Monopoly Junior
A simplified Monopoly for young children, first released in 1990.
Monopoly Junior is a children's version of the classic board game Monopoly, first released in 1990. Its board is smaller and rectangular, and instead of streets, the spaces feature child-friendly city attractions like a zoo, video game arcade, and pizzeria. Many different editions of the game exist.
Parker Brothers launched Monopoly Junior in 1990 for players ages five to eight. The original board was designed like a fair midway, with 16 amusements instead of the standard 28 properties. Players chose from four car tokens—a red roller coaster car, blue bumper car, green flume, or yellow carousel horse—and used colored ticket booths (the same pieces as hotels in the standard game) to mark ownership instead of title deeds. Gameplay followed the same basic rules: players rolled a single die (not two) and moved their token clockwise. Landing on an unowned amusement required buying it at the price shown on the board; players could not decline, and no auction was held. If a player lacked exact change, the banker (who also played) could make change. Amusements could not be upgraded with houses or hotels. Landing on an opponent’s amusement meant paying an entrance fee equal to the board’s value; landing on one of a same-colored pair owned by the same player required paying double. Play continued until only one player remained solvent, and the winner was the player with the most cash.
In 2013, the game was revised. The board shifted from a midway to a simplified city layout. Tokens changed to a green car, blue boat, orange cat, and black dog. Ticket booths were replaced with “sold signs” featuring cartoon versions of the tokens. The original $1, $2, $3, $4, and $5 notes were replaced with single-denomination “Monopoly money” notes, and prices used a currency glyph (an uppercase M with two horizontal bars) instead of dollar or pound signs. The board became more like the standard Monopoly board, renaming “Rest Rooms” (or “Café”) to “Jail” and “Uncle Pennybag’s Loose Change” to “Free Parking.” The four Railroad spaces, Fireworks, Water Show, and two Chance spaces were removed, shrinking the board from 32 spaces to 24.
The British version of the board uses different names for some spaces, mirroring the British Monopoly board: “Park Lane” instead of “Park Place,” and “Mayfair” instead of “Boardwalk.” Other British terms include “Candy Floss” for “Cotton Candy,” “Water C
- first_released
- 1990
- publisher
- Parker Brothers
- target_age
- five to eight
- original_board_theme
- fair's midway
- original_tokens
- red roller coaster car, blue bumper car, green flume, yellow carousel horse
- original_currency
- dollars ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5 notes)
Lore & Background
Parker Brothers began producing Monopoly Junior in 1990, explicitly marketed for players aged five to eight, with a simplified board and game play as compared to the standard Monopoly game. The Monopoly Junior board was based on a fair's midway, and featured 16 'amusements' rather than 28 properties. Players chose a car token in one of four colors (red roller coaster car, blue bumper car, green flume and yellow carousel horse), and used corresponding colored 'ticket booths' (hotel pieces from the standard Monopoly game) to denote ownership of the amusements in lieu of title deeds. The game play mechanics are the same as the standard game: players roll a die (a single die, rather than two dice) and move their token clockwise around the board the number of spaces corresponding to the rolled die.
In 2013, the game was revised with the board now based on a simplified version of a city rather than a midway. The player tokens were replaced with a green car, a blue boat, an orange cat, and a black dog. The ticket booths were replaced with 'sold signs', cardboard pieces featuring cartoon caricatures of the player tokens. The $1, $2, $3, $4 and $5 notes were replaced with single-denomination 'Monopoly money' notes, and the prices on the board were denoted with a Monopoly money currency glyph (an uppercase 'M' with two horizontal crossbars) instead of dollars or pounds. The board became more reminiscent of the standard Monopoly board, replacing the 'Rest Rooms' (or 'Café', depending on the version of the board) with 'Jail' and 'Uncle Pennybag's Loose Change' with 'Free Parking'. The four Railroad spaces, the Fireworks space, the Water Show and two Chance spaces were also eliminated, reducing the board size from 32 spaces to 24.
Several of the space names are changed to British English terms on the British version of the board: 'Candy Floss' instead of 'Cotton Candy', 'Water Chute' instead of 'Water Slide', 'Dodgems' instead of 'Bumper Cars', 'Big Wheel' instead of 'Ferris Wheel' and 'railways' instead of 'railroads'. Depending on the version of the board the Rest Rooms may be alternatively called the Café, and Uncle Pennybags may be alternatively called Mr. Monopoly.
Reader's Guide
Monopoly Junior serves as an entry point for young children into the world of board gaming, adapting the complex mechanics of Monopoly into a simpler, more accessible format. Its significance lies in its role as a teaching tool for basic economic concepts such as buying, renting, and managing money, all within a child-friendly theme of amusements rather than real estate. The game's legacy is evident in its numerous variations—over thirty have been released, including themed editions like Toy Story, Disney Princess, and Angry Birds—which kept the brand relevant across generations. The 2013 revision modernized the game, aligning it more closely with the classic Monopoly aesthetic while retaining simplified rules. By eliminating auctions, houses, and hotels, and using a single die, Monopoly Junior reduces game time and complexity, making it suitable for its target age group of five to eight. Its continued production and adaptation demonstrate its enduring appeal as a family game that introduces children to turn-based strategy and financial decision-making in a low-stakes environment.
Did You Know?
- The original 1990 Monopoly Junior board was based on a fair's midway and featured 16 amusements rather than 28 properties.
- In the 1990 version, players who landed on the Fireworks or Water Show had to place $2 on Mr. Monopoly's Loose Change.
- The 2013 revision replaced the original four car tokens with a green car, a blue boat, an orange cat, and a black dog.
- Over thirty variations of Monopoly Junior have been released, including a Despicable Me 2 edition that used a spinner instead of a die.
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