SMART NEWS

Monopoly Fans Have Spoken: Cats Are In, Irons Are Out

As Hasbro welcomes the sleek, new silver kitty, it bids farewell to the age-old iron

February 6, 2013

Cat lovers exerted their dominance over the Monopoly board, voting in a new feline token as the latest addition to the game. But as Hasbro welcomes the sleek silver kitty, it bids farewell to the age-old iron. In an online vote, the fans have spoken: irons are no fun, and cats rule. (And really, what did we expect from an online poll that listed “cat” as an option?)

The company announced last month that there would be a switch, but the process culminated today in the announcement of the winner and loser. As Smithsonian reported here:

Hasbro said they decided to make the change in an effort to “freshen up” the brand and create a sense of newness. The company chose the five new potential pieces by honing in on conversations and suggestions from their 10 million Facebook followers.

USA TODAY reports on the voting results in regards to the poor iron, which relatively few supported:

The token, a staple of the Hasbro board game since the 1930s, is being retired after only garnering 8% of fan votes in a “Save Your Token” campaign. The Scottie dog was the clear choice for fans and game players from 185 countries, getting 29% of the vote.

The iron, however, was not alone. The hat and wheelbarrow weren’t favorites, either, and were close contenders for being voted off the game. Each had about 7 percent of fan votes. But a tool company in Pennsylvania rallied and launched a YouTube campaign to save the wheelbarrow. In the end, people apparently just don’t like ironing that much.

As for the cat, it unsurprisingly monopolized fan votes:

The feline piece conquered its own competition in a separate vote on the Monopoly Facebook page, winning over four other proposed tokens — a toy robot, guitar, helicopter and diamond ring — with 31%.

BetaBeat interprets the winning results:

Though it’s sad to bid adieu to a classic Monopoly token, the introduction of the cat is a wonderful acknowledgment that cats are the most glorious creatures to ever walk this fine planet.

A limited edition Monopoly “Golden Token” set, which includes the iron and the cat, will hit Target store shelves this summer for $17.99, giving Hasbro the chance to turn a quick profit and fans the opportunity to let the old tokens mingle with the new before the clunky iron is phased out for good.