Our final Pride Month post is from WS Game Company and includes a Gay NYC icon. WS Game Company has created a Monopoly version using Keith Haring’s life, art, and legacy to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pop Shop, which was opened by Keith Haring in 1986. So, this is really both a Pride Month story and a fine art in toys story.
What’s in the box?
Keith Haring Monopoly is the classic Monopoly game, but with Keith Haring-themed tokens and properties. The tokens represent some of Keith Haring’s iconic characters, including the baby, the skateboarder, the dog, the heart, the dancing figure, and the barking dog. The Monopoly properties run from Reading, Pennsylvania, where Haring was born, through his lasting legacy of Pop Shop (Tokyo and NY, representing Broadway and Park Place). The box itself is an art piece – with Keith Haring images on all sides, with a magnetic closure and a velvet-lined compartmentalized interior that holds everything in place between games. The Community Chest and Chance cards are Pop Shop and Heart cards in this version. Instead of railroads, there are subway stations. Even the Monopoly money has been Haringed.
How to play Keith Haring Monopoly
This is a standard Monopoly game. You roll the rainbow-pipped dice, and move your token around the board collecting properties, building houses (decorated with dancing figures) and hotels (boomboxes). The Gameplay Guide includes a 2-page biography of Keith Haring, and the instructions for how to play the game, which is the same as regular Monopoly.
TOP TIP: My favorite instruction page is the last one, which admonishes players to “PLAY IT RIGHT.” Monopoly has moved so far from its original purpose that people are usually shocked by how quickly the game goes when you play by the actual rules, which include immediately auctioning off properties that are not purchased by the first player to land on them.
How to win Keith Haring Monopoly
As with the original Monopoly, the game ends when every other player but one has gone bankrupt. If the bank runs out of money, it’s fine to “print” more by writing on pieces of paper, but once a player is out of money, that’s the end of the game for them.
TOP TIP: It’s fine to have house rules, but if someone insists on playing by the actual rules, you should do so. Playing any game by its actual rules lets you experience the game the way it was meant to be played. Plus, different houses may have different house rules, so having the instructions for actual play will minimize disputes.
Keith Haring Monopoly is designed for players who are 8 or older. The game is highly competitive, so maybe let the littles watch to learn or help out with the bank (passing out Go money or accepting and sorting fees and taxes), but be careful of the small pieces, especially the houses. There are six tokens, so up to six people can play. As with the original Monopoly, Keith Haring Monopoly is a really fun game, lively and challenging. Keith Haring Monopoly would make a great gift and looks beautiful as a display piece.
٭٭٭٭٭Highly recommended
I love how this Keith Haring edition turns familiar Monopoly elements into part of the artist’s visual world, from the character-inspired tokens to the subway stations and redesigned money.