Monkey Pod Games Blog

That’s right. You heard me. The popular game we all remember from our childhood is called by a name that is altogether mythical and misleading. It did not, as its name suggests originate in China (or anywhere in Asia, for that matter) nor is it a variation on checkers. We here at Monkey Pod games want to shed light on the true history of this fun and exciting game of strategy. The game was actually invented in Germany in 1892. It was originally called “Stern-Halma” and was an adaptation of the older American game Halma invented by a Boston surgeon named Dr. George Howard Monks sometime between 1883 and 1884. The word “stern” in German means star, referring to the star-shape of the board, in contrast to the square board of the Halma.

So where did the name Chinese Checkers come from you ask? A popular game manufacturer first published the exact same Star-Halma game in the United States in 1928. Two brothers at the company made up the name “Chinese Checkers” shortly thereafter as a marketing strategy intended to appeal to America’s growing interest in all things oriental (this was around the same time as the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 and the introduction of “mah jongg” in 1923). In the 1930s, a Chinese Checkers craze swept across the nation with several other manufacturers starting to make the game. It did not even reach China until more than a decade later, most likely brought there by the Japanese.

Now you are ready to impress everyone with your vast knowledge of the true history of Chinese Checkers. Simply gather your friends and family around our beautiful wooden version of this game and casually ask everyone if they know why it is called Chinese Checkers. We bet they’ll be so intrigued by your myth-busting facts, no one will even notice as you quickly jump over their pieces and make your way to home base. Dr. Monks would be so proud!

Source: History of Halma and Chinese Checkers

We here at Monkey Pod Games want to thank the Masai Warriors for loving our Tumbling Tower Game! We let real Masai Warriors test out our Tumbling Tower Game (a fun family wooden puzzle game) and they loved it!

The Masai are a semi nomadic indigenous people who originate from Kenya and Tanzania. Their language is called the Maa and it is estimated that their population is close to one million nowadays.  They are one of the most well known of African tribes with their distinct beautiful culture. They still keep their traditions and way of life as they did thousands and thousands of years ago. Despite many groups trying to get them to embrace modernity, they have refused and stuck to doing things the way their ancestors lived.  The men and women dress in beautiful flowing clothes and the women wear large colorful unique jewelry. The Masai are an integral and beautiful piece to the puzzle we call human civilization.

The Tumbling Tower is a great game used to bring family members together. It can also be a great ice breaker game. The object is the build the tower as high as you can without bringing down the tower. As all of our puzzles, it is made from our beautiful monkey pod wood. The Tumbling Tower makes for a beautiful wooden puzzle.

Why wait and leave all the fun just to the Masai Warriors? Get your own Tumbling Tower here!

Don’t forget to join our Facebook Fan Page. There we have great offers, competitions, stories and fun! When you join, we will give you as a gift from us, 15% off your next purchase!

As always love from Monkey Pod Games!