Designer: Reiner Knizia

Artist: Valerie Hochberg

Publisher: Eagle-Gryphon Games

Sibling rivalries forces cheeky monkeys to fight back

I recently played Cheeky Monkey after having owned and played Family Inc., which is a reimplementation of Cheeky Monkey. Family Inc. uses a very similar—but not identical—push-your-luck mechanism and scoring system, but differs in theme. Whereas Cheeky Monkey features a cohort of kid-friendly animals, Family Inc. has more of a mafia-style vibe, with players grabbing gems of different values. Naturally, one might assume that Family Inc.—being more recent and sporting a more serious theme—would be a superior iteration of Cheeky Monkey. After playing both, I can confidently dispel that notion. The original Cheeky Monkey may look like a kid’s game, but it is in no way inferior to Family Inc. While both games are mechanistically similar, the devil is in the small tweaks that result in a different play experience.

Rules Overview

Cheeky Monkey first appeared in 2007 and has been reprinted multiple times by different publishers and in various languages. That speaks well to both its longevity and popularity. The core mechanism in Cheeky Monkey is push-your-luck, but decisions are always partially informed by what is available around the table and the stakes involved. It is never just a blind choice. There is even an opportunity to calculate rough probabilities if one wishes to make a more educated decision. Ultimately, the game can be as shallow or as deep as players choose.

In the game, players draw animal tokens from a drawstring bag. There are ten token types, each representing a different animal with a distinct value. However, the distribution is unequal, and the number of tokens for each animal type is printed on the token itself. For example, there are only three elephants (the lowest value), but ten monkeys (the highest value). Crucially, the number of tokens for each type also serves as its point value at the end of the game. Hence, each of the ten monkey tokens is worth 10 points.

Draw tokens to your heart’s content until you bust.

Each turn begins with a player drawing a single animal token before deciding whether to continue or stop. A player may keep drawing as long as they do not bust, which happens when they draw a duplicate animal type. If a player busts, all tokens drawn during that round are returned to the bag, and the turn ends. The next player then takes their turn. Alternatively, a player may voluntarily stop before busting. If so, they organize the drawn tokens into a stack and place the newly formed stack on top of tokens collected in previous rounds. The decision of when to stop is where Cheeky Monkey becomes most tense and exciting.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Cheeky Monkey is the theft of animal tokens from opponents’ stacks. If the active player draws a token that matches the top token of another player’s stack, they steal that token and any other newly revealed matching tokens underneat it. If lucky, this can trigger a chain reaction of stolen tokens between players, often accompanied by gleeful laughter. Newly acquired tokens may be arranged and stacked in any order, but once stacked, their order is permanent and cannot be rearranged in later turns.

Another cheeky rule occurs when a monkey token is drawn. The player may swap that monkey with any other player to obtain the top token from any stack, even if it creates a duplicate. Why is this important, given that monkeys are already worth 10 points each? Because there is also a majority bonus at the end of the game. Players with the plurality of a specific animal type gain bonus points equal to that animal’s value. For example, if you have five monkey tokens and no one else has five or more, you gain a 10-point bonus.

Eventually, the bag runs out of tokens, and the game ends. Majority bonuses are then evaluated for each animal type, and all token values are summed to determine the winner.

Impressions

The push-your-luck mechanism is the star of the show. Tension rises when deciding whether to continue drawing or play conservatively and stop after a few successful pulls. This decision is complicated by the theft mechanism. Usually, once a player steals a token or two, the urge to retire is strong. However, if you are lagging behind, it can be worthwhile to push on. A few favorable draws, combined with targeted stealing, can dramatically turn the tide.

The decision to push your luck is not made blindly. Because token distributions are unequal, probabilities factor into the choice. Targeting high-value tokens makes sense, but since there are more of them, the risk of busting increases. There is also a minor memory component. If a player recalls how many tokens of a type have already been drawn, they can roughly estimate the odds of a favorable pull. Whether to rely on statistics or intuition is up to each player. For me, Cheeky Monkey is most fun when guided by gut feeling.

Cheeky Monkey or Family Inc.?

There is another sibling in the family—No Mercy—which is similar but not identical to its siblings. Since I have not played No Mercy, I will focus only on Cheeky Monkey and Family Inc.. There are already excellent reviews comparing games in this family.

The core push-your-luck mechanism in Family Inc. is similar, but the distribution of gem tiles is less distinct. There are more lower-value tiles (1–5) and fewer higher-value ones (6–10). In Family Inc., players bank points continuously based on the tile stack in front of them at the start of each turn. Those tiles are then discarded, and the points are safe. Tiles are not stacked in a single column but organized by type, and they can be stolen by other players. However, theft does not occur automatically; it happens only when a player voluntarily stops. If a player busts, no theft occurs.

Because gems are not stacked in a single column, it is possible to lose all your gems between turns, especially at higher player counts. Recognizing that the game is more cutthroat and players are likely to take greater risks, Family Inc. includes a compensatory mechanism: if a player busts within their first three turns, they receive a token. Upon collecting a third token, they score 50 points. This is significant, given that the winner is the first to reach 100 points. In our games, this bonus has indeed enabled players to catch up after multiple busts.

I am not convinced that Cheeky Monkey is merely a kid’s game while Family Inc. is more complex. The minor rule tweaks have a major impact on how both games play. The most significant difference lies in the stealing mechanism. In Cheeky Monkey, stealing occurs automatically when a matching token is drawn. In Family Inc., theft happens only when a player stops. The implication is important: in Cheeky Monkey, stolen tokens are lost if the player subsequently busts. In Family Inc., gems are only transferred when a turn ends voluntarily. This means that in Cheeky Monkey, you might push your luck knowing that even if you bust, your opponents may also lose stolen tokens back to the bag.

Meanwhile, in Family Inc., gems never leave player possession permanently; they simply transfer between players until someone banks them. As a result, point swings can be enormous. After bouncing between players a few times, it is possible to score 70–80 points in a single turn. Gem tiles cashed in for points are set aside and only returned to the bag when it is emptied and reshuffled.

The compensatory mechanism in Family Inc. is absent in Cheeky Monkey. I suspect this was added to offset the larger point swings and to keep lagging players competitive. It is entirely possible to win thanks to that 50-point boost.

Finally, I particularly enjoy the majority contest in Cheeky Monkey. Combined with the ability to swap monkeys, the fight for plurality adds strategic depth. Since stacks are not fully public information, there is also a light memory element. Players must remember how many tokens of a type are in circulation and where they are stacked. This majority battle adds a layer of strategy to token swapping that I greatly enjoy.

Family Inc. and Cheeky Monkey are siblings sharing the same DNA, but the rule tweaks lead to distinctly different experiences. The changes may seem subtle, yet they significantly alter player incentives and motivations. I do not think either game is superior or more complex—just different. Cheeky Monkey feels more controlled and tactical, while Family Inc. is the wilder child that can spontaneously combust. As a casual player, you probably do not need both copies, though I can appreciate owning both.

Final Thoughts

Great! Cheeky Monkey is a classic push-your-luck game by Reiner Knizia that has been reprinted multiple times and remains popular. It has since evolved into Family Inc. and No Mercy, each adding its own twist and a bit more chaos. All three games are unique in their own way and, more importantly, fun to play. I think it is fair to try all three and come to your own conclusion. For me, Cheeky Monkey stays in my collection alongside Family Inc. as a game I can pull out to play with anyone, across all age groups.