- Set-up
- About 5 min
- Reading
- None
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Toddlers and preschoolers from 3 who can't sit through a board game yet but love to run, reach and throw
Think twice if You often have four or more children playing at once: there are only nine rings, three each for three players
How we rate it
Learning curve. Press the button and get your rings over his head. Nothing to learn beyond keeping your feet still, so it sits at the easiest end of our scale with Jenga and Connect 4.
Luck & skill. Aim and timing matter, but the worm sways and spins unpredictably, so a ring that looked perfect can bounce off. There's no strategy to speak of.
Interaction. Everyone plays at the same time, racing to hoop the same wobbling head. There's no blocking or attacking.
Set-up. The first time, an adult fits two C batteries with a screwdriver. After that, join the tubes, fix the head and clear some floor space: a couple of minutes.
Reading. No text during play; an adult reads the assembly and battery instructions once.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Is Wobbly Worm right for you?
Great if
- Toddlers and preschoolers from 3 who can't sit through a board game yet but love to run, reach and throw
- Mixed ages at home: take tubes off for little ones and add them back, or step further away, for older children
- Birthday parties and play dates, indoors on a hard floor or outside on the verandah or terrace
- Practising hand-eye coordination and taking a turn at the start button without anyone noticing it's practice
Skip it if
- You often have four or more children playing at once: there are only nine rings, three each for three players
- You don't want to buy batteries: the worm needs two C batteries that aren't in the box, plus a small Phillips screwdriver
- You're after something for older children to play for an evening; this is a short burst of action for little ones
How Wobbly Worm plays
Set-up: the first time, an adult fits two C batteries behind the screwed battery doors, using a Phillips screwdriver. Join the light and dark green tubes with the connectors, fix them into the apple base, then screw the neck and the worm's head on top. Use one or two tubes for younger players and three or four for older ones; with all four, the worm stands about three feet tall. Stand him on a hard floor with space all round.
- Time to teach: about 2 minutes.
- Reading and language: Nothing to read during play: children pick a ring colour, press the start button and aim. An adult reads the one-page English instruction sheet once, mainly to assemble the worm and fit the batteries.
Spin Master | Wobbly Worm - Come Grab Some Rings, Let's Play! · Spin Master · Official
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Build
Join one to four tubes into the apple base and fix the head on top: fewer tubes for little ones, more for older players.
- 2Start
Everyone steps back (one big step, or three for the throwing game) and someone presses the start button to set the worm wobbling.
- 3Hoop
Place or toss your three rings over his swaying head, one ring at a time, without moving your feet.
- 4Win
The first player to get all three of their rings over the worm's head wins.
The full explanation: how a game of Wobbly Worm goes
Basic game, for the youngest: each player takes three rings of one colour, puts a hand on the worm's head and takes one big step back, then stays put. Someone presses the start button and the worm begins to wobble, his head swaying from side to side. Everyone reaches out and tries to drop a ring over his head, holding only one ring at a time and keeping their feet still.
Advanced game, for older children: everyone takes three big steps back instead, and that spot is their home base. Press start and throw your rings over the worm's head from home base. If all three of your throws miss, grab your rings, jump back to home base and try again.
How you win: in both games the first player to get all three of their rings over the worm's head wins. Press the button again to stop him between rounds.
Tip: each set has a large, a medium and a small ring, and the big one is the easiest to land, so little ones can start with it. For a fairer game across ages, give older children an extra tube or a few more steps back. Outdoors there's room for longer throws.
What's in the box
- 1Apple base
the assembled tubes fix into it - 1Wobbly Worm head
- 1Neck connector
screws onto the head and fits on top of the tubes - 4Tubes
two light green and two dark green, joined to make the worm's body - 3Tube connectors
- 9Rings
three colours; each player's set has a large, a medium and a small ring - 1Instruction sheet
one page, in English
Box: 26.7 × 26.7 × 8.3 cm, 0.8 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.
From Funskool's instruction sheet for this box ('4 Tubes, 3 Connectors, Wobbly Worm Head, Neck Connector, Apple Base, 9 Rings') and Funskool's page ('Wobbly Worm, 9 rings, instructions'). Not included: two C (R14) 1.5V batteries and the Phillips screwdriver needed to open the battery doors. Ring sizes are from a 2017 review of the game.
