Monopoly Junior facts for kids
| Publisher(s) | Parker Brothers Waddingtons |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 to 4 |
| Setup time | < 5 minutes |
| Playing time | < 30 min |
| Random chance | High |
| Skill(s) required | Dice rolling counting |
Monopoly Junior is a fun and simpler version of the classic board game Monopoly. It was first released in 1990 and is made for younger players, usually aged 5 to 8. Instead of real street names, the game board features exciting places like a zoo, a video game arcade, and a pizzeria, making it more kid-friendly.
Contents
Playing Monopoly Junior
How to Play Monopoly Junior
Playing Monopoly Junior is easy! Here's how a typical game works:
- Starting the Game: The youngest player usually goes first. Each player gets some Monopoly money to start. The amount depends on how many people are playing: 20 for two players, 18 for three, or 16 for four.
- Your Turn: On your turn, you roll one die and move your game piece around the board.
- Buying Places: If you land on a place that no one owns, you must buy it from the bank. You pay the amount shown on the board and put a "sold" sign on it to show it's yours.
- Paying Rent: If you land on a place that another player owns, you have to pay them rent! The rent amount is also shown on the board. If a player owns both places of the same color, the rent you pay is doubled!
- Passing GO: Every time you land on or pass the "GO" space, you collect 2 Monopoly dollars from the bank.
- Chance Cards: If you land on a "Chance" space, you pick up the top card from the Chance pile and follow its instructions. These cards can give you money, make you move, or even send you to Jail!
- Free Parking and Just Visiting: Landing on "Free Parking" or "Just Visiting" doesn't do anything special – no rewards or penalties.
- Going to Jail: If you land on "Go To Jail," you move your piece straight to Jail. You don't pass "GO" or collect money. To get out, you can use a "Get Out of Jail Free" card or pay 1 Monopoly dollar at the start of your next turn.
Winning the Game
The game ends when a player runs out of money and can't pay rent, buy a property, or pay a fee from a Chance card. That player is "bankrupt." The player who has the most money left wins the game! If there's a tie in money, the player with the most properties wins.
Monopoly Junior Board Layouts
The Monopoly Junior board is smaller than the regular Monopoly board. Instead of streets, it has fun places like a Burger Joint, Pizza House, Candy Store, and even a Zoo! The money amounts on the board use a special "Monopoly money" symbol, which looks like an uppercase M with two lines through it.
The names of places on the board can be different depending on where you buy the game. For example, in the British version, "Park Place" is called "Park Lane," and "Boardwalk" is called "Mayfair."
Here are some examples of how the board layouts look:
| Free Parking | Video Game Arcade ¤3 |
Cinema ¤3 |
Chance | Toy Store ¤3 |
Pet Store ¤3 |
Go to Jail |
| Swimming Pool ¤2 |
|
Bowling Alley ¤4 |
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| Skate Park ¤2 |
Zoo ¤4 |
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| Chance | Chance | |||||
| Library ¤2 |
Park Place ¤5 |
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| Museum ¤2 |
Boardwalk ¤5 |
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| Jail/Just Visiting | Ice Cream Parlor ¤2 |
Candy Store ¤2 |
Chance | Pizza House ¤1 |
Burger Joint ¤1 |
Collect $2 salary as you pass GO  |
The original 1990 version of the board had different spaces, like a Balloon Stand, Puppet Show, and even a Haunted House! It also had "Railroad" spaces where you would roll the die again.
| Uncle Pennybag's Loose Change | Chance | Video Arcade $3 |
Haunted House $3 |
Chance | Blue Line Railroad (Roll Again) | Helicopter Ride $4 |
Pony Ride $4 |
Pay $2 to see the water show | Chance | Pay $3 To Take The Tramway To The Rest Rooms |
| Miniature Golf $3 |
MONOPOLY Junior | Bumper Cars $4 |
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| Water Slide $3 |
Ferris Wheel $4 |
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| Green Line Railroad (Roll Again) | Red Line Railroad (Roll Again) | |||||||||
| Paddle Boats $2 |
Loop The Loop $5 |
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| Merry-Go-Round $2 |
Roller Coaster $5 |
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| Rest Rooms | Chance | Pay $2 to see the fireworks | Magic Show $2 |
Puppet Show $2 |
Yellow Line Railroad (Roll Again) | Chance | Cotton Candy $1 |
Balloon Stand $1 |
Chance | Collect $2 allowance as you pass GO |
Monopoly Junior vs. Original Monopoly
Monopoly Junior is different from the regular Monopoly game in many ways, making it easier and faster to play.
| Monopoly | Monopoly Junior |
|---|---|
| Players start with $1,500 in various bills. | Players start with $16–20 (or $31 in the very first version). |
| The board has 40 spaces. | The board has 24 spaces (or 32 on the original board). |
| Players roll two dice. You can roll again if you get doubles, but three doubles in a row sends you to Jail. | Players roll one die. (On the original board, landing on a Railroad meant rolling again.) |
| Players collect $200 when passing or landing on GO. | Players collect $2 when passing or landing on GO. |
| Buying properties is optional. If you don't buy it, it goes up for auction. | Buying properties (or amusements) is required. There are no auctions. |
| You can build houses and hotels on properties. | You cannot build anything on properties or amusements. |
| Color groups have two or three properties. | Color groups always have two properties (or amusements). |
| Money comes in different bills ($1, $5, $10, etc.). | Most versions use only 1 Monopoly money bills. (The original game had $1, $2, $3, $4, and $5 bills.) |
| Ownership is shown with Title Deeds. | Ownership is shown with a "sold" sign on the board (or a ticket booth in the original game). |
| When you land on "Go To Jail," you go straight to Jail. | In the original game, landing on "Pay $3 To Take The Tramway To The Rest Rooms" meant paying $3 and moving to the Rest Rooms. |
| To get out of Jail, you can roll doubles, use a "Get Out of Jail Free" card, or pay $50. | To get out of Jail, you can use a "Get Out of Jail Free" card or pay $1 on your next turn. (In the original game, you were free to leave the Rest Rooms on your next turn.) |
| There are "Chance" and "Community Chest" cards. | All cards are "Chance" cards. |
| The game ends when one player makes everyone else go bankrupt. | The game ends when one player goes bankrupt. The winner is the player with the most money left. |
| You can borrow money by mortgaging properties. | You cannot borrow money in Monopoly Junior. |
| "Free Parking jackpot" is a common house rule, but not official. | In the original game, "Uncle Pennybag's Loose Change" was an official rule where you could collect money from the space. |
Different Versions of Monopoly Junior
Besides the standard game, many fun versions of Monopoly Junior have been released, often based on popular movies or themes. Some of these include:
- Travel Edition (1994)
- Deep Sea Adventure (2000)
- Dig 'N Dinos (2001)
- Toy Story (2001)
- Disney Princess (2004)
- Shrek 2 (2004)
- Lemonade (2005)
- Disney Channel (2007)
- Trek Alaska
- Despicable Me 2 (2013) - This version uses a spinner instead of a die and has figures from the movie.
- Finding Dory (2016)
- Peppa Pig (2020) - There are two versions, one with animal characters as properties and another with locations from Peppa's world.
