Women hold just 10% of all patented inventions.
May 8, 2020 11:43 AM Subscribe
That is WILD.
posted by Grandysaur at 11:46 AM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by Grandysaur at 11:46 AM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
This scrolled by my twitter and wow, just wow. I'm still saying wow and it's been about 30 minutes since I watched it.
posted by Fizz at 11:50 AM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Fizz at 11:50 AM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
What the -- and I can't emphasize this enough -- FUCK?
posted by Mogur at 11:51 AM on May 8, 2020 [66 favorites]
posted by Mogur at 11:51 AM on May 8, 2020 [66 favorites]
This is perfect because it's so well done that it's extremely funny even if it's fake
posted by theodolite at 11:52 AM on May 8, 2020 [15 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 11:52 AM on May 8, 2020 [15 favorites]
What's amazing to contemplate, is that you know this had to have been approved by dozens of men in suits.
posted by Fizz at 11:52 AM on May 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 11:52 AM on May 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
I will say that it significantly increased my brand awareness.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:53 AM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 11:53 AM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
are you fucking kidding me
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 11:54 AM on May 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 11:54 AM on May 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
It's not fake, although the full ad goes on to show the boxes the girls receive are filled with $20,000, which takes a little of the WTF out.
posted by LeDiva at 11:55 AM on May 8, 2020 [27 favorites]
posted by LeDiva at 11:55 AM on May 8, 2020 [27 favorites]
I really hope this is fake
posted by supermedusa at 11:56 AM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by supermedusa at 11:56 AM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
This ad is actually hosted on Hasbro’s YouTube page , in case anybody was thinking it’s a spoof
posted by KGMoney at 11:59 AM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by KGMoney at 11:59 AM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Ok earlier today I saw the advertised product and I was like "this has to be fake" and obviously did not link it to this video while i was watching till the end and I was like WTF THIS HAS GOT TO BE FAKE. And now I'm full on le sigh...
posted by xtine at 12:02 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by xtine at 12:02 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
I like how the original version of the thing was invented by a woman, but apparently there needs to be a version for girls? Per the wikipedia article on the thing, maybe it's more nuanced than that, but, hmm. Yeah. I think I'm not impressed.
posted by surlyben at 12:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [19 favorites]
posted by surlyben at 12:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [19 favorites]
MetaFilter: I really hope this is fake
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [6 favorites]
I actually exclaimed "What... WHAT?" when I got to the end of that ad. Amazing.
posted by k8lin at 12:14 PM on May 8, 2020
posted by k8lin at 12:14 PM on May 8, 2020
I was just fixated on the fact that Ava seems to think women weren't inventing things "in the old days". You say that kind of shit and people believe it.
posted by bleep at 12:14 PM on May 8, 2020 [26 favorites]
posted by bleep at 12:14 PM on May 8, 2020 [26 favorites]
A real pity that this links to a version of the film that was (deliberately) cut before the actual point is made. Here is the full version.
posted by senor biggles at 12:16 PM on May 8, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by senor biggles at 12:16 PM on May 8, 2020 [12 favorites]
The Misplaced Feminism of Ms.Monopoly
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:17 PM on May 8, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:17 PM on May 8, 2020 [9 favorites]
I was ready for all sorts of awful possibilities that would have made me really upset. But this? WTAF?!? How could anyone have thought that was a good idea?
posted by Mchelly at 12:18 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 12:18 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
OMG. I'm watching this beautifully produced ad, getting into the notion that they're promoting women in STEM, and then the reveal: all gone.
I want to hear the folks behind this ad explain how the young women benefited.
I want to hear the young women in this ad's side of this.
posted by grimjeer at 12:24 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
I want to hear the young women in this ad's side of this.
posted by grimjeer at 12:24 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Seeing the full ad doesn't help.
posted by fnerg at 12:29 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by fnerg at 12:29 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
Could somebody please summarize what y'all are responding to?
posted by Rash at 12:31 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Rash at 12:31 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
It's not fake, although the full ad goes on to show the boxes the girls receive are filled with $20,000, which takes a little of the WTF out.