Where to buy
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Wobbly Worm is a get-up-and-move game for toddlers and preschoolers, and the parents and toy writers who reviewed it in 2017 liked it for exactly that. They praised the quick set-up and the way the adjustable height lets it grow with a child, from the lowest level for a two-and-a-half-year-old to all four tubes for older children. The Toy Insider found the wobble quite lively at full height and the game even more fun outdoors, where there's room for longer throws. The main complaint is that the nine rings only cover three players, and the batteries are extra.
What people love
- Gets little children up, moving and laughing instead of sitting still
- The height changes with the tubes, so the same game works for a toddler and an older sibling
- Quick to put together and simple enough to explain in a minute
- Works indoors on a rainy day and outdoors, where you can throw from further away
Common complaints
- Only nine rings, so no more than three can play at once
- Needs two C batteries that aren't included, and a screwdriver to fit them
- Needs a hard floor and a fair amount of open space around the worm
Based on 5 reviews and discussions
- Review Wiggle and Giggle with Wobbly Worm (Kristen Nelson, February 2017) · The Toy Insider
- Review Review: Wobbly Worm by Spin Master (Michelle, July 2017) · Playdays and Runways
- Review Wobbly Worm Toy Review (Angela Thayer, March 2017) · Teaching Mama
- Reference Spin Master Sets Standard for the Leading Edge of Play with 2017 Portfolio (Spin Master, February 2017) · Spin Master
- Video Wobbly Worm from Spin Master (TTPM, February 2017; description read, video not watched) · YouTube - TTPM Toy Reviews
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Hoop your rings over a wobbling, spinning worm before anyone else | A different fit Another loud, fast action game for small children where everyone plays at once | A different fit A race-against-the-timer action game for when the children are a little older | A different fit A steady-hands dexterity game for young children, building a tower instead of tossing rings |
| Players | 2–3 | 2–4 | 1+ | 2–5 |
| Best with | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3-5 |
| Play time | 5–15 min | 5–10 min | 5–10 min | 5–15 min |
| Age | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 5+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Available | Available | Available | Imported |
| On this page | Explore Hungry Hungry Hippos | Explore Perfection | Explore Rhino Hero |
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Questions people ask about Wobbly Worm
Does Wobbly Worm need batteries?
Yes. The worm needs two C size (R14) 1.5V batteries, and they aren't included. The battery doors are held by screws, so you'll also need a small Phillips screwdriver, and the rule sheet says an adult should change them.
What age is Wobbly Worm for?
Spin Master's box and instruction sheet and Funskool's own page all say 3 years and up, and Spin Master launched it as a preschool game. Some listings say 5 and up, but the maker's age is 3+. Older children and adults can join in by adding tubes and throwing from further away.
How many children can play Wobbly Worm?
Two or three. There are nine rings, three in each of three colours, so each player has one set. With more children you'll need to take turns or play in pairs.
How do you make Wobbly Worm easier or harder?
Change the number of tubes: one or two for younger players, three or four for older ones, and the worm wobbles more the taller he is. You can also choose the basic game, where you stand one big step away and place the rings, or the advanced game, where you throw from three big steps away.
Is Funskool's Wobbly Worm the original Spin Master game?
Yes. Funskool makes Spin Master's Wobbly Worm in India, and its instruction sheet carries Spin Master's trademark and says 'Made in India'. Funskool's own product page links to the same Amazon.in listing we use.
Game facts
- Publisher
- Spin Master (Spin Master Games); made in India by Funskool
- In India
- Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai, which makes and sells Spin Master's Wobbly Worm in India
- First published
- 2017
- Players
- 2–3
- Barcode
- 778988661222
- Language
- No reading – Nothing to read during play: children pick a ring colour, press the start button and aim. An adult reads the one-page English instruction sheet once, mainly to assemble the worm and fit the batteries.
- Box size and weight
- 26.7 × 26.7 × 8.3 cm, 0.8 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.
- Funskool - Wobbly Worm product page
- Funskool - Wobbly Worm 2024 instruction sheet
- Spin Master - Spin Master Sets Standard for the Leading Edge of Play with 2017 Portfolio (17 Feb 2017)
- The Toy Insider - Wiggle and Giggle with Wobbly Worm (Feb 2017)
- Playdays and Runways - Review: Wobbly Worm by Spin Master (Jul 2017)
- Teaching Mama - Wobbly Worm Toy Review (Mar 2017)
- Toycra - Funskool Wobbly Worm