10 New Monopoly Game Pieces for the Year 2017

Image via Rebekah Valentine, personal collection

Frying pan

While the more “home ec” items are gradually being weeded out from the Monopoly line-up, there’s something to be said for the humble frying pan and its magical ability to turn raw anything into delicious food. It’s perhaps the most iconic cooking item available, the simplest to use, and the one any budding chef has the most experience. Bonus: it can stand on its own as you move it around the board, unlike utensils such as the spoon.

The ideal Monopoly set embodies a broad spectrum of ideas, lifestyles, and items of significance. While the thimble’s purpose as a symbol of home crafts has evaporated, I think most people can agree on this: food is good. Food made at home by someone who knows what they are doing? Even better. And food shared with other people you like, followed up by a rousing game of Monopoly? The best.