Marvin Gardens

When I first landed on Marvin Gardens playing Monopoly, I wondered if it was the name of some fancy botanical garden in New York.  I have always thought that Monopoly was based on streets or avenues in New York City, but I am totally wrong.  The entire game is based on railroads, communities, streets, avenues, and utility companies in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

As it turns out, Marvin Gardens is really a housing community that has homes and gardens that have been immaculately maintained since the early 1920s and is clearly the most beautiful property on the Monopoly board.  I, on the other hand, would have guessed the best and prettiest property to be Park Place.  I also learned that Marvin Gardens is really spelled "Marven Gardens". 

Back in 1903, a lady by the name of Lizzie Magie created "The Landlord's Game" which was designed to demonstrate the economic ill effects on land monopolism.  Throughout the years, a patent was applied for and the game was hand-printed by college students and the spelling of Marven Gardens was accidentally changed.  But one very impartant thing remained, the Henry George theory of single taxation.  The story behind Lizzie Magie and "The Landlord's Game" and how Parker Brothers bought her out for $500.00 is rather controversial and the truth of how Parker Brothers came to purchase the rights to the game didn't evolve until 1976.  This story is a rather interesting read and somewhat makes my blood boil!

I don't get to play Monopoly very much due to my husband being so good at it!  Everyone we play Monopoly with ends up getting mad...me being included.  Over the years I have tried to watch what he does just in case he's pulling extra cash from the "bank" when he is the banker like his mother swears he does and I force myself to follow his decision-making skills on buying properties, motels and hotels.  I am just not able to catch him robbing the bank and I don't seem to have the same opportunities or luck when purchasing properties.   One of these days I might master Monopoly, but until then, I think I may just stick with physically visiting the places on the Monopoly board in real life rather than trying to snag them up before my husband does in the game of Monopoly!