Latest Ocean Beach “Monopoly” Board Game Not the First for OB

40 Years Ago OB Rag Cover Had First Ocean Beach “Munopoly” Board

On New Year’s Eve, we gathered at a good friend’s house and played the latest OB board game, “Ocean Beach-opoly” an OB version of the famed grandparent of all board games.

We had fun – I was fortunate to own the Gilmore Family store – not even noticing our late it had become. (I was one of the winners, by the way – sorry Doug.)

Later, I realized, hey, the OB Rag once ran a cover graphic way back in the Seventies with the first actual “OB Monopoly game board”. Nearly exactly 40 years ago, our version was on display.

It was in late May of 1973 and Richard Nixon was in crisis – he resigned over a year later on the eve of his impeachment.  As one of the editors of the print version of the original OB Rag, I asked our in-house artist John Lyons if he could come up with a Monopoly board using OB and the backdrop of Nixon’s problems, and at the same time, adding a little of the then current history of his unfolding catastrophic situation unleashed by the arrest of the Watergate burglars.

Lyons’ artistic and intellectual genius came through with his “Munopoly” board and we printed his version as the cover of the Rag (we were printing twice a month back then). I don’t know if anyone ever played it but he also added “Rules” and a “Watergate Key”.

Like the current board, Lyons’ version used OB properties.  As the ‘wrap-around’ cover was quite large we have reproduced its hand-drawn treasures, colored by Nixon’s Watergate crisis.  Check them all out and learn some history in the process.  Here’s what the folded late May ’73 cover looked like:

For more OB Rag covers (you can order your own original copies for a donation) go here.

Here is a small version of the May 1973 cover:

Doubtless, the new version of OB Monopoly is probably more fun to play.