News 20K views since yesterday

An American-made Monopoly hits a dice problem and costly trays

The Wall Street Journal follows WS Game Company's attempt to bring production home after tariffs disrupted its Chinese manufacturing plans.

Channel:

The Wall Street Journal Story of November 1, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of The Wall Street Journal's most watched videos since yesterday, with 19,628 views.

Why a Made-in-America Monopoly Cost Twice as Much as Expected

The board game could be made in America. The dice proved harder: WS Game Company could not find a domestic manufacturer to supply the pairs it needed, according to The Wall Street Journal's report on its Americana Edition of Monopoly.

That small exception was only part of a larger manufacturing challenge. The company paused production in China after President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports and sought American alternatives, the Journal reports. It expected domestic production to cost somewhat more. Instead, the manufacturing premium was roughly double the Chinese-production cost.

WSJ social video editor Nicole Guillen holds up the components to show where the company compromised. Plastic replaced wood, and the packaging became simpler. But the insert tray, an easily overlooked part of the box, nearly stopped the project altogether because of tooling costs and manufacturing defects, according to the report.

The company eventually assembled a supply chain involving a main manufacturer and several smaller suppliers. After fourteen months of development, the retail price reached $80 rather than the intended $50. That retail increase is separate from the roughly doubled production cost described in the report.

The video has drawn about 20,000 views since yesterday. Its central example is tangible: even a familiar board game requires a network of suppliers, and changing that network meant redesigning what went inside the box.

Published on Trari