“Ruthless: Monopoly’s Secret History” celebrates America’s complicated relationship with its favorite board game, and gives credit to Lizzie Magie, one of the most creative and outspoken women of the early twentieth century. The fascinating origin story of America’s favorite game was brought to light. Supreme Court, where he would finally be vindicated. Ralph Anspach’s lonely crusade would take him to the brink of bankruptcy and all the way to the U.S. Parker Brothers managed to keep their secret for decades, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. The company then set out to monopolize Monopoly – acquiring and destroying old folk versions of the game. Parker Brothers then sought to buy off Lizzie Magie by promising to publish two of her other games. Patent Office granted Darrow a patent on his version of the game, even though the Landlord’s Game was clearly its progenitor. Goliath legal battle would consume Ralph’s life for over a decade.Īs Monopoly’s popularity exploded, Parker Brothers embarked on a frantic effort to cover up the fact that their best-selling game was, in fact, in the public domain. As part of his defense strategy, Ralph sought to prove that the Monopoly trademark was dubious and investigated the game’s early history before it was acquired by Parker Brothers. The object of the game is to own every piece. Players compete to acquire wealth through stylized economic activity involving the buying, renting, and trading of properties using play money, as players take turns moving around the board according to the roll of the dice. Monopoly is a board game published by Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro. General Mills, which now owned Parker Brothers, was not amused and sued Anspach, ordering that he cease and desist selling his game. For other uses, see Monopoly (disambiguation). The real story behind the creation of the game might never have come to light if it weren’t for the determination of an economics professor and impassioned anti-monopolist named Ralph Anspach.įed up with the OPEC oil cartels and gas shortages in the 1970s, Anspach created “Anti-Monopoly,” which retained the fun of the original game but made it clear that the monopolists were the bad guys. His game became a best-seller, Darrow became a wealthy man, and Parker Brothers was saved from bankruptcy. ![]() ![]() Chapter 1 | Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History
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