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Mooki Island
A 2-player-only card-collecting game where you gather Mooki family cards while dumping annoying spider cards onto your opponent, in a charming package. Designed by Florian Sirieix, it won the 2026 Kinderspiel des Jahres. Its short playtime and simple rules make it easy for young children to enjoy together with a parent.
Rules
Draw a card, choose which of its two sides to use, and either add a Mookie to your own pile or dump a spider onto your opponent's, in this 2-player card-collecting duel. Whoever has collected more of a family at game end takes that family's trophy — but whoever is holding the most spiders gets one trophy stolen.
Components and objective
| Component | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Double-sided cards | 36 | Printed across both sides: 60 Mookies (12 per family) · 7 spiders · 5 legendary Mookies (1 per family) |
| Trophies | 5 (1 per family) | Stood up in the box bottom, which serves as the trophy holder |
| Poster | 1 | Bonus content unfolded only after the game ends |
Mookies belong to 5 families: Sun, Moon, Fossil, Shell, and Leaf. The goal is to have the most star points when the game ends — stars are printed on the trophies you hold.
The poster is not used during play
The included poster is not used during the game — it is unfolded only after the game ends, as bonus content unrelated to scoring.
Setup
- 1Shuffle all 36 double-sided cards together and split them into 2 roughly equal piles in the middle of the table.
- 2Stand all 5 family trophies (Sun, Moon, Fossil, Shell, Leaf) in the box bottom, in any order. This is the trophy holder.
- 3Set the poster aside. It is used only after the game ends.
Your turn — draw 1 card and choose a side
- 1The youngest player starts; after that, players alternate turns.
- 2On your turn, draw 1 card from either the left or the right pile.
- 3Look at both sides of the card, then choose one.
- 4If the chosen side shows a Mookie, place it with that side up in front of you. This is your Mookie collection — later cards stack on top of it to form a single pile (only the top card is visible).
- 5If the chosen side shows a Spider, place it with that side up on top of your opponent's collection instead.
Collection piles stay put
The collection piles in front of each player may not be picked up, shuffled, sorted, or looked through until the game ends. Only the top card of each is visible.
Game end and scoring
- 1The game ends the instant the last card of either draw pile is taken and placed on a collection.
- 2① Each player sorts their own collection pile by family (and counts how many spiders they have). Cards may not be flipped to their other side — sort them exactly as the side you chose.
- 3② For each family, whoever collected more gets that family's trophy. Legendary Mookies count as 2. A tie means that family's trophy is awarded to nobody.
- 4③ Whoever has the most spiders must pick exactly 1 of their own trophies to return to the box — stolen by the spider. If spider counts are tied, nobody loses a trophy.
- 5④ Add up the stars on your remaining trophies. Whoever has the most stars wins. Ties are won by the younger player.
Legendary Mookies count as 2
Legendary Mookies are not just prettier and sparklier — they count as 2 regular Mookies when tallying each family.
Strategy tips
- Always check both sides of a drawn card before choosing — the other side might show a legendary Mookie.
- Continuing to build a family you already lead in is safer for securing that trophy than starting a new family from scratch.
- When deciding whether to take the Spider side, also consider how many spiders your opponent's pile already holds — if they are already carrying many, the trophy-theft math may favor you.
- Since the game ends the instant the last card is drawn, roughly tracking the remaining cards helps you time a late push for a family you are leading in.
Editions
Kosmos's support center lists two rulebook articles under the same title ("Insel der Mookies") — one for item no. 687274, which matches this guide's source and the official product page's EAN, and another for item no. 685201, which carries a low rating and whose distribution channel was not confirmed.
Unverified: what item no. 685201 is
This guide uses only the item no. 687274 rulebook, which matches the official product page, as its primary source. Whether item no. 685201 is a different distribution edition of the same rules or a separate variant was not confirmed. No expansion was found.
Frequently confused rules
Q. If I choose the Spider side, do I keep that card myself?
No. Choosing the Spider side means the card must go on your opponent's collection pile. Only cards where you chose the Mookie side go onto your own pile.
Q. Can I look through my own collection pile during the game?
No. Collection piles may not be picked up, shuffled, or looked through — only the top card is visible.
Q. When sorting by family at the end, can I flip cards to their other side?
No. Sort each card exactly as the side you chose when it was collected. You may not flip it to count the other side instead.
Q. What happens if two families are tied?
That family's trophy is awarded to neither player.
Q. Does having the most spiders cost me all my trophies?
No. You choose exactly 1 of your own trophies to return to the box. If spider counts are tied, nobody loses a trophy.
Q. What happens if the final star totals are tied?
The younger player wins.
Designer and awards
According to the rulebook's designer note, Florian Sirieix has been designing games for many years and in 2023 took a break from teaching to focus on his passion full-time. He creates games across age groups, from children's games to games for adult experts. Illustration is by Seppyo.
The game is co-published by Germany's Kosmos and Quebec's Le Scorpion Masqué, and was officially announced by Spiel des Jahres e.V. as the Kinderspiel des Jahres 2026 winner. As of 2026-10-10, no dedicated article for the designer or the game was found on English Wikipedia or Namuwiki.
Sources
Kosmos official German rulebook (item no. 687274) — PDF attachment via fragkosmos support centerKosmos official product page — Die Insel der MookiesSpiel des Jahres e.V. — official Kinderspiel des Jahres 2026 winner announcementWiki cross-check — English Wikipedia search: no dedicated article found for designer Florian Sirieix (checked 2026-10-10)Wiki cross-check — Namuwiki search: no dedicated article found (checked 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
Rather than chasing the prettiest Mooki, prioritize cards from a family you have already collected a lot of, and enjoy dumping spider cards onto your opponent as much as you can. Deciding each turn whether to safely take the visible side or gamble on the hidden side is also part of the fun.
Ready for something heavier
If this one has gotten too easy, try these — same feel, one step up in weight.
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