What Happened to the Thimble in Monopoly?

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Once upon a time, the Monopoly thimble was one of the most popular Monopoly tokens. Yet this metal finger protector is notably absent from new Monopoly sets…for now.

In this article, you’ll learn the fate of the Monopoly thimble. We’ll also discuss the meaning of the thimble in Monopoly, why it was included in the original lineup of tokens, and what happened to it in recent years.

Monopoly thimble

Is there a thimble in Monopoly?

The thimble has returned to games of Monopoly. It was replaced in 2017, but in a fan vote it has been voted back into the game to replace the T-Rex. It rejoined US versions of the game in late 2022 and worldwide versions of the game in Spring 2023.

Monopoly Thimble Timeline:

  • 1935 – Introduced as one of the original playing tokens
  • 2017 – Voted out of the game, replaced by the T-Rex, penguin, and rubber ducky
  • 2022 – Won the vote to return to Monopoly, replacing the T-Rex
  • 2023 – Returned to global Monopoly games

Here’s a Tweet from Hasbro on the day that the thimble lost its place as one of the Monopoly tokens…

And here’s a Tweet from a Monopoly fan on the happy day that the thimble returned to the game…

Why was the thimble replaced?

In January 2017, Monopoly manufacturer Hasbro decided to put the future of the Monopoly tokens in the hands of people on the internet. The company held a vote, asking fans to choose their favorites from a list of 64 old and new tokens.

The Monopoly Token Madness campaign attracted over 4.3 million votes from fans across more than 100 countries.

When the results were announced on March 19, 2017, it seemed the majority of Monopoly fans wanted to keep the original tokens rather than see the introduction of new pieces such as a kissy face emoji or a flip phone.

However, three of the original tokens – the thimble, the boot, and the wheelbarrow – didn’t attract quite enough votes to make the cut.

Monopoly thimble and hat
Photo credit: Philippa Warr

The least popular token was the wheelbarrow, with just 60,000 votes. The thimble was the second-least popular Monopoly token, with just 81,000 votes. The boot was also booted out with 83,000 votes.

The most popular token was the Monopoly dog, with 212,000 votes.

Many Monopoly players were not happy that the thimble, boot, and wheelbarrow were replaced. They argue that the T-Rex, penguin, and rubber ducky are irrelevant pieces that don’t have the same deep and historical meaning as the old tokens.

Here’s some of the feedback from thimble fans…

Why was there a thimble in Monopoly?

The original Monopoly tokens such as the thimble were introduced in 1935 when Parker Brothers bought the game rights.

Before this, no tokens were included in the game. Instead, players used items from around the home such as buttons, charms, and, quite probably, actual thimbles.

Thimbles were common household items in the 1930s when women regularly mended old clothing rather than buying new. As such, the thimble was a popular token, especially among female Monopoly players.

Thimble tokens in the early versions of Monopoly included the inscription “for a good girl”.

Old Monopoly Thimble
1956 Monopoly thimble with inscription
Photo credit: Steve Dobson

Monopoly thimble meaning

The original six Monopoly pieces were the thimble, iron, boot, top hat, battleship, and cannon. The thimble, iron, and boot represented the poor while the top hat, battleship, and cannon represented the rich.

The original Monopoly tokens have great historical significance, highlighting the impact of The Great Depression on capitalism, industrialism, and monopolism that allowed the wealthy few to influence the fates of the many poor.

The Monopoly thimble token was a symbol of the domesticity and humility of the poor.

When did the Thimble return to Monopoly?

In 2022, Hasbro held another public vote – this time to decide which of the existing 8 pieces would be replaced, and which token would replace it.

The T-Rex was voted out of the game, and the thimble won the vote to return. It was reinstated in US Monopoly games towards the end of 2022 and was introduced to worldwide Monopoly games in early 2023.

I’m glad the thimble is back. I don’t mind the T-Rex but I love the older games of Monopoly and so it’s good to see one of the OG tokens make its return.

Are old Monopoly thimble pieces worth anything?

Given that Monopoly thimble tokens were once discontinued, you might be wondering whether old Monopoly thimbles are worth any money to collectors.

Unfortunately, old Monopoly thimbles don’t hold value as millions of them still exist in old Monopoly games.

You can buy original Monopoly thimble tokens for $1 to $2 from eBay. Deluxe Edition 24K gold-plated Monopoly thimbles are worth $5 to $10.

And it’s unlikely that the now discontinued T-Rex playing pieces will be worth much either. Sure the token only existed for 5 years, but so many copies of Monopoly were sold in that time that it is hardly rare.

Maybe keep your T-Rex playing pieces safe for another 30 or so years, and maybe they’ll grow in value.

Final word

The thimble is one of the original Monopoly playing pieces and while it may have taken a 5-year hiatus, it looks like it is back to stay. At least for the foreseeable future.

So if you were wondering where your thimble is – you must have just bought a classic set between 2017 and 2022. If you go buy a new one now, you can enjoy the thimble once again.

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Jenni Fielding

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Monopoly Land - an unofficial fan site. She has been a huge fan of Monopoly and has been playing the game for over 30 years. She is a stickler for the rules and loves to find vintage Monopoly sets in second-hand shops.