Monopoly fans vote to turf iron piece and replace it with a cat

Monopoly has gone to the cats and dogs.

After an online competition among fans to decide which playing piece to phase out and which new token to start circulating past GO, the cat has won. A tiny metal cat with a stylish collar will come with the new Monopoly game for release later this year.

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Now, there had to be a victim in this situation. An unassuming household tool — the iron — will be thrown in jail forever on undisclosed charges. Its bribes aren't likely to work this time.

Hasbro, which owns Monopoly, said people in 185 countries voted to save their favourite Monopoly piece and pick a replacement for whichever classic token earned the fewest votes. The public relations strategy encouraged fans to launch campaigns for their beloved token using the hashtag #tokenvote.

The Scottie dog was the clear winner in the classic camp, earning 29 per cent of the vote. The iron's cool reception among fans meant someone in a Hasbro public relations office had a fun day writing every pun imaginable, including that "fans weren't hot for the iron," and it will be "pressed out of service." Wah-wah.

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However, Hasbro isn't done cashing in on the publicity yet. The campaign page tells monopoly-lovers to hurry out and buy the classic game before the iron disappears forever.