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Bring the Family Together With Jungle Speed + Giveaway

When Hurricane Irene swept over the East Coast this past summer, hundreds of thousands of people lost power. People complained of the inconveniences; however, one mom I spoke to said, “I didn’t mind the blackout because my family actually spent more time together. The kids couldn’t play video games, so we played board games.”

Jungle Speed at Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City
Photo by Maria Adcock
Non-electronic games can encourage family bonding time by requiring face to face interaction and communication. In Europe, families love a game called Jungle Speed. According to the manufacturer Asmodee, over 2 million sets have been sold. It’s the kind of game that kids, teens, and adults find addictive and it fosters social interaction between the players. It’s a lightning-fast game requiring quick thinking and reflexes. For kids, the educational component involves recognizing unique shapes, colors, and matching them. For adults, the game freshens and sharpens thinking skills.

Jungle Speed is now available in America at mass retailers. I had the opportunity to play the game with other writers, bloggers, and kids at the Asmodee Jungle Speed event held at Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City last week. The venue, owned by the daughter of fashion designer Ralph Lauren, was the perfect place to feel like a kid again. While snacking on sweets, we learned the rules of the game and played several rounds.

The game can be played with 2-8 players and is recommended for ages 8+. Playing time is only 15 minutes – great for kids who may easily become bored. Here’s a quick summary of the game from the Asmodee website:

Jungle Speed cards display unique
shapes and colors.
Photo: Asmodee.com

Flip the cards, spot the matching symbols and grab the totem, but grab faster than your friends, or you’ll be stuck with their cards. Dump your whole hand to win – if you can! Jungle Speed is easy to learn and fast to play, with excitement and fun for families and friends of all ages.

Spotting the matching symbols is challenging enough, but the entire game can change if you see one of the special cards appear. Then you’ll find yourself looking for colors instead of symbols, grabbing for the totem out of turn, or otherwise scrambling to stay a step ahead of everyone else.

Learning to play Jungle Speed was fun.
Mitch from GayDayNYC.com played at the table as well.
Photo by Maria Adcock
After the competition round, we all received giant sugar cookie to decorate with
frosting and candy. The kids were trying to decorate the cookies in the
shapes and colors found on the Jungle Speed cards.
Photo by Maria Adcock

The table at Dylan’s Candy Bar displayed several of Asmodee’s
hottest new games.
Photo by Maria Adcock

The rules were easy to learn – after a few tries everyone at the table got the hang of it. The competitive bug came out of all of us, and we really got into the game. We all tried winning, and the ultimate champion at our table was an 8 year old boy (the winner was the one who used up all of his cards).

Jungle Speed retails for $19.99 at major retailers such as Walmart, Toys R Us, and Amazon.com. The game includes a cloth bag, 80 cards, one totem, and one rule book.

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – CLOSED
Two lucky readers will win the Jungle Speed game. Please review the instructions below to enter.


For more info: Visit www.asmodee.com for more details about Jungle Speed and other games available such as the new game called Dixit – a game of storytelling through imagination and clues.

Disclosure: Author received a gift bag at the Dylan’s Candy Bar event which included the Jungle Speed game for review purposes. Author did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are the author’s only.

15 Comments

  1. This looks like fun! I love family-oriented games that can really bring everyone together. My kids are now just getting into these types of games – thanks for the opportunity to win one!

  2. That looked like a really fun event. I would love to try this. Our favorite game to play when we have friends and family over is Taboo, but we could use some variety and this looks like a fun and quick game.

  3. This looks like fun! I love family-oriented games that can really bring everyone together. My kids are now just getting into these types of games – thanks for the opportunity to win one!

  4. What fun! I work at the Indiana School for the Deaf, and would love to win this because my residents would love it! I am a RA Houseparent for High School girls that live at the school during the week. I love getting them to try new things & playing games together. Winning this game would let me give it to the Dorm and many could play it. (We’d even share it with the other pods).

  5. It does sound like an interesting game. No idea how you played anything on that table with gum balls under class.

    A bunch of games was one of our best wedding presents. Now for our son to get old enough to be able to play them. So far he is fascinated by the pieces, but the rules are too much for 4 year old to follow.

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