Naperville’s very own Monopoly edition is ready for play.
Community members got a first look at the board at its launch on Thursday, where Mr. Monopoly himself welcomed visitors in.
Employees of the Naperville Pawn Shop pose for a photo with Mr. Monopoly on Nov. 12. The business is featured on the ‘Monopoly: Naperville Edition’ luxury tax square.
Classic board game with a local twist
Officials with Top Trumps USA, which creates the local editions in collaboration with Hasbro, said Naperville Monopoly follows the same rules as the original board game, but features 33 landmarks and traditions that make the city unique.
“You’re going to find a little bit of everything on this edition,” Lindsay Wallace, Top Trumps sales executive, said. “Between the bustling downtown, some of the great sites that Naperville has to offer, as well as the amazing businesses.
Naperville sites get the spotlight
One of those special sites is the DuPage Children’s Museum, where the launch was held.
“We were so excited because board games are a great example of how play brings together families across generations,” Cassie Coffey, the museum’s director of playful experiences, said.
She added that the game is a perfect example of the fun her own workplace aims to create.
“We were just really excited when the company approached us,” Coffey said. “We thought, what a wonderful opportunity to get on families’ game tables right when they come together to play this edition of Monopoly, they’re going to be reminded about DuPage Children’s Museum and all of the playful learning that we have to offer here at the museum.”
On Thursday, that play included photo opportunities with Monopoly-themed props, creating custom game tokens and designing draw cards.
Squares from ‘Monopoly: Naperville Edition’ are displayed at the game’s launch event Nov. 12. Representatives from each business on the board were encouraged to attend and bring their squares home with them.
Creating community conversation
Outside of businesses, players will also find spots like the Riverwalk and Centennial Beach alongside annual events like the Jaycees Last Fling and Turkey Trot.
Wallace said creating the game involved conversations with community members, who helped influence which aspects of the city were selected for the board.
“We rely heavily on the public’s submissions. We connect, and we hear a little bit about what they want to see on this edition,” Wallace said. “And we kind of build it from that way. We have had a great, immense support from the downtown Naperville as well as the visitor center to create this edition.”
First local Monopoly edition in Illinois
Naperville Monopoly is the first edition to be modeled after a community in Illinois, with Wallace noting this is also one of the smaller cities that Top Trumps has highlighted.
Other editions include major cities like Austin, Texas, Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, San Diego and St. Louis.
“We’re super happy to be in the suburbs,” Wallace said. “These editions act as such a community keepsake. And it’s just so fun to be able to come into these towns and create something so special for the community.”
Where to find it
The game retails for $39.99 and is available at some Naperville stores and online at Top Trumps USA’s website.
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