Mattel's Travel Tumblin' Monkeys (item GMM92), the box our link goes toPhoto: Toycra
What's in the box: base, tree, 30 sticks and 24 monkeysPhoto: Toycra
Set up and ready to playPhoto: Toycra
Pull a stick and try not to let the monkeys fallPhoto: Toycra
The base doubles as the carrying casePhoto: Toycra
The back of the box sold in India: contents, and made in IndiaPhoto: Toycra
Video

Family game

Travel Tumblin' Monkeys

Travel-size Tumblin' Monkeys: pull sticks, and keep the monkeys in the tree

2–4players · best with 2-3
5–15 minplaying time
5+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 Train and car journeys, school holidays at the grandparents' and waiting rooms, with everything packed in the base

Think twice if You already own Travel Kerplunk: Mattel's two travel sheets list the same contents counts and the same rules, and only the theme differs

How we rate it

Learning curve. One rule: pull a stick without letting monkeys fall. It sits at 1 on our scale with UNO, Connect 4 and Jenga.

Luck & skill. With no die in the travel rules, you choose every stick, so a steady hand and a good eye matter most; how the monkeys settle after each pull still adds luck.

Interaction. Each stick you take changes the tree for the next player, so leaving them a risky pull is the main tactic.

Set-up. The first time, an adult assembles the tree and cuts the sticks off their frame. After that, push the 30 sticks through and drop in the monkeys: a couple of minutes.

Reading. Nothing to read during play; only the instruction sheet has words.

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

Is Travel Tumblin' Monkeys right for you?

Great if

  • Train and car journeys, school holidays at the grandparents' and waiting rooms, with everything packed in the base
  • Children from 5 who love animals: the monkey theme makes a simple stick-pulling game feel like a story
  • A small birthday or return gift for a 5 to 8-year-old
  • A parent or older cousin playing with a young child, since a steady hand counts for more than age

Skip it if

  • You already own Travel Kerplunk: Mattel's two travel sheets list the same contents counts and the same rules, and only the theme differs
  • You want the full-size game's colour die, where a roll decides which stick you must pull
  • Toddlers are around: the monkey pieces are small marbles, and Mattel says the game is not for children under 3

How Travel Tumblin' Monkeys plays

Set-up: the first time, an adult snaps the tree's three side pieces together, puts the lid on, seats the tree firmly in the game base and cuts the 30 sticks off their frame with safety scissors. To set up a game, push the sticks, in three colours, through the holes on every level of the tree in any order. Then drop the 24 monkeys in at the top, and put back any that fall straight through.

  • Time to teach: about 2 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read while playing: you pull sticks and watch the monkeys. Only the instruction sheet has words, so it works in any home language.
Set up and ready to play · Photo: Toycra

Tumblin' Monkeys Game from Mattel · TTPM Toy Reviews

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A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Pull

    Pull out one stick of your choice, always from the highest level of the tree that still has sticks.

  2. 2
    Keep

    Any monkeys that fall during your turn are yours to keep.

  3. 3
    Win

    When every monkey has fallen, the player who let the fewest fall wins.

Read the official rules (PDF)Travel Tumblin' Monkeys instructions (Mattel, item GMM92) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Travel Tumblin' Monkeys goes

A turn: the youngest player goes first. On your turn, pull out one stick of your choice, but always from the highest level that still has sticks, as Mattel's travel rules say. Any monkeys that fall during your turn are yours to keep.

Winning: play goes on until every monkey has fallen out of the tree, and the player who let the fewest fall wins. Then everything goes back into the base, which is also the storage unit.

How it differs from the full-size game: Mattel's full-size Tumblin' Monkeys (item 52563) has a translucent palm tree, 30 monkeys, 30 sticks and a special die. You roll the die and must pull a stick of the colour it shows, or miss your turn if that colour is gone. Travel Tumblin' Monkeys (item GMM92) lists 24 'monkey marbles', 30 sticks in three colours and no die, so every pull is your own choice within the highest-level rule. Its sheet matches Mattel's Travel Kerplunk sheet almost line for line, with monkeys in a tree instead of marbles in a tower.

Tip: for a first game with a 5-year-old, you can drop the highest-level rule as a house rule, then add it once they have the idea. Before each pull, look at which sticks the monkeys are really resting on, and pull slowly and straight.

