The Simpsons has released a new animated short just under four minutes long to promote a Monopoly Go! crossover, pairing Mr. Burns with Mr. Monopoly voiced by Will Ferrell as they compete over wealth—complete with Springfield cameos, deep Monopoly references,
A little after the idea of “brand crossover” usually stops feeling fun, The Simpsons still found a way to make the collision of worlds feel like it belongs.
In a new animated short that clocks in just under four minutes, Mr. Burns—voiced by Harry Shearer—faces off against Mr. Monopoly, voiced by Will Ferrell, in a setup that immediately turns into a joke-fuelled competition about how wealth is worn. The pitch is simple. but the execution doesn’t feel forced: Burns and Pennybags (the Monopoly Man’s canonical surname) spar over privilege and billionaires. with the short hinting at the kind of back-and-forth players could expect in Monopoly Go!.
The story plays like a fast mini-episode of its own. It speed-runs a rivalry between Mr. Burns and Pennybags, and it includes flashbacks to the two facing off in their youth. Those segments come loaded with deep-cut Monopoly lore—Burns even refers to the Monopoly Man by his canonical name. Pennybags—and there’s also a flashback implying that Burns helped establish some of the player pieces on the Monopoly board game.
Even as the short clearly functions as promotion, it makes space for the jokes you’d expect from The Simpsons. Burns and Pennybags crack lines about billionaires and privilege, and they share the screen in a Real Housewives parody called “Real Rich Guys of Springfield.”
The short’s biggest move is choosing who gets the spotlight. Instead of centering Homer or another core character, it leans into Mr. Burns as the bridge. In the same way the game’s world revolves around properties and wealth. the short treats Burns and Pennybags as the players in this Monopoly universe. while Homer. Bart. and others are positioned more like pieces on the board.
That decision also fits the person at the center of the collaboration. The game behind the partnership. Monopoly Go!. was first released in 2023 and is designed as an autoplay-friendly. single-player-focused spin on the classic board game—an “infinite loop” of gameplay where players start by owning all properties and earn in-game money to upgrade landmarks. Classic board trips get interrupted by mini-games and “events” such as “Treasure Hunts” and “Bank Heists.” Players can play alone or with others on their own devices.
Monopoly Go! has been a runaway success since launch. It was the biggest mobile game launch of 2023, bringing in over $1 billion in revenue, and it has remained strong thanks to in-game microtransactions and ads through its creator, Scopely.
If this is an ad. it’s also an ad that tries to feel like it was built from within the franchise—right down to how the collaboration was planned. The choice to find a genuine connection between The Simpsons and Monopoly was described as part of the process from the start by 20th Century Games executive Josh Drake. In an interview with IGN ahead of the game’s release. Drake said that the plan included urging the developers to “be subversive. be Simpson-y. Don’t just be a butt-kissy, pointless brand collaboration.”.
The timing matters, too. The Simpsons is coming off other video game appearances, including a run in Fortnite last year. It also comes after the show’s own mobile game, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, was finally delisted. Fans are hoping for more playable Simpsons projects after this moment—maybe even remasters of classic games.
Back in live TV land, The Simpsons Season 37 is due to return from hiatus on June 17 on Fox and Disney+.
And in the mobile app world, the Monopoly Go! event tied to this short is running now through July 29.
The Simpsons Monopoly Go! Mr. Burns Mr. Monopoly Will Ferrell Harry Shearer Pennybags animated short crossover event Scopely Josh Drake Fortnite The Simpsons: Tapped Out