Monopoly: Invention through Collaboration

Monopoly is the bestselling boardgame of all time. In this episode you’ll learn how Monopoly was invented. Until the truth came out, in the 1970s, we used to believe that a man named Charles Darrow created the game in 1934 in a burst of genius. But some dedicated sleuths discovered the real invention story. It’s a fascinating story about the power of collaboration and social networks. You’ll hear about the battle against Capitalism, the Supreme Court, Quakers, a political campaign—this story has it all! Monopoly emerged over a 30-year period, with creative contributions by hundreds of people. Each person contributed a small spark of creativity along the way. The story of Monopoly demonstrates the power of collaboration to drive creativity.

(0:00) The Myth

(00:26) Introduction

(00:51) The Success

(1:57) Anti-Monopoly

(4:49) Charles Darrow

(9:01) The Single Tax

(10:23) The Quakers

(13:39) Professors and Fraternities

(15:06) Atlantic City

(18:10) The Supreme Court

(20:02) The Collaborative Web

(23:55) Closer

(24:22) Outro

Copyright (c) 2024 Keith Sawyer

SOURCES:

• Keith Sawyer, Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration
• Ralph Anspach, The Billion Dollar Monopoly Swindle
• Philip Orbanes, Monopoly: The World’s Most Famous Game and How It Got that Way
• Mary Pilon, “How a fight over a boardgame monopolized an economist’s life." Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2009
• Gavin Edwards, "Overlooked no more: Lizzie Magie, the unknown inventor behind Monopoly." New York Times
• Tim Walsh, Timeless toys: Classic toys and the playmakers who created them

Music by license from Soundstripe (in order of appearance):

• "Miss Missy" by AFTERNOONZ
• "Uptown Lovers" by AFTERNOONZ
• "At The Get Down" by Matt Wigton
• "What's The Big Deal" by Ryan Saranich