Arguably, this takes a lot of the WTF out of this fiasco of a campaign, though the ad director should probably be given a pretty stern talking to for not realizing that this would happen and that the tonal shift is absolutely egregious. Unfortunately, the clipped version of the ad is now going to surely get politicized. Everyone who mocks it will be chastised not for critiquing style but for critiquing the notion that a company might do something nice, and Tucker Carlson will run a segment about mean liberals hating corporate America right after his segment on Tonight We Riot and around and around we’ll go.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:32 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
Arguably, this takes a lot of the WTF out of this fiasco of a campaign, though the ad director should probably be given a pretty stern talking to for not realizing that this would happen and that the tonal shift is absolutely egregious. Unfortunately, the clipped version of the ad is now going to surely get politicized. Everyone who mocks it will be chastised not for critiquing style but for critiquing the notion that a company might do something nice, and Tucker Carlson will run a segment about mean liberals hating corporate America right after his segment on Tonight We Riot and around and around we’ll go.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:32 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
"Could somebody please summarize what y'all are responding to?"
It's a two minute long video in a twitter post.
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:34 PM on May 8, 2020 [25 favorites]
It's a two minute long video in a twitter post.
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:34 PM on May 8, 2020 [25 favorites]
Elizabeth Magie would be so proud.
posted by Chuffy at 12:35 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Chuffy at 12:35 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Could somebody please summarize what y'all are responding to?
It starts out as a heartwarming little film about teen girls talking about the importance of innovation and invention, and how there are more opportunities for women than ever, and what they're personally working on, like Ava is working on a process that identifies artificial ingredients in food and such. Very nice, very wholesome. Then it cuts to the reveal, the girls in the video were gifted boxes containing....... Ms. Monopoly, as if to say it's a hugely impactful development that's going to make a big difference (and apparently a bunch of cash).
posted by bleep at 12:46 PM on May 8, 2020 [9 favorites]
It starts out as a heartwarming little film about teen girls talking about the importance of innovation and invention, and how there are more opportunities for women than ever, and what they're personally working on, like Ava is working on a process that identifies artificial ingredients in food and such. Very nice, very wholesome. Then it cuts to the reveal, the girls in the video were gifted boxes containing....... Ms. Monopoly, as if to say it's a hugely impactful development that's going to make a big difference (and apparently a bunch of cash).
posted by bleep at 12:46 PM on May 8, 2020 [9 favorites]
how to make a feminist Monopoly game (apparently):
step 1: change the metaphor from immiserating others and enriching yourself through rent seeking with properties to immiserating others and enriching yourself through rent seeking with women's inventions.
there is no step 2.
posted by Reyturner at 12:47 PM on May 8, 2020 [16 favorites]
step 1: change the metaphor from immiserating others and enriching yourself through rent seeking with properties to immiserating others and enriching yourself through rent seeking with women's inventions.
there is no step 2.
posted by Reyturner at 12:47 PM on May 8, 2020 [16 favorites]
Time is a flat circle.
When I was young, I thought I hated feminism. I understood "The Feminists" to be the one who came out with games like Ms. Monopoly (how proud do you think they are that they selected 'Ms' rather than 'Mrs'?) and Careers for Girls. I blamed "The Feminists" for the fact that every cartoon had a girl sidekick character who was loud, obnoxious, and constantly physically harming anyone who doubted her abilities. I blamed "The Feminists" for every single time I saw the message, "You can be anything you want, even though you're a girl!" Because I thought "The Feminists" were the ones responsible for those messages.
Now, I understand a bit better. I am a feminist, intensely and to the bone. I understand: capitalists co-opt, and in so doing warp, undermine, turn poisonous that which is meant to heal. Because capitalists are going to capitalist.
posted by meese at 12:50 PM on May 8, 2020 [57 favorites]
When I was young, I thought I hated feminism. I understood "The Feminists" to be the one who came out with games like Ms. Monopoly (how proud do you think they are that they selected 'Ms' rather than 'Mrs'?) and Careers for Girls. I blamed "The Feminists" for the fact that every cartoon had a girl sidekick character who was loud, obnoxious, and constantly physically harming anyone who doubted her abilities. I blamed "The Feminists" for every single time I saw the message, "You can be anything you want, even though you're a girl!" Because I thought "The Feminists" were the ones responsible for those messages.
Now, I understand a bit better. I am a feminist, intensely and to the bone. I understand: capitalists co-opt, and in so doing warp, undermine, turn poisonous that which is meant to heal. Because capitalists are going to capitalist.
posted by meese at 12:50 PM on May 8, 2020 [57 favorites]
I wish I had recorded my wife's choking uncontrolled laughter at the climax of this cynical smarm.
"You're so far out of your lane! If you're going to give a bunch of money to young women inventors, give it to women inventing *games*, a thing that you allegedly know about! What do you know about sinkholes!?!"
