Grand Rapids Monopoly? HORRIBLE!

[RedRamage]

So apparently a new "Grand Rapids Monopoly" just came out. I know there has been at least one previous version, but that version is a bit dated so I was curious to see what the new one would be like. Short version: HORRIBLE.

Properties are:

Brown: Fish Ladder Park and Provin Trails. Okay, I can kinda see Fish Ladder. That's not super iconic, but it is definitely part of Grand Rapids and relatively well known. I've never even heard of Provin Trails before looking up. Looks interesting... un-improved trails. However, it certainly isn't iconic Grand Rapids. In fact, it's a Kent County Park that's outside of Grand Rapids city limits. Seems a very odd choice.

Lt. Blue: GR Public Museum, John Ball Zoo, (okay, liking where this is going) and Steelhead Trout. Um, what? A museum, a zoo, and... a fish? How are those grouped together?

Pink: Medical Mile, Lantern Festival, Wealthy Street. Huh? For non-Grand Rapidians, Medial Mile is a stretch where there's a bunch of hospitals and medical research and education things. It's well known, so yeah I like that. Wealthy street is okay... it's historic in terms of how long it's been in GR I guess and starting to be built back up, so okay, I can understand that. But then Lantern Festival? Again, the grouping makes no sense and Lantern Festival is really not an iconic Grand Rapids thing at all.

Orange: Schuler Books, Bridge Street Market, and Meijer. Eh... I mean, I guess? Schuler Books isn't like a major business or anything, but it is Grand Rapids in origin. Bridge Street Market is okay, and I understand Meijer, which is definitely GR based.

Red: Mr. Burger, Grand Rapids Popcorn, and Chili Dog. Eh... maybe? I mean I won't really consider Mr. Burger or GR Popcorn to be iconic businesses, but I suppose?? But then we tack on a food item? Again... what? I get the feeling that maybe they wanted this to be Yesterdog or something but Yesterdog didn't want to pay out??

Yellow: Downtown Grand Rapids, Amway Grand Plaza, Ford Airport. Again two of these make sense to me. Amway Grand Plaza is very iconic GR. It's the first real tall building that was built in GR. And of course the airport is a major thing. But "Downtown"? You have two notable building, and then a ill-defined area?

Green: Gun Lake Casino Resort, Art Prize, Cherry Street. -Facepalm- Okay so Gun Lake is well known, but... it's more than 20 minutes outside of Grand Rapids. Art Prize is very iconic GR, so that's okay. Cherry Street is like Wealthy Street. But again what heck is up with this grouping? A business well outside of GR limits, an event, and a semi-historic street?

Dk Blue: Grand River and the Blue Bridge. At least these are iconic GR. The city is named after the rapids that used to be here on the Grand River and the Blue Pedestrian Bridge is pretty well known. These seem odd choices to the most expensive properties and the grouping (one natural, one man made) is a little odd.

Utilities: Reeds Lake and Riverwalk Promenade. Reeds Lake is better known as part of East Grand Rapids (wealthy suburb of GR) but it's close enough that I'm okay with it. The Riverwalk Promenade is an okay inclusion... but again, odd pairing.

Railroads: (oh boy... hang on folks) Mountain Biking, Paddleboarding, The Rapid, and Fishing. What? Biking and Fishing... sure, that happens a lot in GR. So, outdoor activities is the theme? Paddleboarding... eh... I certainly haven't noticed much of that in GR, but... maybe I'm just missing it?? But then The Rapid... which is the name of our city bus service. How does that fit... like at all?

As a (nearly) life long Grand Rapidian this just feels like SUCH a miss! The old Grand Rapids Monopoly is, as I said, a bit dated now, but still SOOOO much more iconic Grand Rapids.

[RedRamage]

After a bit more looking, I found that there have been at least TWO previous version. The version I have is this one:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/32036/monopoly-grand-rapids-edition/images

I feel like this did a pretty good job of being Iconic Grand Rapids.

Then there's this version:

I can only find a eBay listing with more details (https://www.ebay.com/itm/205447113823). This is obviously not a Hasbro licensed version but a knock off. It feels like it was made by someone who googled things about Grand Rapids, but at least they did a better job of putting like-things together from what I can tell.

[chasfh]

Honestly, I’m surprised there’s any money at all in making a Monopoly version for the 128th largest city in the country.

[Deleterious]

Those games make money before they produce a single game.  They sell the board spaces to local businesses.  

Quote

• Premium publisher games: Manufacturers like Top Trumps USA create city-specific versions of the game. For these higher-end versions, securing a spot is significantly more expensive. In 2021, for a game in Palm Springs, California, packages ranged from a $21,000 "Bronze" sponsorship for a single board square to a $60,000 "Gold" package, which included the square, a Community Chest card, and multiple placements on the box and board montage.
• Multi-year sponsorships: For premium games, the quoted prices may cover a multi-year sponsorship deal rather than a single print run. For instance, the high-end packages offered by Top Trumps USA were based on a three-year term.
• Other advertising options: Beyond the traditional property spaces, publishers often sell other, less expensive advertising spots. These can include:
  • Game money: Many companies offer ad spaces on the game's custom currency, though ads on money are typically printed in black ink.
  • Sponsor list: In the center of some game boards, there is a list of smaller text ads. These "Sponsor List Ads" generally cost between $40 and $75.
  • Cards: For some games, advertisers can also sponsor custom "Opoly Cards" or the backs of deed cards.