How the Monopoly boot – and the game’s inventor – were kicked to the curb

And the American public to boot

The Monopoly boot token supposedly symbolized the working class, pulling itself up by its bootstraps.

I was farting around with macro photography recently when I made a stunning discovery; my Monopoly boot has a hole in it!

I was editing a macro shot on my laptop and noticed what looked like a patched hole on the side of the tiny lead boot. It was toward the sole, less than 2 millimeters in diameter. Around the hole was a pattern of what appeared to be stitches, perhaps suggesting a crude patch job.

Naturally, I went online to research this. I found no direct mention of a patched hole in the boot, but in one article it said the designs of Monopoly tokens evolved over time.

The boot got the boot in 2017 along with Monopoly’s iconic thimble and wheelbarrow. Parker Brothers replaced the Depression-era themed pieces with, of all things, a t-rex, a penguin and a rubber ducky.

In my research I learned that the boot represented the working class. As did the wheelbarrow. The thimble stood for humility and domesticity. None of that surprised me. Other pieces, such as the top hat, represented the Gilded Era’s well-healed heels. In fact, the top hat, Scotty dog, and roadster were accessories linked to the game’s mascot — Mr. Monopoly.

Mr. Monopoly, AKA Milburn Pennybags, was based on Gilded Age financier and banker J.P. Morgan. (Here’s some more trivia for you: Morgan’s uncle, James Lord Pierpont, composed “Jingle Bells.”)

The thimble might also represent the woman who arguably invented Monopoly — only to be screwed out of her due. Around 1905, Elizabeth Maggie Phillips — more commonly known as Lizzy Maggie — invented The Landlord’s Game. Twenty-five years later, Charles Darrow “invented” Monopoly, borrowing generously from Lizzy’s design.

He made millions. Lizzy’s take? Parker Brothers threw her a bone, a paltry $500. I wouldn’t be surprised if they paid her in Monopoly money.

The whole scenario rings familiar as we find ourselves in another Gilded Age, complete with a pressing need for women’s suffrage.

PS: If you still have old Monopoly tokens laying around, keep them away from children and pets because some of them were made of lead. Which can cause brain damage — and the decline of civilization

Lizzy Maggie’s board game was strikingly similar to Monopoly. Or vice versa. Perhaps the game should have included a screw token.

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