Chalk and Chuckles' Critter Heights (item CCPPL119), the box our link goes toPhoto: Chalk and Chuckles
What's in the box: 49 floor tokens and 4 buildingsPhoto: Chalk and Chuckles
Race to the 10th floorPhoto: Chalk and Chuckles
Remember where the high numbers arePhoto: Chalk and Chuckles
Higher numbers go on topPhoto: Chalk and Chuckles
Building up to ten floorsPhoto: Chalk and Chuckles
Video

Family game

Critter Heights

Flip number tokens and race to build a ten-floor tower

2–4players · best with 2-3
10–20 minplaying time
4+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Luck and skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 2 min
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children of about 4 to 7 who are learning numbers up to 50 and which is bigger

Think twice if Your child can't yet compare numbers past 20 and you'd rather not make up simpler rules

How we rate it

Learning curve. One rule, a new floor must be higher than the last, which a five-year-old can follow after one round. It sits at 1 on our scale with UNO and Connect 4, though children need to compare numbers up to 50.

Luck & skill. Which numbers you happen to flip is luck. Remembering where numbers lie and not climbing too high too early are skill, so a careful child usually does better.

Interaction. You can't block anyone directly, but every token another player shows and puts back tells you where a number is, and taking a token means nobody else gets it.

Set-up. Each player takes a starting building, then mix the 49 floor tokens and spread them face down on the table.

Reading. The tokens show numbers only; there are no words to read during play.

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

Is Critter Heights right for you?

Great if

  • Children of about 4 to 7 who are learning numbers up to 50 and which is bigger
  • A first game where a small choice matters: take this floor now, or wait for a better one
  • A short after-school game with a parent that needs no reading
  • A birthday gift or return gift from an Indian maker

Skip it if

  • Your child can't yet compare numbers past 20 and you'd rather not make up simpler rules
  • You want a game for more than four players
  • Your children are 9 or older; one rule and one kind of decision will soon feel too simple

How Critter Heights plays

Set-up: each player takes one of the four starting buildings, which is the ground floor of their tower (it counts as 1). Mix the 49 floor tokens, numbered 2 to 50, and spread them face down on the table.

  • Time to teach: about 3 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The tokens show numbers from 2 to 50, so nobody reads words during play, but children do need to recognise numbers up to 50 and say which is bigger. Table talk can be in Hindi, Tamil or any home language. The instructions are in English as far as we can tell; we found no Hindi edition.
Building up to ten floors · Photo: Chalk and Chuckles

Critter heights explanation video · Chalk and Chuckles · Official

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

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Flip

    Turn over any face-down floor token so you can see its number.

  2. 2
    Build

    If the number is higher than your top floor, you may add it to your tower. If not, show it to everyone and put it back face down.

  3. 3
    Win

    The first player to build a tower of ten floors wins.

Read the official rulesCritter Heights: how to play (Chalk and Chuckles product page) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Critter Heights goes

On your turn, flip over any one token. If its number is higher than the top floor of your building, you may put it on top as a new floor. If you don't want it, or it is too low, show it to everyone and put it back face down in the same place. That is the whole game: there is only one rule, and the floor you add must always be higher than the one below it.

The first player to build a tower of 10 floors (10 tokens) wins, and the game ends there.

The thinking part: don't jump too high too early. If your top floor is 45, only five numbers are left above it, so you can never reach ten floors. Children soon learn to take a middle number early, leave a big one for later, and remember where the numbers that others put back are lying.

For parents: a child needs to compare numbers up to 50, so sit beside a 4-year-old for the first games and read the numbers together. The maker says the rules can be adapted for younger children; one easy way is to play with only the tokens from 2 to 20 and a shorter tower. From about 5 or 6, most children can play on their own once they have the 'higher than' rule.

