HABA's Animal Upon Animal (current compact box)Photo: HABA USA
29 wooden animals and a diePhoto: HABA USA
How high can the pile go?Photo: HABA USA
Place your animal with one handPhoto: HABA USA
For grandparents and grandchildrenPhoto: HABA USA
The die decides what you placePhoto: HABA USA
Video

Family game

Animal Upon Animal

Roll the die and pile wooden animals onto a crocodile's back

2–4players · best with 3-4
10–15 minplaying time
4+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Luck and skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
Under a minute
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children from 4 playing with grown-ups: steady hands matter more than age, so little ones can win

Think twice if There is a toddler at home who still puts things in their mouth: HABA rates it for 4 and up, and the animals are small

How we rate it

Learning curve. Roll, place, and try not to knock the pile over. A four-year-old can follow it, so it sits at 1 on our scale with UNO and Jenga.

Luck & skill. The die decides how many animals you place and whether others pick for you, but a steady hand and a good eye for where an animal will balance decide most games.

Interaction. Everyone builds the same pile, and the hand and question-mark faces let others hand you their awkward animals or choose yours.

Set-up. Put the crocodile in the middle of a flat table and give each player seven different animals.

Reading. No text on the pieces or the die. Only the rules leaflet needs reading, once.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

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Is Animal Upon Animal right for you?

Great if

  • Children from 4 playing with grown-ups: steady hands matter more than age, so little ones can win
  • A short game of about 15 minutes after school, or a quick round while dinner is cooking
  • Grandparents and grandchildren who speak different languages: there is nothing to read
  • A lasting gift: HABA's colourful wooden animals are well made, which reviewers praise

Skip it if

  • There is a toddler at home who still puts things in their mouth: HABA rates it for 4 and up, and the animals are small
  • You want a game with more choices for older children: it is mostly steady hands and the luck of the die
  • You only have a wobbly or soft surface to play on: the rules ask for a flat, even table

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Spiel des Jahres jury recommendation list, 2005 (Recommended)

How Animal Upon Animal plays

Set-up: put the wooden crocodile in the middle of a flat table. It is the bottom of the pile. Each player takes seven different animals. With fewer than four players the spare animals stay in the box, or you can share them out for a longer game. HABA's rules say the player who can stand on one leg like a flamingo for longest goes first.

  • Time to teach: about 2 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read during play: the die shows dots and pictures, and everything else is wooden animals. HABA's rules leaflet includes English along with German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian, and the game is easy to explain in any home language.
How high can the pile go? · Photo: HABA USA

Board Game Review: Animal Upon Animal · TheBoardGameFamily

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Roll

    Roll the die: it tells you to place one animal, two animals, an animal beside the crocodile, give an animal to someone else, or let others choose yours.

  2. 2
    Stack

    Place your animal on the pile with one hand. If one or two fall, take them back; if more fall, take two and the rest go in the box.

  3. 3
    Win

    The first player to get rid of all seven of their animals wins.

Read the official rules (PDF)Animal Upon Animal - game instructions (HABA) · German, English, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian
The full explanation: how a game of Animal Upon Animal goes

A turn: roll the die. One dot means place one of your animals anywhere on the pile; two dots means place two, one after the other. The crocodile means put an animal on the table touching the crocodile's nose or tail, which makes the base wider. The hand means give one of your animals to another player, who has to place it. The question mark means the other players choose which of your animals you must place. Always place animals with one hand.

When things fall: if one or two animals tumble off, you take them back. If more than two fall, you take back two and the rest go in the box. If the whole pile collapses, you take two, the crocodile goes back in the middle and everything else goes in the box. The first player with no animals left wins and, says HABA, is the best animal stacker of the day.

Tips and variants: look for flat, steady spots before you place, and when you roll the hand, pass a rival your most awkward animal. For older players, HABA's rules suggest taking back up to five fallen animals instead of two, or placing your last animal without rolling. There is also a solo challenge: how many animals can you pile on the crocodile before it all comes down?

What's in the box

29 wooden animals and a die · Photo: HABA USA
  • 1Wooden crocodile
    the base of the pile, placed in the middle of the table
  • 28Wooden animals
    four each of toucans, sheep, snakes, monkeys, penguins, hedgehogs and lizards
  • 1Wooden die
    shows one dot, two dots, a crocodile, a hand and a question mark
  • 1Rules leaflet
    in German, English, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian

Box: 0.41 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From HABA USA's page for the compact box (1 crocodile and four each of seven animals, a wooden die and instructions) and HABA's rules leaflet (29 wooden animals and 1 die with symbols). An Indian store's listing also gives 29 wooden animals and a die. Older boxes are believed to hold the same pieces, but the box we link was not checked. The Christmas tin edition has different, holiday-themed pieces.

