As of February 6, 2015, the board game Monopoly is officially 80 years old. It's kind of hard to believe, but it really has been 80 years to-the-day that Parker Bros.' first edition of the game went on sale.
Since that day, millions of players from 103 countries have bought properties and charged rent — in 37 languages. But different languages aren't the only variant editions of Monopoly ever made. Aside from the "Here & Now" versions and localized editions, Parker Brothers has turned Monopoly into a huge empire by licensing the game to a huge assortment of franchises.
In honor of Monopoly's 80th birthday, here are eight of our favorites.
The Beatles Collector's Edition
Instead of real estate, The Beatle's Collector's Edition has you collecting all of the Beatles' albums. To pay for them, you use Love Money, named in honor of "All You Need Is Love." Each game piece (see below) is also based on a song.
Park Place & Boardwalk: Abbey Road Studios & Apple Studios
Game Pieces: Hammer, Octopus, Raccoon, Strawberry, Sun and Walrus
A Christmas Story
No Christmas is complete without at least one viewing of A Christmas Story, so why should a list of Monopoly games be any different?
Park Place & Boardwalk: Leg Lamp & BB Gun
Game Pieces: Bar Soap, Broken Glasses, Bunny Suit Ralphie, Family Car, "Fragile" Crate and Leg Lamp
Disney Theme Park Edition
This special edition is only available to buy at Disney's theme parks, and all of the properties are based on the most popular attractions from the various Disney parks around the world. Newer editions come with a giant, popup Cinderella's Castle situated right in the middle of the board.
Park Place & Boardwalk: "It's a Small World" & Matterhorn
Game Pieces: Astro Orbiter rocket, Haunted Mansion Doom Buggy, Mad Tea Party teacup, Locomotive Train, Monorail cab, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride car, Splash Mountain log and Tokyo DisneySea ship
.Com Edition
Remember the "Dot-Com Boom" of the late '90s? So does this game of Monopoly. Its optimistic view of the era is downright kitschy today, but its use of Internet startups that were hot at the time is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Those dotcoms were just so darn cute.
Park Place & Boardwalk: Excite@Home & Yahoo!
Game Pieces: Desktop Computer, Email Envelope, Flat Panel Monitor, Microchip, Mouse, Pixelated Arrow Cursor, Pointing Hand Cursor and Surfboard.
Indiana Jones Edition
A Walmart exclusive that comes in a game box that's an actual wooden crate. The quality of the tokens and the box are enough to make up for the inclusion of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull content alongside stuff from the other three movies.
Park Place & Boardwalk: Chauchilla Cemetery & Akator Temple
Game Pieces: Crystal Skull, Fedora, Grail Diary, Holy Grail, Mining Car and Whip
The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition
The publishers really went all-out on this one with a gorgeous game board and accessories that truly live up to the reputation of this classic video game franchise with impeccable attention to detail.
Park Place & Boardwalk: Hyrule Castle & Temple of Time
Game Pieces: Boomerang, Bow, Hookshot, Hylian Shield and Triforce. An exclusive gold Ocarina of Time token was included in the GameStop edition.
Mickey Mouse 75th Anniversary Edition
Fans of classic Disney gobbled this one up because every property space on the game board was a poster from a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon.
Park Place & Boardwalk: Fantasia & Steamboat Willie posters
Game Pieces: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto
National Parks Edition
Attention nature lovers: your official board game has arrived. It features facts and features from over 60 U.S. national parks.
Park Place & Boardwalk: Yosemite & Yellowstone
Game Pieces: Backpacker, Bear, Cannon, Canoe, Covered Wagon, Hiking Boot and Ranger Hat
