Don’t call it “Monopoly money.”
Not in France, anyway.
As part of the 80th anniversary of Monopoly’s first appearance in France, Hasbro is issuing a handful of special sets in that country with real euros in place of the colorful paper it usually offers.
Of the 80 special sets, 69 will have five 10-euro notes and five 20-euro notes, another 10 will come with five 20-euro, two 50-euro and one 100-euro bills, and one set will have a complete bank drawer of real cash.
That’s 20,580 euros — or about $23,650 at current exchange rates — for whomever buys the lucky box.
CNN asked Hasbro whether a similar plan was in the works for the United States — where the game is also celebrating its 80th anniversary, at least under a corporate parent — but has yet to hear back.
Nevertheless, it’s a game that’s compiled a lot of big numbers (and quite a bit of cash) on its own. Consider these impressive facts courtesy of Hasbro:
– More than 275 million sets have been sold worldwide.
– Monopoly is available in 111 countries in 43 languages. (Many of those sets substitute local landmarks for the familiar Atlantic City street names.)
– San Francisco jeweler Sidney Mobell is responsible for the most expensive Monopoly set, a $2 million game with a golden board and diamond-studded dice.
– The longest game on record lasted for 70 days. That was on terra firma; Monopoly has also been played underwater and in a treehouse.
– There are 32 houses and 12 hotels in a standard Monopoly set.
– A Monopoly board has 40 spaces, including 28 properties. Yes, that includes the railroads.
– The lowest rent in Monopoly? Mediterranean Avenue with no houses (assuming its owner doesn’t also own Baltic Avenue). It’ll cost you $2 to land on it. The most expensive? Boardwalk with a hotel, worth a cool $2,000.
– In 2008, more than 3,000 people played the game at the same time, a record.
And not one of them overturned the board in disgust.