Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
The cheapest way to buy Santa Barbara property now might be with Monopoly money.
Mr. Monopoly paid a visit to Santa Barbara City Hall on Tuesday wearing his signature top hat and black tuxedo and posed for photos with Mayor Randy Rowse and city council members.
The popular Hasbro board game is planning to pay homage to our small town with a new rendition of its classic game, “Monopoly: Santa Barbara Edition.”
The game will feature locally themed squares decided on by the community itself. The local edition will replace iconic properties on the board such as Boardwalk and Park Place with locally beloved destinations known to locals and visitors alike. Remaining true to the original Monopoly board, the new edition will include ‘Community Chest’ and ‘Chance’ playing cards that will be customized to Santa Barbara.
Board game manufacturer Top Trumps is spearheading the Santa Barbara version of Monopoly as part of a wider efforts to create customized, community-based editions of the game for the North American market.
“We aim to showcase Santa Barbara in all its glory, displaying all the local favorites and cherished places, from the Old Mission Santa Barbara to La Super-Rica Taqueria, to many other iconic landmarks,” said Top Trumps representative, Jennifer Tripsea. “We want to hear from the community which local favorites they would like to see represented. The edition will be everything you love from the traditional game infused with some of the places you recommend, so please write in!”
Until April 28, community members can voice which locations they would like to see featured on the board via the official Monopoly email at santabarbara@toptrumps.com.
The finished product is expected to be released at the end of November 2023.
Monopoly first hit shelves in 1935 with the Race car, Thimble, Boot, Top Hat, and Battleship among the original set of Monopoly tokens while the Scottie Dog and Wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s. According to Tripsea, Monopoly is the world’s favorite family game brand and is enjoyed by more than one billion players in 114 countries across the globe.
(courtesy photo)
Actually, the correct name of “Mr. Monopoly” is “Rich Uncle Pennybags”. Just to keep the record straight.
Instead of “Go to Jail” use “Go to State Street” cards. On a more serious (and aesthetically pleasing note) how about a square on the board for Elings Park. A treasure, for sure.
How about nobody goes to jail since SBPD has a “hiring problem”
Ironic that Monopoly was originally created to illustrate the negative aspects of monopolies, in that everyone loses save one player. Maybe it does pair well with Santa Barbara.
As a teenager, I used to play with a fellow who became a local real estate baron, and he always won. Ruthless. It’s a game that teaches you to be greedy.
What qualifies La Super Rica Taqueria to be identified as an “iconic landmark?” For consideration I’d start with old timers such as Stearns Wharf, Joe’s Cafe, Mission Linen, Granada & Arlington Theater’s, the Old Mission, Amtrak train station,
Great topic. I think Palminteri is the monopoly guy. Right?
Why?
Look at him.
Absolutely!!! And, then he could pitch sales of the game on his nightly news spots.
Ugh. From the soap opera to Western White House to Meghan & Harry. Not sure I like this combination. 😉
I’d love to know the brainstorming and planning that went into chosing SB! Will they use the name “Montecito” for a property?
It’s hard to buy and sell a wharf or mission. Maybe they’ll make some seaside business/utility. A chartering business.
And there have to be residential and hotel properties. Crocker Houses, maybe the dog house? Definitely properties on the Riviera and Cliff Dr. Cabrillo hotel blocks, Belmond/El Encanto, Miramar. First couple of blocks of State.
“You’re sure to have a great time playing any one of our new official City Monopoly Editions! Added to our line up in 2020, the Fast-Dealing Property Trading Game is fun for the whole family. Buy amazing sites, make the highest bids on each property, build houses and hotels, and become the richest citizen in cities like Cambridge, Brooklyn, or San Antonio…pick your favorite token and roll the dice! Check our website for updates and see where we land next!” https://toptrumps.us/pages/about-us
“Alameda Padre Serra”/”The American Riviera” (or whatever the correct tagline is) would work as a property name, as would “Cabrillo Blvd.” But they need cutesy names to be divided up into 3’s, right? It’s been a while since I played.
