Top 8 Industries That Use Prop Money

There are numerous industries that require money to make a photo, video, scene or game realistic.

Obviously, these industries can’t use loads of real cash! So, what do they use? Fake money that looks real, which is also known as prop money.

Of course, each industry requires a different type and quality of fake currency depending what they’re using it for.

You may be wondering what industries use it. Here’s a list of industries that use prop cash and what they use it for.

1. Movies

Many movies use prop currency for the SHOCK FACTOR.

One of the most famous movies that used it is “The Dark Night”. In this crazy scene, the infamous Joker burned more than five billion dollars of fake bills. Yes…five billion.

The scene was insane and definitely shocked the audience. In this scene the money was being burned, and so there wasn’t a chance for the producers to use real money.

In this movie, they used full print front and back prop money for the cinematic effect of the Joker sliding over the pyramid of money.

For movies to deliver such great scenes they must buy loads of prop bills that are realistic enough for the camera but not too realistic that they fool people in real life.

Another famous movie that used prop cash was “Rush Hour 2”. This movie required even more realistic money than “The Dark Night”!

The producers placed an order of 1 trillion dollars of fake bills, which cost them around $100,000. Unfortunately, this fake money was TOO realistic.

It was so realistic that people stole some bills from the set and attempted to use it for their purchases. After this scandal, the authorities confiscated the money and destroyed it.

Of course, this was a lesson for the prop money industry. Nowadays, prop bills have visible and identifiable differences. Find out more about movie prop money!

2. TV Shows

As there are many movies that use counterfeit money, there are also many TV shows that use it. A few examples of TV shows that use fake money include “Breaking Bad”, “Money Heist”, “Prison Break”, and many more.

SPOILER ALERT! The iconic scene in Prison Break where Michael and the others find Westmoreland’s 5 million dollars, definitely included prop bills.

It’s likely that the producers chose to use full print front and back prop money, since the actors had to check if the money was real.

Another TV show that literally revolves around fake money is “La Casa De Papel”, also known as “Money Heist”! This TV show involves an unusual group of robbers attempting to steal 2.4 billion euros.

Of course, such a large sum of money being used in the film industry must be fake. Fake currency is crucial in the production of movies and TV shows as it makes the storyline more realistic at a lower cost than using real money.

3. Music Industry  

In the music industry, many singers produce creative music videos that involve stacks of cash.

Whether that be rappers flaunting money or singers setting up a cinematic scene in their music video, producers need prop currency to create those videos. Most of the time, they use fake bills that look realistic enough for the camera.

Of course, choosing whether or not to use real money depends on the amount of money required and the fate of that money.

Since music videos don’t generally destroy the money, the production team can choose to use real money by simply including it in their budget.

Some of them throw the cash up in the air with all the fans and cool effects which they can simply recollect! Artists like Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and many more create extreme and shocking music videos through the prop cash industry.

4. YouTube

Ranging from pranks to social experiments, prop cash is heavily used on YouTube.

There are countless pranks on YouTube that use blank filler prop money in large sums. These pranks tend to involve an actor dropping the money in the streets and watching people’s reactions.

Surprisingly, many people choose to steal a band of cash. If only they knew it was all fake and that they’re on camera! Other pranks include people being offered the money.

One of the more famous pranks involved people being offered 100,000 dollars for their dogs! Thankfully, none of them accepted the offer.

Another prank hired an actor to be a hitman who was exchanging a bag full of fake money stacks for random people’s bags. In this prank, many people fought back, but later tried to negotiate for the money!

The more famous social experiments involved people dropping fake bills in public and seeing whether people would return it to the rightful owner or not.

Unfortunately, many people choose to keep the money. But, then again, if only they knew it was actually fake money! Read our blog about the most famous prop money pranks!

5. Magic Tricks

Another forgotten part of the entertainment industry that requires fake currency is magic! In magic tricks, many magicians use money that they rip in half, burn, or throw away just for their show.

Obviously, such magicians can’t simply throw away their own money, and so they resort to fake bills. Each magic trick is different and would require a different type.

For example, if the trick is done up close, then the magician would need to use high-quality full print front and back prop money. However, the simpler the trick, the more likely it is for the magician to use less realistic prop cash.

Magic tricks of a larger caliber could use blank filler prop money as it’s cheaper and easily accessible.

6. Fashion Industry

Prop currency is also used in the fashion industry! During creative photoshoots, photographers may use fake money to convey a certain message or advertise a certain product.

Famous modelling shows like “America’s Next Top Model” used it in many photoshoots.

There’s a specific episode in the show where the theme focused on the seven deadly sins. One of the sins, greed, was showcased through the model being showered with money in a grave!

Of course, considering the amount of money used in the photo and not to mention again that it was in a grave… it must have been fake money.

Another part of the fashion industry that uses fake currency is the clothes-designing process.

There have been several cases in which the models’ dresses were actually made of counterfeit money! These dresses must have an underlying fabric that the money is later attached to.

Such outfits definitely WOW the audience and add an interesting spin to the fashion show. These designers would use full print front and back prop money in order to create a gorgeous and realistic “money” dress.

7. Tabletop Game Industry

A more distinct industry that uses prop currency is the tabletop game industry. Or simply, board games.

Of course, the first board game involving money that comes to mind is Monopoly.

A board game that uses counterfeit money that actually looks similar to real money is “The Allowance Game”. This board game is heavily used for skill-building.

Another board game that uses relatively realistic fake money is “Money Bags”. The prop bills used in board games are likely cheap, because there wasn’t much effort put into the art of making them look realistic.

8. Education Industry

In the education industry, fake money is used and it’s called play money. Play money is used to teach children above the age of 3 about the different notes and bills.

Sets of play money can also include coins in order to educate children a about all the forms of money.

Play money aids with skill development, more specifically money skills, money identification, counting, fine motor, and self-help.

Through visual and tactile learning, it helps children learn how to make change, identify values, add and subtract to calculate the due change, and more.

In conclusion, there is a WIDE range of industries that use prop bills. The biggest industry being the entertainment industry, since it involves all the media production.

The use of fake bills in movies, videos, and TV shows was a necessary step for the growth of the entertainment industry. Not only does it make the production realistic, but it also gets the SHOCK value from the audience.

The music and fashion industry were both rather forgotten when it came to the use of counterfeit money. However, they use it a lot too and for purposes that are very similar to those of the entertainment industry.

As for the tabletop game industry, of which most people have come across when they were younger, the use of prop bills was an essential part of many of the games.

Although each industry requires a different quality of counterfeit money, all its types are still easily recognized as fake. Here at BUZZPROPS LLC, we can offer you high-quality prop money and cheap prop money that will benefit you regardless of your industry!