Our friends are all a board: Yellow Submarine Monopoly surfaces for 50th anniversary of Beatles movie

When Ringo Starr sang “As we live a life of ease, every one of us has all we need,” on The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine in 1966, he had clearly forgotten one thing: themed Monopoly sets.

Fortunately, the makers of the infamous board game have Ringo covered, releasing a Yellow Submarine-themed version of Monopoly to mark 50 years of the animated children’s film based on the Beatles’ psychedelic album.

A Yellow Submarine-inspired Monopoly set was made available in the US a few years ago, but despite the band’s British roots never made it officially to UK shores – something that this new box corrects.

As you’d expect, the board game takes plenty of inspiration from the colourful visuals and inventive storytelling of the song and movie, featuring the cartoon Fab Four, their sunny submersible and plenty of references to the places named on wax and screen.

For example, you’ll pass no stations or streets, but instead will find a Sea of Green, Nowhere Land, Rainbow Tunnel and Trombone Express. Chance and Community Chest cards have been replaced by ‘All in the Mind’ and ‘Nothing is Real’ cards, referencing George Harrison’s memorable quote in the movie and the iconic line from Strawberry Fields Forever, respectively.

The pieces, meanwhile, go beyond Yellow Submarine to include the drum from the cover artwork of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and a Love sign (it’s all you need) alongside Old Fred, Jeremy Hillary Boob and the Dreadful Flying Glove creature from the film, plus the submarine itself.

The Yellow Submarine 50th Anniversary edition of Monopoly will be coming out alongside the re-release of Yellow Submarine in cinemas on July 8th – that’s this Sunday – almost 50 years to the day of the film’s original release.