Components

• 55 cards
• 36 number cards (6 each of 1 - 6 )
• 4 wild monkeys
• 4 Hello My Name is Skip
• 3 elephant
• 3 giraffe
• 3 raccoon
• 2 Do Not Disturb
• Rulebook

Object of the Game

Primo the Monkey just wants a good night sleep, but his friends have crashed in for a noisy slumber party. Help Primo get back to bed by flipping and swapping cards in numerical order over a number of rounds.

Each time you're the first to get all of your cards face up in sequence, you're dealt one less card. The first player to get down to just one face up card wins.

Setup

Shuffle the deck and deal each player a row of six face down cards. (No peeking!) If there isn't room for a single row of six cards, you may also arrange them into two rows of three.

Stack the rest of the cards face down in the center of the playing area to form the draw pile. Once the game gets going, there will also be a discard pile next to the draw pile where cards are placed face up.

Game Play

Too Many Monkeys is played in rounds. The first round starts with the player who can make the best monkey noise and, if you're playing north of the Equator, continues in a clockwise direction.

Begin every turn by drawing either:

• the top face down card from the draw pile or
• the top card from the discard pile if it's a numbered monkey card that is not already face up in front of you. You may never draw special cards from the discard pile.

If your drawn card features a numbered monkey that is not already face up in front of you, swap it face up with the face down card in the position that matches the number on the card you drew.

(For example, if you draw a 3 monkey card, pick up the third card from the left and put the 3 you just drew face up in its place).

Now look at the card you just swapped. If it is a numbered monkey that you do not already have face up, repeat the process. Continue flipping and swapping cards until one of the following happens:

You draw or flip over a numbered monkey card that is already face up in front of you. End your turn by placing the duplicate card face up on the discard pile. Play passes to the left.

You draw or flip over a numbered monkey card that is greater than the amount of cards in front of you. End your turn by placing the card face up on the discard pile. Play passes to the left.

You draw or flip over a special card. See "Special Cards" below.

Note: The above three rules also apply to the card you draw at the beginning of your turn.

Special Cards

Wild Monkey

A wild monkey acts just like a numbered monkey card, only it may be swapped with any of your face down cards!

If you draw or flip over a wild monkey card, choose any of your remaining face down cards and replace it with the wild monkey card.

Bonus: If later in the round you draw a numbered monkey card that matches the position of a wild monkey card, you may swap the numbered monkey card for the wild card and continue your turn by playing the wild monkey card in place of another face down card.

Giraffe

Sorry giraffe, but this is a monkeys-only slumber party. (You're too big to fit in the door!)

If you draw or flip over a giraffe card, your turn ends immediately. Place it on top of the discard pile.

Elephant

Didn't you hear what we just said to the giraffe? Monkeys only! If you draw or flip over an elephant card, your turn ends immediately.

Place it on top of the discard pile.

Raccoon

If you draw or flip over a raccoon card, you get to search the discard pile for a numbered monkey card you need! Place the raccoon card on top of the discard pile and then look through the rest of the face up cards.

If you find a number card you need, take it from the discard pile and swap it for the corresponding face down card. Continue your turn if you can play the card you flipped over.

If you can't find a number card you need, your turn is over and play passes to the left.

Note: You may only pick number cards from the discard pile!

Do Not Disturb

This card is good for you but bad for one of your opponents. If you draw or flip over this card, you get to pick any face-up card in another player's row and turn it back face down.

After that, place the Do Not Disturb card face up on the discard pile. Play passes to the left. TIP: Choose the player with the most face up cards.

Hello, my name is Skip

Skip just joined the slumber party and wants you to remember his name! If you draw or flip over this card, you get to skip an opponent's next turn.

Place the card in front of any player and say "Hello, my name is Skip!" The card stays in place until that player's next turn and then goes face up onto the discard pile.

Note: You can not give a player more than one skip card at a time.

Winning the First Round

As soon as all of your cards are face up monkey cards in numerical order from 1 to 6 (including wilds), you win the round!

Note: On the rare chance the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to start a new draw pile.

Starting a New Round

Shuffle all of the cards and deal new rows to all players. However, the winner of the last round receives one less card than she previously had. All other players are dealt the same number of cards as in the previous round.

For example, if you win the first round, you are dealt 5 cards in the second round. For this round, now you only need to get cards numbered 1 to 5 in order, while the other players still have to get 1 to 6.

Play continues as above with one player's hand getting smaller by one card every round.

End of the Game

Play rounds until a player who is down to just one card draws a number 1 monkey card (Primo asleep).

When this happens, that player has successfully gotten Primo back to bed and wins the game! For a shorter game, deal all players fewer cards (suggested 4 or 5) in the first round.

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