Monopoly Gets A Cool Make-Over By Manhattan Beach Artist

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —MONOPOLY lovers rejoice! The new California Dreaming edition is now on sale and it captures the essence of California cool. What's more, it was designed by Manhattan Beach-based and internationally renowned artist Kathleen Keifer.

"I have a license to design for Hasbro, and they've been following my fine artwork for many years," Keifer told Patch.

About a year ago, Keifer was approached by WS Game Company, which develops high-end board games, to completely revamp the classic MONOPOLY look. "They asked me, 'how would you rethink the look for California?' and I went to work," Keifer said.

Keifer, who has a studio at 932 Manhattan Beach Blvd, stopped all other work for six months to focus solely on the game. "Every detail on the board is original," she said. She also added three unique, plated die-cast tokens—a yacht, a jet plane, and a woodie surfboard—to complement the iconic shoe, Scotty dog, and top hat.

The game takes players on a visually stunning journey that captures the Golden State’s diverse architecture and cultures, crossing the Pacific Coast Highway along Route 66 to Sunset Boulevard, while touching other famous boulevards and iconic locations from San Diego to San Francisco with stops in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Palm Springs, and famed beach cities.

"One of my monopolies features the contemporary indoor/outdoor homes you find in Manhattan Beach along The Strand," Keifer said.

All of the game's details depict elements of the California lifestyle—airports replace railroads; a Tip Jar replaces Community Chest, and every space on the board has a reproduction of an original Keifer painting.

In addition, this latest version has abolished "jail time."

"I felt pretty adamant that we replace 'Go to jail' with something more upbeat," Keifer said. "So instead of jail, Mr. Money Bags goes into the pool and blows bubbles. You still play the game exactly the same way, to get him out of the pool, but it's much lighter and funnier."

Also, look for MONOPOLY money, Keifer-style. "I added palm trees, woodie surfboards, and jet planes to the paper bills," she said.

“MONOPOLY California Dreaming is fresh, fun, and truly a work of art,” Kerry Addis, VP of Product Development of WS Game Company, said in a press release. “Kathleen’s vision and paintings celebrate everything that makes California so unique. Her interpretation is nothing short of magical and we are confident that Mr. Monopoly is enjoying his new west coast lifestyle.”

Keifer moved to Malibu from Chicago in 1996 and fell in love with the lifestyle. Her entrance into the fine art world in 1996 was a sold-out solo show at McLean Gallery in Malibu, California. Her next ten Malibu exhibitions launched her into the LA art world, with paintings featured in LACMA and MoMA.

Keifer’s art is now represented in galleries all over the world. She is widely collected by prestigious public and private collectors. Her works appear in the collections of James Cameron, Mary Looker, Jack Nicholson, Kelly Clarkson, Kevin Nealon, Barry Manilow, Hilton Hotels, Sidney Austin, Citigroup, Walt Disney Studios, and the United States Historical Society.

LA Magazine described her California Dreaming as, "fluidly capturing pop culture in a tapestry of layered color.”

The new game, as well as original works of art created for and inspired by the game, are available for purchase at www.kathleenkeifer.com.