For the 80th anniversary of Monopoly’s first appearance in France, manufacturers are adding real Euros in lieu of traditional Monopoly money for at least for 80 lucky buyers.
According to The Guardian, 10 sets will contain five real 20-euro notes, two 50-euro notes and one 100-euro note. A lesser prize can be scooped in 69 sets, which will have five 10-euro notes and five 20-euro notes. As for the last one, that set will land the major jackpot, in which every game note is replaced by real money – for a total windfall of 20,580 euros ($23,268).
Florence Gaillard, brand manager at Hasbro France stated — regarding the use of real money — that, “We wanted to do something unique. When we asked our French customers, they told us they wanted to find real money in their Monopoly boxes.”
While the concept is nothing short of astounding, it was much easier said than done. The actual switching of the notes took place in in the small eastern town of Creutzwald, where the games are packed up before being shipped throughout France, and required complete secrecy. “First of all, it wasn’t easy to get the notes. They had to be escorted discreetly,” Gaillard explained. The discreet escort even included the assistance of a bailiff to count and re-count the real notes.
From the outside looking in, finding one of the 80 sets seems relatively easy, but this isn’t a Willy Wonka film. There are 500,000 sets sold each year in France alone. The 80 lucky sets are hidden within 30,000 boxes of different types of game – classic, junior, electronic and “vintage”.
Photographs: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images
–Jamaal Fisher (@jamaalfisher)
