Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. But do stop to enjoy the live oaks, historic squares and southern charm.
The classic family board game Monopoly now has a Savannah edition, the first official, licensed version to feature a location in Georgia.
This may be your only chance to snap up real estate around the picturesque portside city. The property square for the Tybee Island lighthouse? Just $60 in the game’s “trolly ticket” currency. The elegant home of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low is a must-buy at $200. The iconic Forsyth Park fountain claims the title of spendiest spot in town (think Boardwalk) but is still a steal at $400.
James Devine, who owns the local River Street shops Bob’s Your Uncle & Fannie’s Your Aunt, plans to stock the game. He expects it to be a hot seller this holiday season.
“It’s more than just a T-shirt of Savannah,” Devine said. “You get to have fun playing games, especially when you get to buy properties.”
With the release earlier in November of “Monopoly: Savannah Edition,” the city joins about two dozen other U.S. places that have been memorialized by Top Trumps USA, a division of Winning Moves International. The game maker got the rights from Hasbro about three years ago to make official city versions of the board game.
Credit: Top Trumps USA
Credit: Top Trumps USA
Other companies have created knock-off local versions of the game, said Brooke Gorman, a Top Trumps USA partnerships manager. For years, Devine sold “Savannah-Opoly” until the game started showing up in big box stores. There’s also an “Atlanta-opoly,” “Decatur-opoly” and a University of Georgia-themed “Dawg-opoly.”
The creators of the licensed version carefully choose which locales to pay tribute to. Branson, Charleston, Lexington, Nashville and Richmond are among other tourist destinations and regional centers to get Mr. Monopoly’s official stamp of approval. The Savannah edition costs the same as the other local editions, about $45.
“We want to look for places that are honestly really unique and stand out,” said Gorman. “We look for places that have a lot of local pride, people who are proud to be from there, but also a lot of history.”
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Savannah — with its well-loved Waving Girl Statue, Bonaventure Cemetery and domed City Hall — more than delivered.
Instead of the Reading or Short Line railroads, the game’s travel squares are reserved for the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, a riverboat, trolley and a hearse tour. The Community Chest cards are customized, and the center of the board features photographs of the city’s scenery.
What hasn’t changed are the game pieces. They remain the same tokens familiar to longtime Monopoly fans such as Christine Cutlip, who co-owns the Savannah Seafood Shack, one of a few restaurants included on the new board. As a child, she always picked the iron as her lucky piece.
Cutlip recalls grueling days-long Monopoly slugfests with her family, stopping only to sleep and eat.
“My family got so intense we had to quit playing it because it was like a brawl, and we would ultimately start cheating and ganging up on people,” she said.
That’s why it’s so nostalgic to see her eatery, which opened in 2016 and is known for its shrimp and sausage Lowcountry boils, positioned between the Free Parking and the Chance squares.
“It’s truly an honor to be on the board with some of these names that are kind of the first things that people think of when they think of Savannah,” she said.
Gorman said the game-makers look for spots that resonate with locals to put on the board. While there’s opportunities for businesses to sponsor a square, she looks for unique places that deserve to be featured and will be around for years to come.
“These editions are going to last for ages. It’s the one time that we’re coming to Savannah. We don’t remake these games,” she said.
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