There was a woman on Slate's Working podcast a few years ago who worked on the Monopoly brand at Hasbro; she so obviously viewed "Monopoly" as a label you just threw on whatever and then see what sticks. Perhaps she's the VP now.
posted by Kwine at 1:02 PM on May 8, 2020 [8 favorites]
"You're so far out of your lane! If you're going to give a bunch of money to young women inventors, give it to women inventing *games*, a thing that you allegedly know about! What do you know about sinkholes!?!"
There was a woman on Slate's Working podcast a few years ago who worked on the Monopoly brand at Hasbro; she so obviously viewed "Monopoly" as a label you just threw on whatever and then see what sticks. Perhaps she's the VP now.
posted by Kwine at 1:02 PM on May 8, 2020 [8 favorites]
This is still ridiculous, even with the cash in the boxes, but that ending does put it in a completely different context. It just seems weird to leave that out, other than to intentionally stir up some false outrage for Twitter hits.
But I'm glad there were links to the full thing posted & I'll include that to friends that repost this.
posted by darksong at 1:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
But I'm glad there were links to the full thing posted & I'll include that to friends that repost this.
posted by darksong at 1:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
In the extended version, it shows one of the girls reading the letter Hasbro sent them, which says that the most fun part of the game is imagining that it's real.
I've got news for you: a game about grinding others into poverty by amassing over-priced real estate is about as real as it gets.
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:06 PM on May 8, 2020 [53 favorites]
I've got news for you: a game about grinding others into poverty by amassing over-priced real estate is about as real as it gets.
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:06 PM on May 8, 2020 [53 favorites]
Patents -> Monopoly
It makes perfect sense. Of course Hazbro is a horrible IP bully.
And then again, it's hilarious because their trademark on Monopoly got away from them.
posted by hypnogogue at 1:09 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
It makes perfect sense. Of course Hazbro is a horrible IP bully.
And then again, it's hilarious because their trademark on Monopoly got away from them.
posted by hypnogogue at 1:09 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Yesterday if you'd asked me if I could hate Monopoly and Hasbro any more than I already did I'd have laughed and said I doubt it.
Today I am schooled once again that there is always room to hate more.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:10 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Today I am schooled once again that there is always room to hate more.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:10 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
It just seems weird to leave that out, other than to intentionally stir up some false outrage for Twitter hits.
Yeah, I've never heard of anyone tampering with information online to manipulate public opinion...
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:12 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I've never heard of anyone tampering with information online to manipulate public opinion...
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:12 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
The ironic punishment division in hell is going to be absolutely sick of branding Lizzie Magie's face on Hasbro execs.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:17 PM on May 8, 2020
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:17 PM on May 8, 2020
On the plus side, I was absolutely expecting this heartwarming ad to end with a weapons contractor logo. This is hilarious, and almost certainly approved by a bunch of people worried about rising hostility to capitalism.
posted by grandiloquiet at 1:30 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by grandiloquiet at 1:30 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
From the same company that brought us delightful social commentary on millennials and socialism.
posted by peeedro at 1:33 PM on May 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by peeedro at 1:33 PM on May 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
I like how the original version of the thing was invented by a woman, but apparently there needs to be a version for girls?
Yeah. In case anyone else wasn't already aware, the game Monopoly is based on is The Landlord's Game, patented in 1904 by Elizabeth Magie. Her intention was to "demonstrat[e] how rents enrich property owners and impoverish tenants. She knew that some people could find it hard to understand why this happened and what might be done about it, and she thought that if Georgist ideas were put into the concrete form of a game, they might be easier to demonstrate. Magie also hoped that when played by children the game would provoke their natural suspicion of unfairness, and that they might carry this awareness into adulthood." Her design was stolen by Charles Darrow, who created Monopoly and turned it into a game celebrating the kind of rent-seeking that Magie was criticizing. Darrow made millions from his derivative version of Magie's game, while after decades of trying to defend her patent, Magie ultimately gave up and sold it to Parker Brothers for $500.
So yeah, unless Ms. Monopoly is a subversive critique of capitalism that attacks powerful corporations like Hasbro for exploiting the labor of women and girls and earning billions of dollars by leveraging intellectual property law to allow them to own the products of others' past intellectual labor in perpetuity, it's still just derivative exploitation of the sort Magie hated.
posted by biogeo at 1:51 PM on May 8, 2020 [65 favorites]
Yeah. In case anyone else wasn't already aware, the game Monopoly is based on is The Landlord's Game, patented in 1904 by Elizabeth Magie. Her intention was to "demonstrat[e] how rents enrich property owners and impoverish tenants. She knew that some people could find it hard to understand why this happened and what might be done about it, and she thought that if Georgist ideas were put into the concrete form of a game, they might be easier to demonstrate. Magie also hoped that when played by children the game would provoke their natural suspicion of unfairness, and that they might carry this awareness into adulthood." Her design was stolen by Charles Darrow, who created Monopoly and turned it into a game celebrating the kind of rent-seeking that Magie was criticizing. Darrow made millions from his derivative version of Magie's game, while after decades of trying to defend her patent, Magie ultimately gave up and sold it to Parker Brothers for $500.
