While Funnybones Game, from Funnybone Toys, has roots dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, it has a timeless quality thanks to relatively simple rules. Each set of Funnybones Game consists of five colored plastic pieces, which kids toss and catch in a variety of different ways. The most basic move is the jockey: The user puts all five in their palm, tosses them into the air, and then flips his or her hand over to catch as many as possible. It may sound easy, but without practice, the unusually-shaped pieces can easily bounce off one’s hand. They may hit the ground quite often, so a mat is possibly the best surface to play over.
As previously mentioned, Funnybones Game has a pretty straightforward game mechanic, with one of the few rules being not to miss catching a piece that’s airborne. This makes the play possibilities limitless, and the game comes with a manual featuring a host of games of varying degrees of difficulty. My personal favorite is one called Horses in the Stable, in which a player puts his or her fingers on the ground to simulate the arches of a stable, and then tosses a piece up, and while it is in the air, sweeps another piece through an arch. This is one of the tougher tricks, but players can decide ahead of time how many successfully completed tasks means victory.
Funnybones Game is intended for ages 6 and up due to small parts, not to mention appealing colors, which might make it a choking hazard for younger kids. It’s still a good travel toy option, with a convenient cloth bag for carrying to places. But ultimately, the game’s best attribute is its versatility, as it can be played either individually or in groups. Just don’t ask me whether I think it’s better as a single- or multi-player game. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a toss-up either way.
