Monopoly iron hits a wrinkle; cat token sitting purrrty

Following up from a post last month, we can now report that the newest Monopoly token will be a cat figurine, and the iron game piece is getting junked.

The other tokens up for elimination included the car, the thimble, the boot, the Scottie dog, the battleship, the top hat and the wheelbarrow. The boot and the wheelbarrow, also near the bottom, made a narrow escape from the chopping block, while the Scottie dog was consistently the most popular.

Does it seem to you like a good idea to have a cat and a dog on the same game board? We’ll see how this works out.

Among the hopeful would-be newbies, a poll of NewsWorks readers suggested the cat was at a consistent advantage, neck-and-neck with the helicopter, with the robot (and its silly Uncle Moneybags moustache) in third place and the diamond ring and guitar far behind.

They accepted their loss gracefully. If this is anything like American Idol, it doesn’t matter who wins the competition; it’s frequently the also-rans who go on to achieve more fame and success. We’re holding out hope for all of them, of course. 

Early word has it that the iron is already enjoying retirement on The Island of Misfit Toys with erstwhile Monopoly comrades the lantern, the purse and the rocking horse.

And Hasbro is probably enjoying a shot in the arm as collectors rush out to Toys R Us to pick up the last remaining classic editions of the game.