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Coconuts
A dexterity game where you flick coconuts from a monkey slingshot into cups. Collect the cups you land into a stack in front of you, and be the first to build a six-cup pyramid to win. Korea Boardgames developed and released this game both domestically and abroad.
👨👧👦 Played with our kids
Played with children aged 5 and 3.
Rules
✓ Checked against one official rulebook
Sources checked
- Owner's Korean edition box and components checked in person (Walter Schneider, 2026-09-16)
- Official rulebook (distributed by Korea Boardgames, English)
- BGG
- Korean distribution — Korea Boardgames
- Cross-checked against Namuwiki
- Cross-checked against English Wikipedia: no article
Launch coconuts from a monkey slingshot into cups, collect and stack the cups you win, and be the first to build a six-cup pyramid to win this 2–4 player dexterity game.
Components and objective
| Component | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monkey launchers | 4 | Each player's personal slingshot |
| Player boards | 4 | Hold the red shooting line and form one side of the square/triangle |
| Cups | 14 (10 yellow, 4 red) | Yellow is a normal cup; red grants another shot |
| Coconuts | 36 | The balls you shoot |
| Magic Cards | 12 (2 per player) | 6 kinds of disruptive or helpful effects |
| Rulebook | 1 | — |
For 2–4 players aged 6 and up, taking about 20 minutes. Land coconuts in the shared cups to collect them onto your board, and the first player to complete a six-cup pyramid wins immediately.
Setup
- 1Each player takes a launcher, a player board, 2 Magic Cards and 8 coconuts. Put the rest back in the box.
- 2Arrange the cups in the middle to match your player count — a square for 2 or 4 players, a triangle for 3.
- 3Each player places their board along one side of the square (or triangle). With 2 players, only two of the four sides are used.
- 4The youngest player starts, then play passes clockwise.
Your turn — shoot, collect, pass
- 1Place or hold the launcher behind the red line on your board and shoot one coconut.
- 2If the coconut lands in a cup and stays in (does not bounce out), take that cup and stack it on your board.
- 3You may steal a cup another player already owns by landing a coconut in it.
- 4Any coconut that does not stay in a cup may be reused.
- 5If you took a red cup, shoot again. Otherwise play passes to the next player (clockwise).
Magic Cards can be played anytime
A Magic Card may be played anytime before someone shoots; the shooter waits to see if anyone plays one first. A used card is removed from the game for good. See the Magic Cards table below for who plays each card.
Stacking cups into a pyramid
Cups you collect stack on your board from the bottom up: the lowest 3 spaces fill first, then the next 2, then the top 1, forming a 3-2-1 pyramid. A cup's colour does not matter for stacking.
Coconuts stay put
Coconuts are never removed from cups until the game ends. If a cup is stolen, any coconut inside it moves with it.
Stealing cups
Even a cup another player has already collected onto their board can be stolen if you land a coconut in it — aim at it just like any cup in the middle.
Whose pyramid does it join?
A stolen cup stacks into the next open space of your own pyramid — it does not keep the order or shape it had on the opponent's board.
The six Magic Cards
Each player starts with 2 of the 12 cards (6 kinds, 2 copies each). Most target the player about to shoot, but Reduplicate the Coconut is played by the shooter themself, so it is worth telling apart.
| Card | Who plays it | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Blind Shot | Against the shooter | The shooter must close their eyes before shooting. |
| Call the Wind | Against the shooter | You may blow, or use a fan or newspaper, to divert the shot. |
| Freeze! | Against the shooter | The shooter loses this turn. |
| Reduplicate the Coconut | By the shooter themself | Shoot twice in a row this turn. |
| Far Shot | Against the shooter | The shooter must shoot from at least a full arm's length behind the red line. |
| Aimed Shot | Against the shooter | Name one cup. If the shooter lands elsewhere, they get nothing — even if they hit a different cup. |
Game end and winning
- 1The moment someone completes a six-cup pyramid, the game ends immediately and that player wins.
- 2If no pyramid is finished first and all 36 coconuts end up inside cups, the game also ends.
- 3In that case, compare the number of coconuts sitting in cups on each player's board; the most wins.
- 4If coconuts are tied, the player who shot last wins.
Strategy tips
- A red cup is not worth more — it buys you another shot. In a 3-player game, the hidden red cup under the middle stack is worth targeting early.
- If an opponent has stacked five cups, stealing from their board can slow them down more than chasing a fresh cup in the middle.
- If the game looks headed for a coconut-exhaustion ending, prioritise raw cup count (= coconut count) over pyramid shape.
Editions and expansions
Namuwiki mentions a 2-player-only expansion, Coconuts Duo (released 2014), playable on its own. Its rules were not available from an official source this time, so details are omitted here. ⚠️ Unverified: Coconuts Duo's exact release date and rule differences are not reflected in this guide pending confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
Q. If a coconut lands in a cup and bounces out, do I collect it?
No. It must stay in the cup to count. A bounced-out coconut can be reused.
Q. What happens to the coconut inside a cup I steal?
It moves with the cup to your board. Coconuts stay in their cups until the game ends, so this matters if the game ends on coconut count.
Q. Is a red cup worth more points?
No. Cup colour carries no points; a red cup only grants an extra shot.
Q. Why don't 2- and 4-player games ever see a red cup?
The 2/4-player square layout uses all 10 yellow cups from the box; the 4 red cups stay in the box. Only the 3-player triangle includes a red cup. Setting up a 3-player game with the 4-player square drops the red-cup rule entirely.
Q. Can I stack the pyramid starting from the top?
No. Lower spaces support the ones above, so the base 3 spaces fill first, then the middle 2, then the top 1.
Q. Can Magic Cards be played at any moment?
Any time before someone shoots. Reduplicate the Coconut is played by the shooter on themself; the other five are played against the shooter about to shoot.
Designer and editions
Coconuts was designed by Walter Schneider and developed and published by Korea Boardgames in 2013 (rulebook credit: “published by Korea Boardgames Co., Ltd. under license by Walter Schneider”). It is presented as a Korean-made game that was also distributed abroad.
Namuwiki records it as ranked first in BGG's children's game category in 2015, and fourth as of August 2018. ⚠️ Unverified: such rankings shift over time and may no longer match the current one. As of 2026-10-10, a search of English Wikipedia did not confirm a dedicated article for this game.
Sources
Official English rulebook PDF (Korea Boardgames)Korea Boardgames product page — Coconuts (confirms the Korean release)Cross-checked against Namuwiki: Coconuts (board game, Korean)Wikipedia cross-check — search did not confirm a dedicated article (2026-10-10)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-10-10
💡 Master tip
A red cup isn't worth more points — it gives you another shot. Since that can net you two cups in one turn, it's worth targeting first. If an opponent has stacked five cups, it's better to aim at their board and steal a cup than to go for a new one in the middle.
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