10 New Monopoly Game Pieces for the Year 2017

Crocus Sativus, the saffron crocus, are pictured on October 20, 2015 in Ambares-et-Lagrave, near the southwestern city of Bordeaux. A couple of French farmers, Jean-Noel and Chantal Pelette, cultivate Crocus Sativus in Ambares-et-Lagrave, in a Bordeaux’s suburb. Saffron is derived from the dried stigma of the Crocus Sativus’ flower. AFP PHOTO / JEAN PIERRE MULLER (Photo credit should read JEAN-PIERRE MULLER/AFP/Getty Images)

Potted Plant

It’s interesting to me that most Monopoly game pieces (animals aside) are human-made items. Without considering the pets (which are closely tied to human lifestyles anyway) there’s no mention of nature in Monopoly, most likely because it’s at heart a game about industry, property, and capitalism. But hey, this is 2017, so why not brighten things up a bit in Monopoly with a nice potted plant? It really pulls the game together.

I would suggest one of two items for a potted plant game piece: either a humble ficus, the kind that everyone has in their houses and can recognize or, for the more daring, a freakin’ Venus Fly Trap. If we’re doing this, let’s just put it all on the line and throw a carnivorous plant into Monopoly, because nature is scary and weird and sometimes we all need to be reminded of that as we play a board game about banks and taxes and mortgages.