So yeah, unless Ms. Monopoly is a subversive critique of capitalism that attacks powerful corporations like Hasbro for exploiting the labor of women and girls and earning billions of dollars by leveraging intellectual property law to allow them to own the products of others' past intellectual labor in perpetuity, it's still just derivative exploitation of the sort Magie hated.
posted by biogeo at 1:51 PM on May 8, 2020 [65 favorites]
Someone at Hasbro marketing has a big smile on their face as they are preparing the slides with the engagement metrics.
posted by Captain Fetid at 2:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by Captain Fetid at 2:03 PM on May 8, 2020 [8 favorites]
This is just an ad genre now, right? Long cinematic setup, Nothing Music, and a WTF ending that gets shared on Twiitter.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:32 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:32 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
she so obviously viewed "Monopoly" as a label you just threw on whatever and then see what sticks.
I am not sure if it would be a derail to talk about Monopoly qua Monopoly here, but this is absolutely how its publishers view it. It’s remarkable how many times the sane game can be resold with the lightest of reskinnings: sure, you own Monopoly but how about Game of Thrones Monopoly? Cat Monopoly? NCIS Monopoly? I’ll ring those up for you now!
Really, I have been a boardgame kind of guy for years, and while Monopoly is far from a great game, I have known people who had no use at all for the game but if it were rebranded with some media property they admired, they were suddenly fans (which is, I suppose, what the publishers want). One guy I knew LOVED Star Wars Monopoly because it “makes it interesting!” Somehow a shoe moving to Illinois Avenue and paying $180 in rent to a dog was tiresome, but R2-D2 arriving at Bespin and paying 180 credits to an AT-AT made the game fresh and fun. It was years before the meme of Drake shunning and then smiling at two different things, but it was exactly that.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:39 PM on May 8, 2020 [17 favorites]
I am not sure if it would be a derail to talk about Monopoly qua Monopoly here, but this is absolutely how its publishers view it. It’s remarkable how many times the sane game can be resold with the lightest of reskinnings: sure, you own Monopoly but how about Game of Thrones Monopoly? Cat Monopoly? NCIS Monopoly? I’ll ring those up for you now!
Really, I have been a boardgame kind of guy for years, and while Monopoly is far from a great game, I have known people who had no use at all for the game but if it were rebranded with some media property they admired, they were suddenly fans (which is, I suppose, what the publishers want). One guy I knew LOVED Star Wars Monopoly because it “makes it interesting!” Somehow a shoe moving to Illinois Avenue and paying $180 in rent to a dog was tiresome, but R2-D2 arriving at Bespin and paying 180 credits to an AT-AT made the game fresh and fun. It was years before the meme of Drake shunning and then smiling at two different things, but it was exactly that.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:39 PM on May 8, 2020 [17 favorites]
It's ironies all the way down.
posted by splitpeasoup at 2:57 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by splitpeasoup at 2:57 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
My mind was blown, and then the reminder of the game's actual origin took all the little bits and blew them up as well. Thanks, biogeo, I was wondering how my brains would look all over the wall.
I mean, how many layers of "wtf?" can be folded together?
posted by zenzenobia at 3:44 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
I mean, how many layers of "wtf?" can be folded together?
posted by zenzenobia at 3:44 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Someone at Hasbro marketing has a big smile on their face as they are preparing the slides with the engagement metrics.
That may be true, but one has to wonder who is going to be buying any board games, let alone branded ones, very much before 2021. So yeah engagement guy looks smart, but timing guy doesn't really.
posted by East14thTaco at 4:09 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
That may be true, but one has to wonder who is going to be buying any board games, let alone branded ones, very much before 2021. So yeah engagement guy looks smart, but timing guy doesn't really.
posted by East14thTaco at 4:09 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
This is probably from the same mind that came up with Monopoly for Millennials.
Subtext: we hate you. You have a dollar that you could be spending on our IP. Give us that dollar.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 4:14 PM on May 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
Subtext: we hate you. You have a dollar that you could be spending on our IP. Give us that dollar.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 4:14 PM on May 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
That ending hit me like a punch in the chest.
