Game Review: ‘Monkey See Monkey Poo’ from Spin Master

Monkey See Monkey Poo from Spin Master is so much fun you might think of it as a toy with organized play, rather than what most people think of as a board game.

Even long before move-around-the-board games, games like marbles and tiddlywinks captured the free time of kids and adults alike. Today Monkey See Monkey Poo joins the list, reminiscent of classics like the Weapons & Warriors games where players competed to knock over each others’ knights, or the more modern Flick ‘em Up! game of flicking wooden tiles, though much less violent and infinitely sillier.

Perfect for the whole family, Monkey See Monkey Poo will have everyone howling with laughter as they work to gather bananas.

Set up to Play

Like many aim-and-fire games, Monkey See Monkey Poo first requires a bit of setup. The plastic Monkey Flinger is the main piece of action, and it goes together easily with just a few steps, many of which can be disassembled for compact storage. Similarly, the Tree Gameboard requires you to slide pieces together for stability on the backdrop, which will stand nearly a foot tall.

The main components are made of durable plastic for the monkey, thick cardboard for the tree, and plastic rope for the vines, together making Monkey See Monkey Poo a game that will last through a lot of energetic play.

Aim and Fling

Once the pieces are assembled, a game of Monkey See Monkey Poo can begin. The youngest player goes first, spinning to see how many “flings,” or launches of the poo, they will have for their turn.

They then take the banana-scented “poo” dough and mush out a measured amount. This will be split over the player’s turn, meaning they will have to decide whether they will want to even it all out, or give some heavier throws or some lighter ones.

Players also decide how they want to mold their “poo,” for example as an aerodynamic meatball; a long log that might give more surface area to strike; or even pellets that could break up in the air to hopefully hit multiple targets at once.

After aiming and loading a round into the monkey’s hands, the player “shoots” it by whacking the plastic launcher. This action is the core skill of the game, requiring a player to master not only direction (pointing the Monkey Flinger) but also how much strength to apply to the whack. Players will want to practice carefully to know what is too much and what is too little for any given amount of dough.

For each Banana Bunch knocked over by hitting the Tree Gameboard, the player receives a banana token. These add up in the race to be the first monkey to the top of the tree and win the game.

Go Bananas

Monkey See Monkey Poo is a game for two to four players age four and up. With its straightforward rules and action-based play, not to mention the hilarious theme, it’s an excellent game for family night. Players young and older alike will have fun while practicing and refining their fine-motor skills and depth judgment as they take aim with the Flinger to see where the poo may land.