Facebook fans polled over new Monopoly token

This image provided by Hasbro shows the robot that could soon be a new Monopoly game piece. Makers of the classic board game want players to vote on Facebook for a new token. AP Photo/Hasbro

It's up there with the most hotly-debated issues of 2013. Which of the eight Monopoly tokens is for the chop?

Will it be the iron, the thimble or even the much-loved Scottie dog? Or could it be another of their board game buddies?

Monopoly maker Hasbro is holding a Facebook contest to eliminate one of the eight game pieces that identify the players and then replace it with a new one. Possible new tokens include a cat, diamond ring, guitar, toy robot and helicopter.

Monopoly New Tokens - Cat

If Facebook fans wish for it, the cat could also soon be a game piece in Monopoly. AP Photo/Hasbro

It’s the latest effort by the toymaker to jazz up the game, which debuted almost eight decades ago.

In recent years, Hasbro Inc. introduced a version that replaces paper money with an electronic bank and another that incorporates an iPad. There is an app-only version of the game for smartphones and tablets.

Monopoly’s tokens have actually changed quite a lot over the years. The original version also included a lantern, purse, cannon and a rocking horse. A horse and rider token was used in the 1950s. During World War II, metal tokens were replaced by wooden ones.

But this time, users have a say.

So if you are tired of the iron token and would rather be represented by a robot, here’s your chance to make those wishes known. Facebook fans of monopoly can vote on which piece to eliminate and which one to add. The voting ends on February 5.

Up for elimination: all eight current tokens including a battleship, iron, racecar, Scottie dog, shoe, thimble, top hat and wheelbarrow. Most tokens were introduced with the first Parker Brothers iteration of the game in 1935, and the Scottie dog and wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s.

Hasbro gaming global brand leader Eric Nyman said the impetus for the contest came from chatter on Facebook, where Monopoly has more than 10 million fans.

“We’re constantly interacting with those fans and we’re always getting suggestions from fans about what tokens they would love to see,” Nyman said. They took five of the top suggestions from Facebook for the contest.

Versions of Monopoly with the new token will come out later this year. - AP