What's in the box

What's in the box: 49 floor tokens and 4 buildings · Photo: Chalk and Chuckles
  • 4Starting buildings
    one ground floor for each player, counting as 1
  • 49Floor tokens
    numbered 2 to 50
  • 1Instructions

Box: 22.8 × 16.5 × 4.5 cm, 0.41 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

Contents are from Chalk and Chuckles' product page for this box (item code CCPPL119): 4 starting buildings, 49 floor tokens numbered 2 to 50, and instructions. The listing gives the same list, and the maker's 'In the Box' picture (OCR) shows the same tokens and buildings. There is only one edition.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Critter Heights is designed by Chalk and Chuckles, a learning-games company based in New Delhi with its own factory in Kundli, Haryana, and the listing our link goes to is sold by the maker itself. There is no imported version to look for. Our Amazon.in link goes to the maker's own box.

Before you choose

  • The box and the listing should name Chalk and Chuckles (also written Chalk & Chuckles) and say 'Race to 10 floors' on the front
  • Contents: 4 starting buildings and 49 floor tokens numbered 2 to 50, with instructions
  • The box is about 22.8 x 16.5 x 4.5 cm
  • The maker's item code is CCPPL119

What reviewers and players say

We found no independent reviews, parenting blogs or forum threads about Critter Heights, which Chalk and Chuckles added to its shop in 2024, so there is little to go on beyond the maker's own description and a short explanation video. On paper it is a neat twist on memory games: children remember where numbers lie rather than pictures, and each turn asks a small question, take this floor now or wait for a better one. The rule is easy, but children need to compare numbers up to 50, so the youngest players will want an adult beside them at first.

What people love

  • One simple rule that young children can learn in a round
  • Number practice, bigger and smaller up to 50, that doesn't feel like homework
  • Each turn has a real choice, so it is more than luck
  • No reading, so grandparents and children can play in any language

Common complaints

  • Children who can't yet compare numbers up to 50 need an adult or simpler house rules
  • The maker's web page says 1 to 4 players but gives no rules for playing alone
  • No independent feedback yet on how long children stay interested
5 research sources

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

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Questions people ask about Critter Heights

How do you play Critter Heights?

Each player starts with a ground-floor building, and 49 tokens numbered 2 to 50 lie face down. On your turn you flip one token and may add it to your tower only if it is higher than your top floor; otherwise you show it to everyone and put it back. The first to build ten floors wins.

What age is Critter Heights for?

The maker and the box say 4 to 8 years. Children need to compare numbers up to 50, so 4-year-olds usually need a parent beside them at first, and the maker says the rules can be made easier for younger children. Most children of 9 and up will find it too simple.

How many players can play Critter Heights, and can a child play alone?

The box says 2 to 4 players. The maker's web page says 1 to 4 but gives no solo rules; a child on their own could try to build ten floors in as few turns as possible.

How is Critter Heights different from a normal memory game?

There are no pairs to find. You remember where numbers are, and you can only add a floor that is higher than the one before, so you also have to choose when to take a token and when to wait. It practises number order as well as memory.

Is Critter Heights made in India?

It comes from Chalk and Chuckles, an Indian company that lists its own factory in Kundli, Haryana. The maker's pages for this game don't state the country of origin, so check the box or the listing if it matters to you.

Game facts

Publisher
Chalk and Chuckles (Chalk and Chuckles Products Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, India)
In India
Chalk and Chuckles, an Indian company (registered office in New Delhi, factory in Kundli, Haryana), which makes and sells the game in India
First published
2024
Players
The box front says 2 to 4 players. The maker's web page says 1 to 4 but gives no rules for playing alone, so we count it from 2.
Barcode
8906045561198
Language
No reading – The tokens show numbers from 2 to 50, so nobody reads words during play, but children do need to recognise numbers up to 50 and say which is bigger. Table talk can be in Hindi, Tamil or any home language. The instructions are in English as far as we can tell; we found no Hindi edition.
Box size and weight
22.8 × 16.5 × 4.5 cm, 0.41 kg
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.