My full, womanly chest.
posted by ilana at 4:17 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
My full, womanly chest.
posted by ilana at 4:17 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
At least it wasn't a plumbus.
If they can do this, I just know somebody's got to be looking at remaking 'Wall Street' and looking to cast a Christine Baranski-type as 'Jordan Gekko'. Greed is the new black.
posted by zaixfeep at 4:32 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
If they can do this, I just know somebody's got to be looking at remaking 'Wall Street' and looking to cast a Christine Baranski-type as 'Jordan Gekko'. Greed is the new black.
posted by zaixfeep at 4:32 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
always hated that game
posted by philip-random at 4:36 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 4:36 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
Ah, identity politics monopoly -- can you find intersections of interest with your fellow proletariat that you might exploit* to become an oligarch, or will you be destroyed by the endless in-fighting?
*: appropriate or co-opt
posted by k3ninho at 4:40 PM on May 8, 2020
*: appropriate or co-opt
posted by k3ninho at 4:40 PM on May 8, 2020
Reading the description of the game is even more mind-boggling. It's hard to believe it wasn't invented by someone who wants to revel in their fantasies of being a victim of misandry.
The work the three featured girls were doing seemed really cool, though. Are the girls real people?
posted by mixedmetaphors at 5:21 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
The work the three featured girls were doing seemed really cool, though. Are the girls real people?
posted by mixedmetaphors at 5:21 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh, okay, the Wikipedia article went on to inform me that the girls are real, and that everyone hates the commercial.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 5:24 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by mixedmetaphors at 5:24 PM on May 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
On the plus side, I was absolutely expecting this heartwarming ad to end with a weapons contractor logo.
Well...
posted by kmz at 6:31 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Well...
posted by kmz at 6:31 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Oh, okay, the Wikipedia article went on to inform me that the girls are real, and that everyone hates the commercial.
Good lord.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:38 PM on May 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
Good lord.
“When we looked at themes like millennials, it was a fun way to try something new for the brand, and fans loved it. Consumers reacted to it,” says Jen Boswinkel, senior director of global brand strategy and marketing at Hasbro Gaming. “We started looking at all of the things that are happening in the world today, asking, how can we bring new topics to make them relevant and accessible to kids and families? Female empowerment was one of the issues that we all feel so strongly about that we wanted to create a game for it.”Why has there been no FPP about the neural net writing corporate communications global brand strategy statements? I mean, "Fans loved it. Consumers reacted to it," is easily parsed as, "A few people who liked it said they like it. Most people hated it."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:38 PM on May 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
One of the tokens in the game is a wine glass.
Of course it is.
posted by hijinx at 6:41 PM on May 8, 2020 [6 favorites]
Of course it is.
posted by hijinx at 6:41 PM on May 8, 2020 [6 favorites]
Consumers reacted to it
Yes, I suppose derisive laughter, irritation, and nausea are all reactions.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 7:44 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Yes, I suppose derisive laughter, irritation, and nausea are all reactions.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 7:44 PM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
My cousin Jim reacts to peanuts.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:47 PM on May 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:47 PM on May 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
I get to link this amazing sketch for the first time in this thread I think! Women's Products by Baroness von Sketch. Worth getting to the end if you've ever had to sit in a marketing meeting.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:55 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 7:55 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
I'm offended for the girls. This is like corporate negging. "Yes yes, you ladies are so smart, why don't we give you a shitty board game (4.4 on BoardGame Geek)."
I mean, the LEAST they could have done is bought the rights to Carl Chudyk's :
"Innovation" (7.2 on BGG ratings).
Or hell. Even the old 70s game:
"The Inventors" (BGG: 5.5)...
As I look, my god... The Inventors was owned by Parker Brothers. Guess who bought Parker Brothers? HASBRO!
Not only does Hasbro OWN PB (and thus, one would hope, "The Inventors" rights); The Inventors Has CHICKEN GOGGLES! I'm sorry, Ms. Monopoly does NOT have Chicken Goggles and is thus an inferior product.
Hell, instead of reskinning a game that has nothing to do with invention period, or even using an old game, Hasbro has the money and design talent, why don't they fucking MAKE a game celebrating women inventors?
This is such a pathetic cash grab, I hope it self-immolates.
posted by symbioid at 9:09 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
I mean, the LEAST they could have done is bought the rights to Carl Chudyk's :
"Innovation" (7.2 on BGG ratings).
