IN HONOR OF EARTH DAY, MONOPOLY GOES DIRECTLY TO NEW ENERGY

Recognizing that New Energy is where the world is going, Hasbro will replace the Water Works and Electric Company utility squares on the Monopoly game board with wind and solar energy suppliers in the newest version of its classic board game, MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition.

The new version will not be available until August but Hasbro made the announcement about the utilities change to coincide with Earth Day.

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Monopoly game gets on board with renewable energy utilities
April 21, 2008 (CBC News)

WHO
Hasbro Games, Charles Darrow, Parker Brothers

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WHAT
The newest edition of Monopoly, the classic board game, to be called Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition, will replace the traditional electic and water utilities with wind and solar energy services. It will also place 22 great world cities on the game board.

WHEN
- Available August 2008 but announced April 21 in honor of Earth Day
- The game was invented by Darrow in 1933-34 and launched in 1935.

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WHERE
- Hasbro is based in Pawtucket, R.I.
- Monopoly is sold in 103 countries.
- Now called “Number Nine,” Darrow's original version of Monopoly was based on the streets of Atlantic City, NJ.
- The cities on the new game board were chosen by a vote of fans around the world.

WHY
- 250 million copies of Monopoly have been sold.
- Monopoly Here & Now, The World Edition is a recognition by Hasbro, the game’s maker, of where the world is going.
- Water Works and Electric Company will be replaced by New Energy sources wind and solar power.
- 200 versions of Monopoly are available in 37 languages.

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QUOTES
- CBCNews: “[Hasbro] says the move recognizes the increasing importance of renewable energy sources around the world. Citing numbers from the World Wind Energy Association, it says wind energy generates more than one per cent of global electricity and is used in more than 70 countries.”
- Helen Martin, Global Brand Leader, Monopoly: “The final result of MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition voting may be just as surprising as the votes conducted in each country. It will be exciting to see how the vote will turn out…The game is sold in over 103 countries around the world and and available in 37 language versions…MONOPOLY is the only board game that can pull off something as ambitious as a global vote.”