly World Championships were held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2009. This year, the tournament will be held in Macau.

The game goes digital

Monopoly was introduced for the iPhone in 2008.

Digital versions of the game are available for all major platforms and online through collaborations with licensees such as Ubisoft and EA.

In 2014, fans globally debated on Facebook which of their favorite “House Rules” should be added to the classic Monopoly game.

The “House Rules” added to the classic game included: Free Parking, Fast Cash, Dash for the Cash, Frozen Assets, See the Sights and Lucky Roller.

The official Monopoly Facebook page has more than 11.5 million fans.

Talking cash -- or Monopoly money

In 1978, the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog offered a chocolate version of the Monopoly game priced at $600.

In 1998, San Francisco jeweler Sidney Mobell created the most expensive Monopoly set in the world, valued at $2 million.

The total amount of money in a standard game is $20,580.

The property with the highest rent on the Monopoly board varies by region. In the United States, it is named Boardwalk after a street in Atlantic City. In Spain, it's named Paseo del Prado after a Madrid street, and Rue de la Paix is the name of the most coveted property space in France.

More Monopoly fun facts

Games of Monopoly have been played in unusual places, including ceilings, underground locations and aboard a U.S. nuclear submarine.

The longest game ever played on record lasted 70 straight days.

Tokens from the United States Monopoly: Here & Now Edition were flown into space aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2007.

In 2008, nearly 3,000 Monopoly fans around the world united to set the world record for the most people playing the game at the same time.