Or hell. Even the old 70s game:
"The Inventors" (BGG: 5.5)...
As I look, my god... The Inventors was owned by Parker Brothers. Guess who bought Parker Brothers? HASBRO!
Not only does Hasbro OWN PB (and thus, one would hope, "The Inventors" rights); The Inventors Has CHICKEN GOGGLES! I'm sorry, Ms. Monopoly does NOT have Chicken Goggles and is thus an inferior product.
Hell, instead of reskinning a game that has nothing to do with invention period, or even using an old game, Hasbro has the money and design talent, why don't they fucking MAKE a game celebrating women inventors?
This is such a pathetic cash grab, I hope it self-immolates.
posted by symbioid at 9:09 PM on May 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
Hasbro has the money and design talent, why don't they fucking MAKE a game
If you take "Hasbro" and replace it with [X] and take "game" and replace it with [Y] you have the tragedy of the post-enlightenment era. It's a slow burn.
(We should be kaput in about another century or so)
posted by Reasonably Everything Happens at 11:01 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
If you take "Hasbro" and replace it with [X] and take "game" and replace it with [Y] you have the tragedy of the post-enlightenment era. It's a slow burn.
(We should be kaput in about another century or so)
posted by Reasonably Everything Happens at 11:01 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
If anyone's wondering what Hasbro's doing here, it's this. The point of this ad is to be disingenuously awful - or inspiring - enough that they get a bunch of free marketing for the Monopoly brand, and everyone feels obligated to have a take.
It doesn't even matter if they don't sell a lot of the Ms. Monopoly format - the idea is to keep Monopoly as the most widely-known brand in board games, as demand for board games increases, even though by rights Monopoly should have sunk below the waves as something your parents' generation played. People will buy board games, and stores will still stock Monopoly, and people will look at the actually good board games in the store and go with the one they've heard of.
posted by Merus at 11:07 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
It doesn't even matter if they don't sell a lot of the Ms. Monopoly format - the idea is to keep Monopoly as the most widely-known brand in board games, as demand for board games increases, even though by rights Monopoly should have sunk below the waves as something your parents' generation played. People will buy board games, and stores will still stock Monopoly, and people will look at the actually good board games in the store and go with the one they've heard of.
posted by Merus at 11:07 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
I really thought it was going to be for grammarly.
posted by lucidium at 11:33 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by lucidium at 11:33 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Who's responsible for the clipped twitter version?
I actually laughed out loud at the absurdity, but without the context of the (albeit eye rollingly stupid) extended verision, it really looks like a gag edit or some shitty attempt to troll a whole lot of people. I'm just not in the mood for the reactions such a stunt can generate these days.
posted by 2N2222 at 11:51 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
I actually laughed out loud at the absurdity, but without the context of the (albeit eye rollingly stupid) extended verision, it really looks like a gag edit or some shitty attempt to troll a whole lot of people. I'm just not in the mood for the reactions such a stunt can generate these days.
posted by 2N2222 at 11:51 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
My neighbor is pissed off at me for screaming at the reveal. Oh well.
posted by james33 at 3:55 AM on May 9, 2020
posted by james33 at 3:55 AM on May 9, 2020
Oh holy no.
Have you read the press release?
I didn't think it could be worse. I was wrong. So very, deeply wrong.
"At the start female players get more money than guys—$1,900 versus $1,500—and collect $240 for passing go, rather than the usual $200. Players purchase things created by women, like “WiFi ... chocolate chip cookies, solar heating and modern shapewear.”
posted by foxtongue at 4:27 AM on May 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
Have you read the press release?
I didn't think it could be worse. I was wrong. So very, deeply wrong.
"At the start female players get more money than guys—$1,900 versus $1,500—and collect $240 for passing go, rather than the usual $200. Players purchase things created by women, like “WiFi ... chocolate chip cookies, solar heating and modern shapewear.”
posted by foxtongue at 4:27 AM on May 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
It's not quite torches of freedom but there's no way in a million years I would have guess that ending.
posted by onya at 6:00 AM on May 9, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by onya at 6:00 AM on May 9, 2020 [2 favorites]
One has to wonder who is going to be buying any board games, let alone branded ones, very much before 2021.
