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Orlando may land on Monopoly board
Could Walt Disney World, Church Street Station or International Drive be the new, coveted landmark on the board game? It's possible.
Amy L. Edwards | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 26, 2006
Atlantic City's Boardwalk won't be the priciest spot on the Monopoly block when a new game edition hits store shelves this summer.
Could Walt Disney World, Church Street Station or International Drive be the new, coveted landmark on the board game? It's possible.
Orlando is one of 22 American cities, including New York, Phoenix and Seattle, to be featured in the new Monopoly: The Here & Now Edition .
Hasbro, maker of Monopoly, is letting people vote online until May 12 for the top landmark to represent each city and where the property will be located -- high price or low rent. The city with the most votes will take the coveted priciest spot -- currently held by the blue-colored Boardwalk on the original game board.
Tracy Hogan, director of marketing for Hasbro games, said just as Atlantic City, N.J., was a popular tourist attraction in the 1930s when the game was created, so are the cities in the new version.
"We actually conducted a survey with Monopoly fans. . . . They told us the board should be filled with top travel destinations throughout the country," Hogan said.
As of Tuesday night, more than 73,000 votes had been cast for Orlando. Walt Disney World had 91 percent of those votes as the top landmark.
"We think the concept is great," said Danielle Courtenay, spokeswoman for the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It will be a lot of fun to see where it ends up."
Mayor cheers Orlando
Mayor Buddy Dyer said he's looking forward "to the day when 'Reading Railroad' makes a stop at Orlando's Church Street Station, International Drive or Walt Disney World. I encourage all residents to vote and leave Orlando's mark on the game of Monopoly."
The inclusion of the mostly shuttered Church Street Station as one of the three options for Orlando drew head-scratching from local tourism officials Tuesday. Hasbro had no answer why it was included.
Orlando is competing with other Southern cities, including Miami, Atlanta and New Orleans.
Tuesday night, Orlando had the most votes of any Southern city except New Orleans. And nationwide, only seven other cities had more votes.
Atlanta's choices of Peachtree Street, Centennial Olympic Park and Stone Mountain are a good representation of that metro area, said Mark Vaughan, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Vaughan said it will be interesting to see how Atlanta fares.
"There's 18 million people who pass through Atlanta every year from a tourist standpoint," he said. "They might give Atlanta a shot."
Railroads out, airports in
Other changes that will appear in the new edition include modern-day rents and contemporary game tokens. Railroads are being replaced by airports -- Los Angeles International, New York's John F. Kennedy International, Chicago's O'Hare and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson.
No word on whether the Chance cards will have a "Visit Shamu" or "See the Shuttle" selection, sending players around the board to the Orlando spot.
Could Walt Disney World, Church Street Station or International Drive be the new, coveted landmark on the board game? It's possible.
Amy L. Edwards | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 26, 2006
Atlantic City's Boardwalk won't be the priciest spot on the Monopoly block when a new game edition hits store shelves this summer.
Could Walt Disney World, Church Street Station or International Drive be the new, coveted landmark on the board game? It's possible.
Orlando is one of 22 American cities, including New York, Phoenix and Seattle, to be featured in the new Monopoly: The Here & Now Edition .
Hasbro, maker of Monopoly, is letting people vote online until May 12 for the top landmark to represent each city and where the property will be located -- high price or low rent. The city with the most votes will take the coveted priciest spot -- currently held by the blue-colored Boardwalk on the original game board.
Tracy Hogan, director of marketing for Hasbro games, said just as Atlantic City, N.J., was a popular tourist attraction in the 1930s when the game was created, so are the cities in the new version.
"We actually conducted a survey with Monopoly fans. . . . They told us the board should be filled with top travel destinations throughout the country," Hogan said.
As of Tuesday night, more than 73,000 votes had been cast for Orlando. Walt Disney World had 91 percent of those votes as the top landmark.
"We think the concept is great," said Danielle Courtenay, spokeswoman for the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It will be a lot of fun to see where it ends up."
Mayor cheers Orlando
Mayor Buddy Dyer said he's looking forward "to the day when 'Reading Railroad' makes a stop at Orlando's Church Street Station, International Drive or Walt Disney World. I encourage all residents to vote and leave Orlando's mark on the game of Monopoly."
The inclusion of the mostly shuttered Church Street Station as one of the three options for Orlando drew head-scratching from local tourism officials Tuesday. Hasbro had no answer why it was included.
Orlando is competing with other Southern cities, including Miami, Atlanta and New Orleans.
Tuesday night, Orlando had the most votes of any Southern city except New Orleans. And nationwide, only seven other cities had more votes.
Atlanta's choices of Peachtree Street, Centennial Olympic Park and Stone Mountain are a good representation of that metro area, said Mark Vaughan, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Vaughan said it will be interesting to see how Atlanta fares.
"There's 18 million people who pass through Atlanta every year from a tourist standpoint," he said. "They might give Atlanta a shot."
Railroads out, airports in
Other changes that will appear in the new edition include modern-day rents and contemporary game tokens. Railroads are being replaced by airports -- Los Angeles International, New York's John F. Kennedy International, Chicago's O'Hare and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson.
No word on whether the Chance cards will have a "Visit Shamu" or "See the Shuttle" selection, sending players around the board to the Orlando spot.
