Ker-Plunk

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Ker-plunk is a classic game that is learned in a flash but requires mainly good observational skills and an understanding of how the balls will drop as the straws are removed.

Originally released by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967, Ker Plunk grew to be a popular favourite game during the 1970s. Licencing rights were owned later by Mattel and and then by Tyco in 1991.

The game is constructed with a plastic tube with a multitude of holes around the middle that stands on a base. Plastic sticks are placed at random through the holes so that when the marbles are placed into the tube, they rest on top of the network of sticks. There are around 30 marbles or balls.

Players take turns then to remove a stick while attempting not to cause any marbles to fall down to the base. The ker-plunk tube is move around each time so that the hole at the bottom of the tube faces the player whose turn it is. Any that do are collected by the player concerned. The player with the least marbles at the end of the game wins.

This colourful modern version of the game folds down neatly into a relatively small box. Suitable for all ages except for small children because the marbles represent a choking hazard.