Oh, and “Coast Village Road,” as it is part of SB City. There’s the Montecito tie-in.
@ 6:27PM the Miramar is not in Santa Barbara.
For the true (and somewhat sordid) history of Monopoly, watch “Ruthless: Monopoly’s Secret History” on PBS’s American Experience.
Yes, Monopoly stole the game and messed over the inventor for decades. A very ugly picture. Don’t know why our mayor is making a fool of himself posing with a caricature of greed. But he doesn’t seem to have much else to do from what can be ascertained–just public ceremonial moments.
Half the board westside other eastside with 101 going through the middle.
There’s a square called “Butterfly Beach”. If you put a hotel on it, it collects no rent because it isn’t actually open.
Hahaha! Good one.
lol. Touche!
The best and most clever idea so far!
Santa Barbopoly already did this in 1984. I have one that I found in a dumpster decades ago. I am surprised there is no mention of this?
See for yourself!
https://monopoly.fandom.com/wiki/Santa_Barbopoly
I still have my Santa Barbopoly game in my garage somewhere.
Transportation Squares:
MTD
Amtrak
SB Trolley
BCycle
And for Monopoly monopoly utilities (sort of), you could have Cox Cable and Cottage Hospital.
Ty Warner house in front of the beach, San Ysidro Ranch, shoreline park, court house, Santa Barbara zoo, State Street, El Presidio, lotus land, Bellosguardo estate. Hotel savoy, Hill Carillon adobe, Hope House, hotel Virginia, Lobero theatre, The Sexton House, Stow house, Winchester adobe, Vera Cruz house,
Replace the current tokens with: 1) cluster of grapes, 2) surfboard, 3) tourist yacht, 4) seagull, 5) skateboard, 6) the Mission, 7) palm tree, 8) e-bike.
Don’t forget the weed token. Das can help with that…
Nope. Gotta have a dog token. I vote Chihuahua.
SBROBERT, it’s no coincidence that your game came out in 1984. According to the PBS show, in 1983, the Supreme Court refused to hear a Parker Brothers’ case against the creator of Anti-Monopoly, thereby allowing other companies to start making other versions of Monopoly, like Santa Barbopoly. College towns were popular, and because we had cats, we had Cat-Opoly.
What are they going to use for the cheap properties?
LUVADUCK – that’s a great question! I’m sure people would be pretty upset to have their neighborhood/street named as the cheap properties. Also, not sure there really are any “cheap” places to buy in SB!
Well, it won’t be cheap, but maybe there should be a requirement to put 5 Hotels or 500 Houses (apartments, really) on the triple wide space for the old Sears property?
Baltic and Mediterranean Avenue have to be Isla Vista and the East Side haha
How about Randy Rowse start cleaning up the addicts in the parks and addressing the gang problem like he promised in his campaign…. too busy getting photo ops.
This is unbelievably tone deaf and maddening while hundreds of tenants are being evicted because the greedy out-of-state (Chicago!!!) owners want to charge more. Rents in SB are ridiculous, disgusting, really, and here’s our mayor making an a$$ of himself with this stupidity. Infuriating. Hey Randy Rouse, how about you do something about AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR LOCALS???!!!
Ughhh. Mayor of a city with a CRIPPLING HOUSING CRISIS poses for a PR pic with Monopoly man, a game about predatory real estate practices. OH, THE IRONY. You cannot make this crap up!!! Perhaps they should put some of those EMPTY STOREFRONTS in this game, or some of Dario Pini’s moldy run down condemned rental units… or maybe all the DISPLACED renters that just got evicted by an out-of-state greedy landlord so he can charge more rent. Dispicable.
We need the batting cages and east beach tacos on there!
Cheap properties can be there housing authority complexes and mobile homes…. Or…heh heh dignity moves!
Where is his eye piece? And wasn’t Mr Penny Wise short and fat not tall and skinny?