On 1st May, deep into lockdown, the Kickstarter for the tabletop game Frostgrave closed at $12,969,608--the highest ever for a game, and the third highest Kickstarter of all time. Board games are doing really well right now. The well-known names are selling out and smaller titles are going great guns--hampered in the US by the decision of the biggest distributor in the industry, Alliance, to close its warehouses. But board games are fine.
posted by Hogshead at 9:15 AM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
On 1st May, deep into lockdown, the Kickstarter for the tabletop game Frostgrave closed at $12,969,608--the highest ever for a game, and the third highest Kickstarter of all time. Board games are doing really well right now. The well-known names are selling out and smaller titles are going great guns--hampered in the US by the decision of the biggest distributor in the industry, Alliance, to close its warehouses. But board games are fine.
posted by Hogshead at 9:15 AM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
I was watching thinking, tampons, tampons, it's gonna be tampons...
posted by Gin and Broadband at 9:23 AM on May 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Gin and Broadband at 9:23 AM on May 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
The point of this ad ... that they get a bunch of free marketing for the Monopoly brand
And that's what annoys me about this whole thread. The first few seconds that I watched, before I realized what was going on, it seemed to be about girls soldering, which is very cool -- but I'd read enough here to know there was more. But don't force me to watch advertising (especially for a product that you think sucks!) Just tell me what it's about from the get-go, so I can move on.
posted by Rash at 10:59 AM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
And that's what annoys me about this whole thread. The first few seconds that I watched, before I realized what was going on, it seemed to be about girls soldering, which is very cool -- but I'd read enough here to know there was more. But don't force me to watch advertising (especially for a product that you think sucks!) Just tell me what it's about from the get-go, so I can move on.
posted by Rash at 10:59 AM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
"At the start female players get more money than guys—$1,900 versus $1,500—and collect $240 for passing go, rather than the usual $200.
I am absolutely infuriated by this part. I googled it yesterday expecting it to be some sort of pinkified version of monopoly. I’ll even grudgingly accept the women’s inventions like “chocolate chip cookies” part. But this outright implies that women are incapable of playing monopoly unless they basically cheat.
I mean if I were to have played this version with my brothers, there was no way that I could have enjoyed it. If I won, then it would have been only because I got more money, and if I had lost, then I “must have been stupid” to lose despite getting more money. (Though if I’m honest playing monopoly was never particularly fun.)
posted by scorbet at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2020 [10 favorites]
I am absolutely infuriated by this part. I googled it yesterday expecting it to be some sort of pinkified version of monopoly. I’ll even grudgingly accept the women’s inventions like “chocolate chip cookies” part. But this outright implies that women are incapable of playing monopoly unless they basically cheat.
I mean if I were to have played this version with my brothers, there was no way that I could have enjoyed it. If I won, then it would have been only because I got more money, and if I had lost, then I “must have been stupid” to lose despite getting more money. (Though if I’m honest playing monopoly was never particularly fun.)
posted by scorbet at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2020 [10 favorites]
The "revised" rules are so fucking pathetically lazy and dumb, and don't even appear to be systematic in any way: female players get 27% more money than males at the start, 20% more when they pass go, and then... on some of the cards, they sometimes get more money. What idiot oversaw the design process for this? Were they drunk? And suffering from a head wound?
posted by Saxon Kane at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2020
posted by Saxon Kane at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2020
Also...I had to refresh my memory for this...yes, I thought so.
The.
Original.
Game.
Was.
Invented.
By.
A.
Woman.
And a man stole her fucking idea and sold it.
posted by Autumnheart at 3:34 PM on May 9, 2020 [6 favorites]
The.
Original.
Game.
Was.
Invented.
By.
A.
Woman.
And a man stole her fucking idea and sold it.
posted by Autumnheart at 3:34 PM on May 9, 2020 [6 favorites]
But I bet that isn’t one of the squares on this version.
posted by Autumnheart at 3:35 PM on May 9, 2020
posted by Autumnheart at 3:35 PM on May 9, 2020
Glad the three girls in the ad got fat stacks of cash and I hope it helps them with the things they've invented.
I wonder if they were otherwise paid. Looking around, $20k is about half of what a SAG member might get for a national ad.
posted by Reyturner at 3:55 PM on May 9, 2020 [8 favorites]
I wonder if they were otherwise paid. Looking around, $20k is about half of what a SAG member might get for a national ad.
posted by Reyturner at 3:55 PM on May 9, 2020 [8 favorites]
Like the Peloton commercial, and the Gillette commercial, this is just a way for the company to get a bunch of publicity from both sides of the political spectrum. Feminists and progressives get to feel betrayed about the slap in the face to women in STEM; right-wing dudebros get to feel outraged about Hasbro being politically correct.
Meanwhile, the Twitterverse explodes with #monopoly all over the place, worming its way into the subconscious of people who are bored in quarantine and trying to figure out what to do with their kids for Day Eleventy-Billion of social distancing.
