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Cat's got the Monopoly! Fans vote to axe board game's iron token and replace it with a kitten in global Facebook poll

"Having a token with nine lives has to be some sort of advantage. Vote to add the cat." - This was the 'campaign' for fans to vote the cat in as a new token to play with - image © & sourced from the Monopoly Fb page

And the winner is .... Monopoly Cat lending itself to good causes - image sourced from pro.petfinder.com via Pinterest

Cat Diary or Cat Blog - either way here are the thoughts of 'Chaircat Meow' - image © & sourced from the Monopoly Fb page

'Dapper Cat' promoting the game - image © & sourced from the Monopoly Fb page

- First time in trading game's history that fans have had say on the tokens
- Vote attracted firms that tried to protect tokens that reflect their products
- Iron introduced with the first Parker Brothers iteration of the game in 1935

By Simon Tomlinson for Daily Mail | Mail Online | Published: 6th February 2013 | Updated: 6th February 2013

The humble cat has beaten off competition from robots, a guitar and a helicopter to become the newest token on the Monopoly board - but the iron is being axed. Millions of Monopoly fans worldwide voted on Facebook after the manufacturer launched its first public poll to choose which of the eight tokens to ditch, and what to replace it with. The iron, which has featured in the game since the 1930s, secured just 8 per cent of a vote and will now be removed. But the cat, regarded as a dead cert to win because of their huge popularity online, came top with 31 per cent of the poll.

Fanfare announcement of the new Cat token and availability of Monopoly on a variety of platforms - "Waiting for the purrfect way to play Monopoly on mobile? Now you can pass “GO” with the cat token on your iPod, iPhone or iPad!" - image © & sourced from the Monopoly Fb page

The new choice received mixed reviews, with Dillon Lane posting: 'What? The cat? I demand a recount!!!' But Eve Conolly wrote: 'Yay, down with ironing and hooray for kittens!' The new token is expected to make its debut in mid- to late 2013. Until then, fans can still buy games with the old tokens.

"Purr-fect addition: The newest Monopoly token, a cat, rests on a Boardwalk deed next to a die and houses after being voted in to the game by fans on Facebook" - image © of the AP, strapline as used in the article which appeared in the Daily Mail

The 'New Kid on the Block' settling in amongst the survivors! - "Go kitty! The cat joins the race car, Scottie dog, a shoe, thimble, top hat, wheelbarrow and battleship in the trading game" - image & strapline sourced from the article as it appeared in the Daily Mail

The results were revealed after the shoe, wheelbarrow and iron were neck-and-neck in the final hours of voting that sparked passionate efforts by fans to save their favorite tokens and businesses eager to capitalise on publicity surrounding pieces that represent their products. The pieces identify the players and have changed quite a lot since Parker Brothers bought the game from its original designer in 1935.

Announcing the winner - image sourced from & © of Hasbro with thanks

Rhode Island-based Hasbro announced the new piece Wednesday morning. Other pieces that contested for a spot on Monopoly included a robot, diamond ring, helicopter and guitar. Fans from more than 120 countries voted. 'We put five new tokens out for our fans to vote on and there were a lot of fans of the many different tokens, but I think there were a lot of cat lovers in the world that reached out and voted for the cat to be the new token for Monopoly,' said Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president for Hasbro gaming marketing.

The online contest to change the tokens was sparked by chatter on Facebook, where Monopoly has more than 10 million fans. 'The initiative was intended to ensure that a game created nearly eight decades ago remains relevant and engaging to fans today. 'Tokens are always a key part of the Monopoly game ... and our fans are very passionate about their tokens, about which token they use while they play,' Berkowitz said. Monopoly's iconic tokens originated when the niece of game creator Charles Darrow suggested using charms from her charm bracelet for tokens. The game is based on the streets of Atlantic City, N.J., and has sold more than 275 million units worldwide.

Origins of the game as shown in the Daily Mail article

To make the game relevant to fans abroad, the names are changed to well-known streets in when it is introduced to a new country. The eight tokens are an iron, racecar, Scottie dog, a shoe, thimble, top hat, wheelbarrow and battleship. Most of the pieces were introduced with the first Parker Brothers iteration of the game in 1935, and the Scottie dog and wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s. The social-media buzz created by the Save Your Token Campaign attracted numerous companies that pushed to protect specific tokens that reflect their products. That includes garden tool maker Ames True Temper Inc. of Camp Hill, Penn., that spoke out in favor of the wheelbarrow and created a series of online videos that support the tool and online shoe retailer Zappos which pushed to save the shoe, Berkowitz said. 'We've even had some companies like Jolly Time Pop Corn reach out and petition to have a popcorn token added to the game, even though that's not one of the new five tokens,' he said.

Versions of Monopoly with the new token will come out later this year (2013).

Monopoly Cat honouring National Cat Day

Created specifically to honour National Cats Day - image courtesy & © of the Monopoly Fb page

Launching the Monopoly Cat

A lot of thought and probably expense was put into this as the new bigger than life Monopoly Cat was revealed in London before completing his travels and arriving at his new 'forever' home at the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Monopoly Cat visits the Millennium Bridge

Two Icons - the Monopoly Cat and the London Underground signage (Oxford Circus I think)

Another London icon and landmark in Monopoly Cat's presence - Picadilly

Monopoly Cat's new 'forever' home in the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home - all images courtesy & © of the Monopoly Fb page

Monopoly Cat 'At Home'

Close-up of Monopoly Cats new livery

Monopoly Cat displays his new livery - image © of Battersea Cats and Dogs Home

"Battersea cats come in all shapes and sizes but in 130 years of caring for cats and kittens, this is the first time we have taken in a 6ft tall, fibreglass feline. Meet the Monopoly cat, given to us by board game maker Hasbro to mark a change on the Monopoly board which saw the iron token replaced by a cat. Now proudly standing guard outside Reception at our London centre the mammoth moggy is available for all our visitors to see." - Information Source : Battersea Cats & Dogs Home - Image Source : thedailyconstitutional.co.uk

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