Hasbro has spoken: Manneken Pis must don trunks for Monopoly

The designers of the new Brussels version of the immortal Monopoly board game have not been able to convince American mega-corporation Hasbro that the Manneken Pis should appear on the box au naturel.

Hasbro, owner of the board game that is produced in more than 100 countries around the world, must approve the design of every edition. It took one look at the box of the new Brussels version and put the kibosh on it. Why? Because naked little boys are not done.

“We tried to explain to them that Manneken Pis is world famous cultural heritage,” said a spokesperson for the Bruges-based Groep 24, which publishes the Belgian editions of the game. But even that didn’t convince the fat cats of Hasbro, who instructed Groep 24 to put the Pis in a pair of swimming trunks.

As if that wasn’t humiliating enough for our beloved mascot, the trunks will be in the style of the Brussels flag – blue with a yellow Iris. And finally, to complete the picture, his hand will be holding onto nothing, grasping at thin air, as it were.

Order your copy online now or pick it up in local shops next week.

Photo: The original design, which you will not find on the box when it arrives in shops next week
©Courtesy Groep 24