800 Pound Gorilla
800 Pound Gorilla Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
The player with the most banana points at the end of the game wins!
Game involves physical contact. Play at your own risk.
Set Up
Place the spinner in the center of the table where everyone can easily see it.
Note: It is easier to play if everyone is standing up.
The number of coconuts, bananas, and gorilla cards depends on the number of players:
| Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coconuts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Bananas | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Gorilla Cards | 24 | 36 | 40 | 50 | 60 |
Shuffle and place the gorilla cards, scale-side down, in a messy ring around the spinner. Some cards should be covering up others.
Shuffle the banana point cards and place them face up off to the side, with the action/word side up.
Components
The contents are 100 gorilla cards, 5 coconuts, 2 bananas, 60 action card/banana point cards, and 1 spinner.
Gorilla Cards
Each gorilla is a different size than all the others, with a corresponding weight on the back of the card. The card background is an optical illusion, making it tricky to tell the relative size of each gorilla. Gorillas range from 701 to 800 pounds.
Banana Point Cards
Banana points are given out for two reasons: choosing the right size gorilla, or for grabbing the bananas and coconuts the fastest. Each card has two sides: a yellow banana point side, and an action/phrase side. Actions have a green background, and phrases have a brown background.
How To Play
When the players are ready, the youngest person spins the spinner. There are two main ways to win points.
1. Gorillas!
When the spinner lands on a large gorilla, players must quickly claim the gorilla card that they think is the largest by placing their finger on the card. Once all players have chosen a gorilla card, flip them over to see the scale. The player with the largest gorilla gets two banana points (if they have the 800lb gorilla, they get one additional point for a total of three points!) while the player with the second largest gorilla gets one point. Take the top cards from the banana point stack and perform the action or phrase on the card to keep your banana point. The remaining stack shows the action/phrase for the next round.
In the same way, when the spinner lands on a small gorilla, quickly look for the smallest gorilla in the ring around the spinner. The player who claims the smallest gorilla gets two banana points, while the second smallest gets one point. Remember to perform the action/phrase to keep your points!
Finally, for the medium gorilla, pick the gorilla that is closest to the middle. After all players claim a gorilla, reveal the sizes by flipping over the card. The players with the smallest and largest gorillas do not get a banana point, but everyone else does! Remember to perform the action/phrase to keep your points!
Note: The middle gorilla is relative to those chosen. Even if a player selects the 750 pound gorilla, they may not be in the middle of those chosen by all players! 2 Player Variant: If you land on medium gorilla, spin again.
Additional Note: Each player can claim only one gorilla. The first person to put their finger on a gorilla has claimed it, and they are not allowed to change to a different gorilla. Players cannot move cards out of the way to view those underneath.
The gorilla cards that were flipped over are placed in a discard pile off to the side.
2. Bananas & Coconuts
If the spinner lands on a banana or coconut, refer to the table below:
| If the spinner lands on: | And the top card is: | Then: |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut | Phrase | Yell the phrase, then grab a coconut |
| Coconut | Action | Complete the action, then grab a coconut |
| Banana | Phrase | Yell the phrase, then grab a banana |
| Banana | Action | Complete the action, then grab a banana |
After yelling the phrase or completing the action, any player that grabs a coconut or banana receives a banana point. Simply take the top cards from the stack to reveal a new action/phrase for the next round. After distributing banana points, replace the bananas and coconuts.
If a player grabs a banana or coconut before completing an action or yelling a phrase, they do not receive any banana points that round.
Next Turn, Going Clockwise: After banana points have been handed out, the next player starts the new round by spinning the spinner.
Winning The Game
The game ends when the gorilla cards or banana points run out. The player with the most banana points wins!