What's in the box

What's in the box: base, tree, 30 sticks and 24 monkeys · Photo: Toycra
  • 1Game base / storage unit
    catches falling monkeys and holds every piece after the game
  • 1Tree
    in four parts: three side pieces that snap together and a lid
  • 24Monkey marbles
  • 30Sticks
    in three colours, on a plastic frame that an adult cuts apart

Box: 0.225 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From the contents list on Mattel's instruction sheet for item GMM92 (©2019); no die is listed. The back of the box sold in India lists the same contents. Mattel's full-size Tumblin' Monkeys (item 52563) has 30 monkeys, 30 sticks, a translucent palm tree and a special die.

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

Travel Tumblin' Monkeys is Mattel's own travel box, item GMM92, sold through Mattel's store on Amazon.in, and our Amazon.in link goes to it. It is made in India: the back of the box sold here is printed Made in India and names Micro Plastics, in Harohalli, Karnataka, as the maker and Mattel Toys (India) as the marketer.

Before you choose

  • The listing should name Mattel and Tumblin' Monkeys, and sell through Mattel's store on Amazon.in
  • Mattel's instruction sheet for this box is headed 'Don't let the Monkeys fall!' and carries the code GMM92
  • Inside: one game base that doubles as storage, a tree in four parts (three sides and a lid), 24 monkey marbles and 30 sticks in three colours
  • An Indian store lists the barcode 887961858716 for this item, so the barcode on the box should match
  • Unbranded monkey-and-stick tree games are different products, even when a listing borrows the Tumblin' Monkeys name

What reviewers and players say

We found no written reviews of Travel Tumblin' Monkeys or of the full-size game, so this rests on Mattel's own descriptions and rules. It is a short game of nerve for young children: pick a stick, hope the monkeys stay put, and the fewest fallers wins. Mattel's travel rules leave out the full-size game's colour die, which turns it into a game of choice and steady hands, exactly like Travel Kerplunk. The catch with any marble game on a journey applies too: small pieces to round up after every game.

What people love

  • A bright monkey theme that young children take to
  • One rule, so it is learned in a minute
  • Everything stores in the base when you're done
  • No reading, so it works in any language at home

Common complaints

  • Small pieces to collect after every game
  • It plays the same as Travel Kerplunk, so owning both adds little
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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Travel-size Tumblin' Monkeys: pull sticks, and keep the monkeys in the tree

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Players2–42–42–62–4
Best with2-32-32-43-4
Play time5–15 min5–15 min10–30 min10–15 min
Age5+5+5+4+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionAvailableImported–Imported
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Questions people ask about Travel Tumblin' Monkeys

What is the difference between Travel Tumblin' Monkeys and Tumblin' Monkeys?

Both are about pulling sticks without letting monkeys fall, and the fewest fallen monkeys wins. The full-size game has a bigger palm tree, 30 monkeys and a die that decides the colour of stick you pull. The travel box has a small tree in a storage base, 24 monkeys, no die, and a rule that sticks come from the highest level first.

Is Travel Tumblin' Monkeys the same as Travel Kerplunk?

Nearly. Mattel's sheets for the two travel boxes list the same contents (a storage base, a four-part tower or tree, 24 marbles and 30 sticks in three colours) and the same rules. The difference is the theme: monkey pieces in a tree instead of plain marbles in a tower.

How many players can play Travel Tumblin' Monkeys?

Mattel's instruction sheet marks it for 2 to 4 players aged 5 and up. The Amazon.in listing's player field says single player, which doesn't match Mattel's rules, though a child can of course practise alone.

Is there a die in Travel Tumblin' Monkeys?

No die appears in Mattel's contents list or rules for the travel box. You pick any stick, as long as it is on the highest level that still has sticks. The full-size game uses a colour die.

Is Travel Tumblin' Monkeys made in India?

Yes. The back of the box sold in India is printed Made in India. It names Micro Plastics, in Harohalli, Karnataka, as the maker and Mattel Toys (India) as the marketer.

Game facts

Publisher
Mattel (Mattel Games)
In India
Mattel Toys (India) Pvt Ltd
First published
2020
Players
2–4
Barcode
887961858716
Language
No reading – Nothing to read while playing: you pull sticks and watch the monkeys. Only the instruction sheet has words, so it works in any home language.
Box size and weight
0.225 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.