There is an interesting story behind every toy and game. Sometimes the story is as entertaining as the toy itself. The invention of the world's best-selling board game, Monopoly, is just such an example.

The invention of Monopoly centres on Charles Darrow, an unemployed engineer from Pennsylvania. Dreaming of fame and fortune, he designed the game on an oilcloth that lay on his kitchen table. Darrow later presented his invention to Parker Brothers, the biggest board game manufacturer in the world. The company turned down the game, saying that it had "fifty-two fundamental design errors", was too complicated and would take too long to play. In 1935, after Darrow had some success in selling the game on his own, Parker Brothers reconsidered and bought the rights to Monopoly.

Since then, Monopoly has enjoyed tremendous success. It is sold in more than 80 countries, has been translated into 26 languages, and can even be found in braille. Over 200 million games have been sold and more than five billion little green houses have been "built" since 1935.