It's a pretty genius marketing scheme, spending 60k plus a cameraman's time, to get us to do their advertising for them.
posted by basalganglia at 4:42 PM on May 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
Meanwhile, the Twitterverse explodes with #monopoly all over the place, worming its way into the subconscious of people who are bored in quarantine and trying to figure out what to do with their kids for Day Eleventy-Billion of social distancing.
It's a pretty genius marketing scheme, spending 60k plus a cameraman's time, to get us to do their advertising for them.
posted by basalganglia at 4:42 PM on May 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
This is like a Russian doll of WTF. Seeing the full ad just removes one layer of WTF and reveals a fresh new layer, which is in turn removed when you read the Wikipedia page, and so on.
posted by confluency at 4:43 PM on May 9, 2020
posted by confluency at 4:43 PM on May 9, 2020
On a tangential note, I'm not loving the take that we shouldn't be talking about this at all because the more we criticise this campaign the more successful it becomes, and this was Hasbro's genius plan all along.
The same rationale is used to shut down all kinds of political criticism, because somehow no matter how you respond to a public figure doing something shitty you are just being an obliging pawn in their five-dimensional chess game. This assumes that there is some correct, exploitation-proof way to respond rather than... doing absolutely nothing just to be safe.
We should be able to criticise shitty things.
posted by confluency at 4:53 PM on May 9, 2020 [8 favorites]
The same rationale is used to shut down all kinds of political criticism, because somehow no matter how you respond to a public figure doing something shitty you are just being an obliging pawn in their five-dimensional chess game. This assumes that there is some correct, exploitation-proof way to respond rather than... doing absolutely nothing just to be safe.
We should be able to criticise shitty things.
posted by confluency at 4:53 PM on May 9, 2020 [8 favorites]
not to speak for anyone else here, but I don't think the issue is being unable to criticize shitty things; it's more about trying to be precise about what the shitty thing is. it is worthwhile to note that the "controversy" here may well be a deliberate extension of the ad itself -- it's certainly true in practice -- and I don't think talking about how that sucks makes it less OK to talk about the other things about this that suck, which include *checks notes* everything
except that the girls got paid, I guess
posted by Kybard at 6:28 PM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
except that the girls got paid, I guess
posted by Kybard at 6:28 PM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
The advertising campaign is only successful if anyone actually buys the game. Alienating half of your potential audience is pretty terrible marketing. When was the last time any of these “Common household item but for GIRLS: Easy version” made their companies any real money?
posted by Autumnheart at 7:01 PM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Autumnheart at 7:01 PM on May 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
On a tangential note, I'm not loving the take that we shouldn't be talking about this at all because the more we criticise this campaign the more successful it becomes, and this was Hasbro's genius plan all along.
If I knew how to handle this properly I would be doing it instead of dicking around on the internet, but here's where I'm landing:
If I knew how to handle this properly I would be doing it instead of dicking around on the internet, but here's where I'm landing:
- We can criticise Hasbro, as a company, for trying to co-opt gender inequality in STEM fields to sell a knockoff version of one of their boardgames. We can say Hasbro as much as we want because they're not trying to sell Hasbro.
- We can demand Hasbro put their money where their mouth is and make a much, much larger commitment to girl's education, possibly tarnishing some of their other brands while they're at it. One of the things about the Gillette toxic masculinity ad from last year is that Gillette released the ad and then did jack shit. We know they're insincere, so we may as well get a lot of money out of them while they're trying to pretend they're not.
- We can do our own work to get girls excited about STEM, or more specifically, we can make sure we're there as a counterweight for when people try to discourage girls from being excited about STEM.
- We can work towards the downfall of capitalism and its replacement with something where advertisers do not benefit from stunts like this to get attention.
modern shapewear
Like updating the girdle is a part of the game? I hope that part is a joke, at least. Probably not, though. Society is still pretty invested in policing female bodies. Sigh.
posted by Bella Donna at 10:47 AM on May 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
Like updating the girdle is a part of the game? I hope that part is a joke, at least. Probably not, though. Society is still pretty invested in policing female bodies. Sigh.
posted by Bella Donna at 10:47 AM on May 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
What would have been better is if this was a copy of Ms. Warhammer 40K and instead of $20,000 it came with a fully functional las-cannon.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:44 PM on May 10, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:44 PM on May 10, 2020 [3 favorites]
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posted by jeather at 11:46 AM on May 8, 2020 [23 favorites]