PORTSMOUTH — The city of Portsmouth will have its own property space on a new version of the popular Hasbro board game Monopoly to be released this fall to mark the game’s 80th anniversary.
The Port City was chosen by fans who picked the cities that will appear on the “Monopoly Here Now” U.S. Edition and World Edition.
Hasbro’s announcement on Thursday was met with excitement among city officials and those in the tourism industry.
“I think it’s something the city should be very proud of. It will bring an awareness to the city because Portsmouth is a destination for a lot of people,” Mayor Robert Lister said.
Portsmouth and Boston, Mass., were the only New England cities to get a spot on the game board.
The Portsmouth property space will appear in the light blue section next to Charlotte, N.C., and Dallas, Texas.
Thursday’s announcement brought relief for Valerie Rochon, tourism director for the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce.
Her office learned that the city was picked a few days ago but had to keep quiet until it was made public.
“It’s incredibly significant and we’re very excited about it. We’ve been doing the happy dance over here at the chamber,” Rochon said.
The chamber worked hard to spread the word through social media and other means when votes were being taken for the cities vying for the game board.
“I know we’re really pleased that people rose to the occasion and made the effort to get us on there,” Rochon said.
The news comes amid new marketing efforts aimed at bringing more attention to the city over the past several months.
Rochon said more people are discovering that the city isn’t an obscure seaport town but is a place worth visiting with a lot to offer.
“I think we’re on more radar screens than we have been before,” she said.
Portsmouth and the other cities were chosen after nearly 4 million votes were cast in 182 countries. BuzzFeed, a popular social news and entertainment company, teamed up with Hasbro on the voting project.
“Inviting our fans to get involved in the creation of the newest Monopoly game was a great way to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the brand.
“It was amazing to see both fans and local organizations around the world rally behind their cities and we were wowed by the overwhelming pride people displayed during the Here Now vote,” Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president of global marketing for gaming at Hasbro, said in a press release.
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