Kerplunk Game: A 1970’s Game Still Alive

KerPlunk is an intriguing children’s game that many people reading this will have played when they were younger or maybe even as adults with their own children.

The original KerPlunk game was actually first released in 1967 by the Ideal Toy Company. It featured a plastic see-through tube, plastic straws or rods in a variety of colors and marbles.

How to Play a KerPlunk Game

To set up the game you insert the the straws through the holes in the middle of the tube to make a web. The marbles are then put on the top of the tube and held suspended on the web of straws.

The premise is that the tube is rotated so that the hole in the tube aligns with the player who is taking a turn’s tray. On your turn, you remove a straw from the tube while trying to ensure that as few marbles fall to the bottom as possible.

The winning player is the one with the least marbles in their tray at the end of the game.

The attraction of the game is much like that of games like Operation! and Jenga. In order to actually win the game, it helps if you have steady hands, strong nerves and also the ability to think at least 2 moves ahead.

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The name KerPlunk is onomatopoeic and based on the sound made by the marbles when a straw is removed and they fall to the bottom.

Original KerPlunk vs New KerPlunk

You can buy an original 1967 KerPlunk game in nice condition with its original box on eBay for a reasonable price. Make sure it has all the sticks (30). Missing marbles are not an issue as you can replace them with others although having the original 32 are a plus especially if you collect old games.

If you prefer not buying a vintage KerPlunk, you can buy a modern one for under 20$ (not worth the money in my humble opinion as it’s a cheap flimsy modern China-made version). See all the negative reviews here: Kerplunk reviews on Amazon It’s not made to last, so my pick would be to buy the vintage one.It will last.

Original KerPlunk on eBay

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If you like vintage toys and games, check some of my other posts and reviews: vintage toys and games