Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 12, 1995 TAG: 9509120074
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. LENGTH: Medium
A 60-year-old error in the spelling of Marven Gardens was acknowledged Monday by the makers of the world-famous board game.
Still, ``Marvin Gardens'' won't be corrected because it would cost too much, said Carol Steinkrauss, a spokeswoman for Parker Bros.
``That would be extreme. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't mean that much,'' she said.
Charles Darrow developed the board game on an oil cloth in his kitchen, using Atlantic City-area landmarks. He sold the game to Parker Bros. in 1935.
He misspelled Marven Gardens, a neighborhood in nearby Margate whose name he used for a street. The name combined the first three letters of Margate and Ventnor, another nearby town.
Players apparently never minded: The game has sold more than 160 million copies and is available now in 25 languages and 45 countries.
Neither did the residents of Marven Gardens.
``It doesn't bother us a bit,'' Bernie McCabe said at a ceremony Monday marking the game's 60th anniversary.
The ceremony featured Uncle Pennybags - whose image appears on the game - Mayor James Whelan, the mayors of Ventnor and Margate and Miss America Heather Whitestone.
A 25-by-25-foot replica of the board was laid out on the Boardwalk in front of Convention Hall. A bronze sign will be placed in Marven Gardens acknowledging the mistake.
To show there were no hard feelings, Ventnor Mayor Ted Bergman presented the Parker Bros. spokeswoman with a piece of the city's Boardwalk and invited her to visit.
``But we ask that you obey the laws,'' he said. ``Because in Ventnor, we don't accept `Get Out of Jail Free' cards.''
by CNB