Monkey Pod Games Blog

That’s right. You heard me. The popular game we all remember from our childhood is called by a name that is altogether mythical and misleading. It did not, as its name suggests originate in China (or anywhere in Asia, for that matter) nor is it a variation on checkers. We here at Monkey Pod games want to shed light on the true history of this fun and exciting game of strategy. The game was actually invented in Germany in 1892. It was originally called “Stern-Halma” and was an adaptation of the older American game Halma invented by a Boston surgeon named Dr. George Howard Monks sometime between 1883 and 1884. The word “stern” in German means star, referring to the star-shape of the board, in contrast to the square board of the Halma.

So where did the name Chinese Checkers come from you ask? A popular game manufacturer first published the exact same Star-Halma game in the United States in 1928. Two brothers at the company made up the name “Chinese Checkers” shortly thereafter as a marketing strategy intended to appeal to America’s growing interest in all things oriental (this was around the same time as the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 and the introduction of “mah jongg” in 1923). In the 1930s, a Chinese Checkers craze swept across the nation with several other manufacturers starting to make the game. It did not even reach China until more than a decade later, most likely brought there by the Japanese.

Now you are ready to impress everyone with your vast knowledge of the true history of Chinese Checkers. Simply gather your friends and family around our beautiful wooden version of this game and casually ask everyone if they know why it is called Chinese Checkers. We bet they’ll be so intrigued by your myth-busting facts, no one will even notice as you quickly jump over their pieces and make your way to home base. Dr. Monks would be so proud!

Source: History of Halma and Chinese Checkers

Wooden toys date all the way back to the times of ancient Greeks and Romans, and they continued to be popular right up through the mid-twentieth century. Wooden animals, trains, dollhouses, and exquisitely painted jack-in-the-box toys were all once popular gift items.

Today, however, you’d be hard-pressed to find traditional wooden games at the toy store. Instead, you might find a Baby Einstein version of an MP3 player, a set of electronic rattles, or a mini-laptop. It’s likely that half of the store is dedicated to characters from popular television shows and movies. And, almost without exception, these toys are made of plastic and contain electronic equipment that allows them to flash, beep, and sing. Toys today don’t resemble what they did a generation ago.

But it is the traditional wooden games that truly allow children to run wild with their imaginations. Wooden puzzles and games encourage kids to engage in creative play while also providing the added educational benefit of improving cognitive and motor skills. Traditional wooden games hearken back to a simpler time, before the decades of rapid technological innovations, to when playing with toys meant using your imagination.

Monkey Pod Games is proud to offer a wide selection of traditional puzzles and games, all crafted from high-quality wood. From Chinese Checkers to Tic-Tac-Toe and challenging brainteaser puzzles, Monkey Pod Games combines quality with durability—without all the electronic bells and whistles.

Browse our selection of back-to-the-basics wooden games and toys – and find the perfect gift!

MonkeyPodGames.com  has just marked down selected products up to 80% off! Some of it is on its last run and there are only limited quantities left.  Start Shopping.

Tangram Puzzle

This deceptively simple appearance of the tangram puzzle belies its rich history and folklore.  The seven pieces of the tangram—a square, a parallelogram, and five triangles—make up a larger square.  The challenge of the tangram puzzle is to form a specified shape using the seven pieces, which are called tans.  In each configuration, the tans must lay flat and touch but not overlap each other.

The tangram dates back thousands of years.  According to an ancient Chinese legend, a young man wished to present the emperor with a gift, a beautiful glass tile.  But on his trip to the palace, the tile shattered into seven different pieces. The man tried to reconstruct the tile from the pieces but did not succeed.  Instead, he decided to create pictures using the pieces of tile, and presented the emperor with the picturs.  Thus, the seven-piece puzzle known as the tangram was born.

The earliest evidence of the tangram dates back to the early 19th century, when the tangram puzzles were brought over to American from China on American ships.  The tangrams were sometimes constructed from expensive material like ivory and jade.

Since then, tangrams have taken off: Napoleon was said to own one, as was Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll. 

An American puzzle inventor, Sam Loyd, even wrote a spoof about the history of the tangram, called The Eighth Book of Tan.  The tangram puzzles has become popular with both kids and adults who enjoy the mind-bending challenges, and with mathematicians and geometry fan who study all the possible combinations of the Tangram puzzle pieces.

Don’t forget to check out Monkey Pod Game’s version of the Tangram wooden puzzle!

Tangram Shapes

Here at Monkey Pod Games, we’ve selected special items that will make the perfect gift for Dad.  Our wooden puzzles, brain teasers, and puzzle games make for wonderful Father’s Day presents.

And, don’t forget, we offer free shipping on all orders over $25.  Don’t delay, June 21 is just around the corner!

Here are some of the wooden puzzles and games that are part of our Father’s Day sale:

Four Puzzles in a Tricky Box                                                                                           

Four Puzzle Gift Set

This great puzzle set in an attractive handcrafted box makes for the perfect gift!  It includes our five most popular wooden puzzles: the Soma Cube, the Star Puzzle, the Snake Puzzle, the Diamond Cube and the extra puzzle of separating the X in the box.  Now only $29.95! Free shipping included! 

Tumbling Tower

Based on the old African building block game, this classic game will be a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Put your architectural skills to the test by building a tower out of the wooden blocks. Break the ice but don’t break the tower.  The large tower is now only $21.95!

Round Solitaire Puzzle

Perfect entertainment for one, win by jumping one peg over another and removing the peg previously jumped over, thus trying to eliminate all the pegs until just one remains in the lower right corner.  Now only $7.95!

Barrel Puzzle

Although it is comprised of 12 intricate wooden pieces, shaped like a barrel, don’t go looking for help from friends with this brain-teaser. This challenging brain puzzle is designed for one player to disassemble and reassemble with accuracy.  Now only $7.95

Three Puzzle Gift Set

This fabulous wood box contains the most popular wood puzzles of today. These top three finely crafted puzzles delight everyone from novice puzzlers to university professors.  The set includes the Snake Cube, the Burr Puzzle, and the Soma Cube.  Now only $24.95!

Burr Puzzle

What’s a Burr Puzzle? This wood crafted, precision-made puzzle of intersecting cuboids supposedly resembles a burr seed (that famous inspiration for Velcro) upon completion. The puzzle itself has been an inspiration to recreational mathematicians worldwide!  Now only $5.95!

Click here to browse our Father’s day gift ideas section.