PROVIDENCE − Vincent Marzullo stood on the sidewalk along Dudley Street as harried drivers hurried past Monday afternoon, when one motorist stopped and rolled down her window.
“Are you the Monopoly Man?” she asked.
He said he was.
“Can I take your picture?” she asked.
Almost as quickly as the photo op began, it ended, as she snapped a couple of images, pulled into traffic and drove away.
That was hardly unusual for Marzullo, who more than a few people think bears a strong resemblance to Milburn “Rich Uncle” Pennybags, the official cartoon mascot of the Monopoly board game.
Marzullo often enhances the likeness by wearing a hat, tie and vest reminiscent of the character, almost every day and everywhere. “If the Monopoly Man makes them smile, I can’t shut it down,” said Marzullo. “No matter where I go, I get stopped. I go to the PC games in Madison Square Garden, they put me up on the Jumbotron. People stop me in the aisle at Shaw’s, they want to take a picture of me.”
Marzullo, 76, is retired after half a century in government work at county, state and federal levels.