Bananagrams
Festive edition with wild tiles
Winter Wonderland
Players race to build connected words while using festive wild tiles to step into any letter spot.
$17.95
Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 64 players
Reaching for a festive bonus tile unblocks a corner when no natural letter fits. We keep the speed of the classic race and pack eight extra pieces to loosen stubborn spots.
Hands move fast across the table as everyone builds at the same pace. The room stays quiet until somebody shouts Peel and hands reach back into the bunch for more.
| Players | 1–8 |
| Ages | 7 and up |
| A game runs | About 15 minutes |
| In the box | 144 letter tiles plus 8 festive bonus tiles, in a banana pouch |
| You also need | A table, and a table that has agreed what the bonus tiles may become. |
| The feel | Everyone plays at once |
How a game unfolds
The race itself is unchanged from Bananagrams; the eight bonus tiles are the whole difference.
Split once
Turn all the tiles face down in the middle. That pile is the bunch. Each player draws their opening hand and flips it on the call.
Build all at once
Every player builds their own crossword grid at the same time. There are no turns to wait for.
Peel repeats
Empty your hand and say so. Everyone draws one more, and the bunch shrinks by one per player.
Bananas ends it
When the bunch runs below the number of players, the next grid to go clean wins the check and the game.
The bonus tiles
The eight bonus tiles stand in for any letter. They change the shape of a game more than eight tiles sound like they should: a wild is not one letter, it is whichever letter unblocks the grid at the moment you place it.
What makes it its own game
- Each wild piece stands in for any character required to complete an intersecting word.
- Calling Peel forces everyone at the table to draw one fresh piece from the shared bunch.
- Trading away an awkward letter by calling Dump adds two tiles to your total hand.
- Failing the word check at the end puts your letters back and removes you from play.
Worth knowing before you open the box
Decide before the split whether a wild can be re-assigned once placed. Both ways play fine. Arguing about it halfway through does not.
Who it suits
Spellers who freeze when handed an awkward mix of consonants find relief here. The bonus pieces keep hands moving instead of stalling out on bad draws. But fast players who already run away with the classic race will move even quicker. It will be rough on anyone who dislikes speed.
Before your first game
Settle the house rule on wild pieces before calling Split. Decide as a group whether a bonus tile stays as one letter once placed or changes as you rebuild. Both choices work well during the race. Reaching that agreement early keeps the check at the end quick and friendly.
Elsewhere on the shelf
Still reading? That is usually a yes.
The classic race with eight tiles that can be any letter you need.
$17.95