![]() ![]() The articles acknowledged Lizzie’s involvement, but minimized her role. And her confusion turned to anger when she realized Parker Brothers mass produced Monopoly and gave Charles Darrow credit for inventing it, with no mention of Lizzie at all!Īs the reporters left amidst promises to tell Lizzie’s story, she assumed that she would be completely vindicated. Her delight turned to confusion when only a few copies were made. Lizzie shook her head with regret as she told the reporters how delighted she had been when Parker Brothers sent her a prototype of The Landlord’s Game. That’s when the representative appeared at her door. After the sale, Parker Brothers realized Monopoly was a version of The Landlord’s Game and became concerned Lizzie could challenge its right to the game. Charles then decided to sell the game as his own, and without explaining why, asked his friend for a written copy of the rules. Charles had discovered it at a friend’s house a few years earlier and enjoyed it so much his friend made him a copy. What Lizzie didn’t know was that Parker Brothers had already bought a version of her game from Charles Darrow. The Landlord’s Game circa 1906 (Wikimedia Commons courtesy of T. Since Lizzie’s main purpose for inventing the game was to spread the word about the dangers of monopolies, she happily sold the patents. He promised that it would be widely published, and also committed to produce an anti-monopolist version. ![]() The rep told Lizzie that Parker Brothers loved The Landlord’s Game and offered her $500 on the spot for her patents. When she was asked how Parker Brothers ended up with her game, Lizzie relived how they sent a representative to her home one day out of the blue. But the few official sets in circulation started a phenomenon, as people played it with friends, enjoyed it, and then made their own copy of the game. Her response: I tried! She and some friends started a game company, but they didn’t have the resources for mass production. ![]() The reporters asked Lizzie why she didn’t sell the game herself after getting her patent. There are regular fees for utilities, and the powerful can send you to jail or the poorhouse. The more they own, the higher the rent and ticket prices they can charge. Players compete to create monopolies in land and railroads. Lizzie reminded the reporters that board games were an exciting new idea in the early 1900s, so she set to work incorporating her monopoly lesson into an interactive game where the winner prevails by bankrupting everyone else. Lizzie’s 1904 patent for The Landlord’s Game (National Archives). ![]()
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