Where to buy

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How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Animal Upon Animal is HABA's game and has no Indian edition, so every copy sold in India is imported. Our Amazon.in button goes to HABA's classic Animal Upon Animal listing, which is the version to buy for the full 29-animal game.

Before you choose

  • The box and the rules leaflet carry the HABA logo, and the listing names HABA as the brand
  • Inside: 29 wooden animals, made up of one crocodile and four each of toucans, sheep, snakes, monkeys, penguins, hedgehogs and lizards, plus one wooden die
  • The die shows one dot, two dots, a crocodile, a hand and a question mark
  • Wooden 'stacking animals' or 'balance' games sold under other brand names are different products, even when the animals look similar
  • The Christmas tin and the Junior box are real HABA games, but with different pieces from the classic set

What reviewers and players say

Animal Upon Animal is a long-running HABA children's game (HABA says it has sold over a million copies), and the Spiel des Jahres jury put it on its 2005 recommendation list. A family review praises the sturdy, colourful wooden animals, the quick setup and the die, which gives young children a real chance to beat their parents; the family say it is hard to play just once. One board game writer calls it a family favourite for years, while another prefers a later version with extra twists. Its limits are simple: it is mostly dexterity and luck, so older children may move on to tougher stacking games.

What people love

  • Chunky, colourful wooden animals in HABA's usual sturdy quality
  • Quick to set up and short to play, so families start another round straight away
  • The die gives small children a real chance to win against grown-ups
  • Silly, wobbly stacks are fun even for players who don't mind who wins

Common complaints

  • Some fans prefer later versions, such as Here We Turn with its tipping platform, for more of a challenge
  • With two or three players only seven animals each are used, so part of the set sits in the box unless you play HABA's variant
  • It needs a flat, steady table; a soft or uneven surface makes the pile fall too easily
Based on 5 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Animal Upon Animal and alternatives: reasons to consider them, players, play time, age, rules and Indian editions.
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Animal Upon Animal box Animal Upon Animal
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Why consider itThis game

Roll the die and pile wooden animals onto a crocodile's back

A different fit

HABA's other wobbly stacking game, building a tower from card walls and roofs

A different fit

Roll a die and stack pieces on a tower that tips and sways

A different fit

The classic steady-hands tower game, for slightly older children

Players2–42–52–41–8
Best with3-43-53-43-5
Play time10–15 min5–15 min15–30 min5–15 min
Age4+5+6+6+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionImportedImportedAvailableAvailable
On this pageExplore Rhino Hero Explore Topple Explore Jenga

Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Animal Upon Animal Junior – HABA's simpler stacking set for children from 2.

Questions people ask about Animal Upon Animal

What age is Animal Upon Animal for?

HABA's rules say ages 4 to 99. Four-year-olds can play properly with a grown-up beside them, and adults enjoy it too because a steady hand matters more than age. The wooden animals are small, so keep them away from toddlers.

How many animals come in Animal Upon Animal?

There are 29 wooden animals: one crocodile, which forms the base, and four each of toucans, sheep, snakes, monkeys, penguins, hedgehogs and lizards. There is also a wooden die. Each player uses seven animals, one of each kind.

Is Animal Upon Animal made in India?

No. It's an imported HABA game, and there is no Indian edition.

What is the difference between Animal Upon Animal and Rhino Hero?

Both are HABA stacking games. In Animal Upon Animal you pile wooden animals onto a crocodile, and it suits children from 4. In Rhino Hero you build a card tower with wall and roof cards and climb it with a wooden rhino, and it is rated for 5 and up.

Can a child play Animal Upon Animal alone?

Yes. HABA's rules include a solo challenge: see how many animals you can pile on the crocodile before the stack collapses, then try to beat your record.

Game facts

Designed by
Klaus Miltenberger
Publisher
HABA, Germany
First published
2005
Players
2–4
Language
No reading – Nothing to read during play: the die shows dots and pictures, and everything else is wooden animals. HABA's rules leaflet includes English along with German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian, and the game is easy to explain in any home language.
Box size and weight
0.41 kg
Awards
Spiel des Jahres jury recommendation list, 2005 (Recommended)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.