We may never know why Vincent Van Gogh lost his ear, though here is a fine crime fiction on the subject, but who is to say it wasn’t after a row about Monopoly?
Our pals at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are the latest to join the Monopoly club.
With the release of their own Vincent board game for Christmas.
Becoming one of hundreds of Monopolys around the world.
With at the latest count, the game being licensed in 103 countries and printed in more than 37 languages.
The Van Gogh version substitutes the Great Man’s art for the traditional streets.
Just painting
While among the pieces naturally is a paint tube though perhaps tastefully no ear.
Monopoly for most of us is as much part of Christmas as Santa, who often brought it fir our stockings, and Christmas turkey.
But it was also brought out when friends came over, or relatives, from home or abroad.
And this was when it got really exciting to see the names of their streets and public transport.
O’Monopoly
So when my Irish relatives got their Dublin board out it had such names as O’Connell Street, Shrewsbury Street in Ballsbridge where I got to stay, and the Busaras on it.
It was very much a point of honour that your country had its own Monopoly.
It was a sign that you were not under the English yolk.
Although when you did get down to London when you were older you didn’t feel such a tourist as you ambled along the Strand, Pall Mall and Fleet Street.
Big Appley
Most spectacular of all was the New York edition where you could say you owned Broadway.
All us poor Scots had to dream of was buying Mayfair, Park Lane or Old Kent Road.
Until the manufacturers stumbled on the rather obvious idea of giving us all what we wanted.
McNopoly
And so we got Edinburgh, and the Royal Mile, Princes Street, the two football stadiums, Easter Road and Tynecastle Park and the rugby ground, Murrayfield.
Now, of course there are now football clubs, film and TV franchises Monopoly merchandise.
D’Ohpoly
In fact you name it and Monopoly have probably adapted it to your needs.
And so I have in my attic a Royal Caribbean cruise game as well as a Simpsons game.
From my travels in Europe and in Orlando.
Of course Monopoly, while having a deeply suspicious Property speculation message in its origins back in 1935, has really become a vehicle for imagination.
And discovering about foreign destinations…
By plane, ship, car… or my personal favourite, a wee Scottie dog.
