CHESTER Zoo will be available to buy for £400, as the top-ranking spot in the newly revealed MONOPOLY: Chester Edition.
The city’s most visited tourist attraction replaces ‘Mayfair’ from the game’s classic London original.
And Chester Zoo is in good company, as they are joined on the board by other leading Chester landmarks from the City Walls to Chester Cathedral, the market and Town Hall to Eastgate Clock. The game’s makers describe the board as “a celebration of everything Chester, from Roman times to present times.”
Chester Zoo also gets to land a double – it hosted today’s official launch (November 1, 2024). At the event, Mr. Monopoly rolled out a giant version of the board to dramatically mark the launch.
When it was announced earlier this year that Chester is ‘Passing GO,’ the public was invited to send in suggestions for landmarks and organisations to feature in the game.
In all, 30+ Chester landmarks and organisations are featured in the game.
The Lord Mayor of Chester, Councillor Razia Daniels – who was at the launch – said:
“It's a true honour for Chester to have its very own edition of Monopoly. This iconic game brings people together, and with our city's rich history and vibrant community, it's fitting to have our landmarks and charities featured.”
Jamie Christon, CEO of Chester Zoo, says: “To be featured on this incredibly special MONOPOLY: Chester Edition, dedicated to the wonderful city of Chester, is a real honour for Chester Zoo. It is a unique way to highlight our globally important wildlife charity and celebrate our connection to our local community. We hope this will inspire MONOPOLY players to learn more about the incredible species we care for and the crucial work we do to prevent extinction.”
Yasmin East, Custom Games Executive at Winning Moves UK, says: “We have been absolutely spoilt with choices when putting this MONOPOLY board together. We produce official MONOPOLY games based on places all over the world, including in recent years, Palm Beach, Dubai, Phuket and The Hamptons. Now Chester has joined the world’s MONOPOLY elite!”
The game is themed in sets from tourism to heritage, shopping to entertainment and more - all to reflect the history and vibrancy of the city.
Ms. East adds: “The board is a celebration of everything Chester from Roman times to present times.”
As there are not four main-line Chester train stations to replace the quartet of famous MONOPOLY train station spots, that part of the board has been handed over to a ‘City Gate’ theme. The collection of archways that appear are: Bridgegate, Newgate, Northgate and Watergate.
Alongside global conservation and education charity, Chester Zoo, several other charities get to be featured in the game, following a nominations process earlier in the year. These include The Hospice of the Good Shepherd and KidsBank.
In addition to the bespoke squares, the Chance and Community Chest cards are customised too. One Community Chest card rewards players with MONOPOLY money – as ‘compensation’ for being thrown out of the city for ‘being a Welshman entering Chester before sunrise’ (reputedly an age-old legend!). Whilst another card fines players for mistaking fog on the River Dee ... for a ghost.
Ms. East added: “The response from the public to the MONOPOLY: Chester Edition has been beyond our most optimistic expectations. We would like to thank everyone who suggested landmarks and the wording for the cards.”
Winning Moves UK, an official MONOPOLY maker, has produced the brand-new MONOPOLY: Chester Edition board game under license from Hasbro, a leading toy and game company.
The MONOPOLY: Chester Edition is available to purchase at Waterstones and WHSmith - as well as extensively online.
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