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Mrs. White, maid in Clue board game, to be replaced with female PhD

Kelly Kinsella, a demonstrator with Hasbro, Inc., shows how a new version of the classic board game Clue now uses text messages as part of the sleuth game, shown in New York on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009, as part of the New York Toy Fair. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

Mrs. White, one of the iconic characters in the board game Clue, has become its latest victim.

Hasbro, the makers of the game, announced they would be dropping her in August to make way for a more diverse character: Dr. Orchid.

Dr. Orchid, a woman who holds a PhD in plant toxicology, was raised by the late Mrs. White.

“It was a difficult decision to say goodbye to Mrs. White—but after 70 years of suspicious activity, we decided that one of the characters had to go,” Hasbro spokesperson Jonathan Berkowitz said in a statement.

There’s been no official reason given for the abrupt change, but TIME reports that the career change marks the first time a woman in the game has had a job outside the house. Ms. Peacock is a retired socialite, Miss Scarlet is listed as a “femme fatale” and Mrs. White had been the maid and chef in the house.

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Hasbro has previously been called out for sexism when its Star Wars merchandise left out the female main character from The Force Awakens from its line of action toys.

READ MORE: #WheresRey? Fans upset after female character left out of Star Wars Monopoly

It’s not the first time the game has been updated: in 2008, it changed Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum’s backstory to keep up with the times, making them a former football star and video game designer, respectively, NPR reported.

It seems to be the latest in a move to update classic media. Marvel Comics recently announced the popular Iron Man mantle will be passed down to a 15-year-old black girl, and Captain America and Thor have both changed race and gender in the past year.

READ MORE: New Iron Man is a 15-year-old black woman, says Marvel

Many say this is a long time coming. A petition called “Change ‘Mrs. White’ to ‘Dr. White’ in Clue/Cluedo” asked Hasbro to update the backstory of the character. (Cluedo is the international version of the game.)

“By portraying her as a white-coated physician, surgeon, or scientist, it would show support for women in general, and give young girls an everyday image of an accomplished professional who just happens to be a woman,” John Chaneski writes on Change.org.

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