This weekend a new Monopoly Board hit the shelves, but unlike the original’s classic Atlantic City-inspired locations, this version hits even closer to home.
Last February, the entertainment group Top Trumps USA announced Monopoly: Queens Edition with a two-month kickoff period during which they would receive nominations for local businesses to be featured on the board. After thousands of nominations, and months of designing, Top Trumps unveiled the new board at Queens Center Mall Saturday.
The Queens board is the second borough to be featured in the Monopoly special editions list, following the release of the Brooklyn board in 2021. Top Trumps also announced the projected release of a Fort Lauderdale and a Detroit edition for later this year. After a busy year, there are now nearly 40 special edition U.S. city Monopoly boards.
Top Trumps’ game manager Tim Barney spoke with us about the board’s design, the process of selecting Queens locations, and what consumers can expect from future New York inspired boards.
What is the process for choosing a new special edition Monopoly city?
There’s quite a bit of research done in preparation for creating our list of cities each year. We seek beautiful places with a real sense of community. We choose places with local pride, great local businesses and organizations (e.g. restaurants, sports teams, schools, nonprofits, unique shops, museums, events & festivals, and more.), a vibrant culture, and a rich history.
What was unique about the process of creating the Queen’s board, as compared to other city-specific editions?
Every edition is unique. Queens is dissimilar to any area that’s come before or will come after and I think the locals would agree there’s nowhere else like it on Earth. I believe that uniqueness is successfully emulated through the look and feel of the board. We did our best to capture the essence of this great community by celebrating the places and things that are quintessentially Queens and really do call it their home.
How many location nominations did Top Trumps receive for the borough, and how were the final included locations selected?
We received thousands of submissions with so many amazing places that we really were spoiled for choice. It was a difficult process to try to decide which things represented each business type, neighborhood, etc. best, but those nominations really helped a lot. In addition to public response, we seek places with longevity, credibility, and community engagement.
Were there any specific challenges in producing this board?
The selections are always the toughest part because we want to fit in everyone but we will always leave someone out. With only a limited number of spots in the game and so much to choose from, you do the best you can.
What were some of the most creative and fun aspects of creating this board?
Translating the spirit of Queens into a visual space was exciting. In addition to that, we have an opportunity to do fun activities–like our big game launch and unveiling at Queens Center–around the city that the public can take part in to celebrate their favorite game that now celebrates the wonder of their own city.
Can we expect to see more NYC boroughs featured as special edition boards in the future, and what about outside the city?
Yes, on both fronts! We’re very excited about them. I can’t say when they’ll happen, but they’re on the horizon so go ahead and start thinking about what you’d like to see in them!
