Bananagrams
Tile matching, no spelling at all
Gurms
Families with young children reach for this box when they want our tile laying without a single letter to read.
$18.95
Rated 4.2 out of 5 by 16 players
Not a letter appears on any of these square tiles. Instead you find parts of cartoon creatures in orange, yellow, teal and green, waiting on the table for someone to finish them.
Turns pass around the table as each player places one tile to match colors and symbols. Points follow each match, and the player who completes the most gurms wins the game.
| Players | 2–4 |
| Ages | 6 and up |
| A game runs | About 20 minutes |
| In the box | Picture tiles and four pawns |
| You also need | A table. No reading required, which is the point. |
| The feel | Matching, no spelling needed |
How a game unfolds
Take a pawn once
Each player picks one of four pawns and takes a color.
Place a tile each turn
Turns pass around the table and each player lays one tile at a time.
Match to score repeats
Every character carries its own color and symbol. Line them up and the points follow.
Finish the picture ends it
Complete as many gurms as you can. Most completed wins.
What makes it its own game
- Each character carries a distinct symbol alongside its color to guide every placement.
- Turns pass around the table one tile at a time as the creature grid grows.
- Four standee pawns on clear feet mark who is playing which color.
- Players score points on the matches they make while building toward finished creatures.
Worth knowing before you open the box
It is the one box here that a pre-reader can win outright against an adult, because nothing in it rewards a bigger vocabulary.
Who it suits
Children who cannot read yet sit on equal ground here with older readers. A larger vocabulary offers zero advantage on this layout. Adults will find the planning tricky enough to stay engaged, though players who crave speedy word races will miss the letters.
Before your first game
Piece together a single creature out in the open before dealing out the pieces. Show the table how the color and symbol align across the seam so everyone spots a valid connection. Once that pattern clicks, set up the pawns and begin.
Elsewhere on the shelf
Still reading? That is usually a yes.
No spelling at all. Place tiles, complete the little creatures, and score when color and symbol line up.
$18.95