2010 BGG rank #26025

Monkey See Monkey Do

3–12 players 20 min Ages 6+ 1.0/5 complexity 5.5/10 rating

About this game

What the hell are monkeys doing in your living room? Who will get the most bananas? A primitive mime game, made of bizarre and crazy positions Different game modes between adults and children. In Monkey See Monkey Do in each turn a player has to mime something, and all the other players must guess what he/she is miming. By guessing and miming, each player will gain Penitences. Each Penitence will oblige players to assume bizarre positions while performing their following mimes, making the game harder and more fun along the way. The objective is simple: collect as many Penitences as possible, before the mimes are over.

What it feels like

Acting Humor Children's Game Party Game

Game intelligence

Learn the game

100% knowledge coverage

Setup

SIMPLE GAME SETUP: 1. Shuffle the Monkey Do card deck and place it face down on the table within reach of all players. 2. Shuffle the Monkey See cards. Count out a number of Monkey See cards equal to twice the number of players (e.g., 6 cards for 3 players, 8 cards for 4 players). Place this smaller stack face down in the center of the table. Return the remaining Monkey See cards to the box — they are not used. 3. Place the Power Banana in the middle of the table within reach of all players. 4. Pick the First Gorilla: All players simultaneously point at whoever they think looks most like a monkey. The player who receives the most votes becomes the first Gorilla. ADVANCED GAME ADDITIONAL SETUP: 1. Follow all Simple Game setup steps. 2. Place all Banana tokens in a central pile called the Banana Tree. 3. Each player takes 2 Banana tokens from the Banana Tree at the start of the game. OPTIONAL RULE ADDITIONAL SETUP (experienced players only): 1. Sort the Monkey See cards into two separate decks: one deck of action cards only and one deck of character cards only. Use these instead of a single shuffled Monkey See deck.

Turn flow

One player is designated the Gorilla each turn. Play rotates so that every player takes a turn as Gorilla. SIMPLE GAME TURN: 1. The Gorilla draws the top Monkey See card, looks at it privately, and announces aloud whether it is an "action" or a "character." 2. The Gorilla mimes the card using only movement, gestures, and monkey-like noises — no talking allowed. The Gorilla must simultaneously maintain all body positions shown on their collected Monkey Do cards throughout the entire turn. 3. Other players race to grab the Power Banana when they think they know the answer. Only the player holding the Power Banana may guess. 4. If the guess is wrong, the Power Banana is returned to the center and that player is eliminated from guessing for the rest of the turn. The Gorilla continues miming. 5. If all players guess incorrectly, the turn ends with no reward for anyone. 6. If the guess is correct: the guesser draws 2 Monkey Do cards, keeps 1, and gives 1 to the Gorilla. The turn then ends. 7. Any Monkey Do card position the Gorilla fails to hold for the full turn is discarded at the end of the turn. ADVANCED GAME TURN: The Gorilla must choose exactly ONE of two options each turn: - Option A (Spend Bananas): Spend Banana tokens from personal supply on one of three actions (see spending rules). - Option B (Draw a Monkey See card): Mime as in the Simple Game, but with modified rewards and a penalty for no correct guess. OPTIONAL RULE TURN MODIFICATION (used with Advanced Game Option B): The Gorilla draws one card from each of the two separate decks (one action, one character) and must mime the character performing the action. Guessers must correctly identify BOTH cards; getting only one right counts as incorrect.

Scoring and victory

Most Monkey Do cards in front of the player at game end wins. Tiebreakers differ by game mode. Scoring sources: Monkey Do cards collected by correctly guessing the Gorilla's mime (guesser keeps 1), Monkey Do cards received from the guesser (Gorilla keeps 1 per correct guess), Monkey Do cards purchased with 1 Banana (Advanced Game Option A), Monkey Do cards received as part of Advanced Game Option B reward packages

Source: Rulebook

Rules to know

The most useful rules for getting a first game right.

Turn structure

One player is the Gorilla each turn and must mime a Monkey See card.

In each turn, one player is designated the Gorilla. The Gorilla draws the top card from the Monkey See deck, looks at it privately without showing other players, announces aloud whether it depicts an 'action' or a 'character,' and then mimes the illustration using only body movement, gestures, and monkey-like noises. The Gorilla cannot speak any words.

Restriction

The Gorilla cannot talk; only movement, gestures, and monkey noises are allowed.

While miming, the Gorilla is strictly prohibited from speaking any words. The Gorilla may only act, move, and make noises like a monkey. Violating this restriction is against the rules.

Card play

Monkey See cards show an action or character that must be mimed; the Gorilla announces which type before miming.

Each of the 80 Monkey See cards shows a drawing of either an action or a character. The Gorilla must announce 'action' or 'character' to all players before beginning the mime. Each card also has a reference number for looking up its meaning in the card list at the end of the rulebook.

Turn structure

Players grab the Power Banana to earn the right to guess; only the holder may guess.

While the Gorilla is miming, any other player who believes they know the answer must physically grab the Power Banana from the center of the table. Only the player who is currently holding the Power Banana is allowed to make a guess. Other players must wait until the Power Banana is returned to the center before they can grab it.

Turn structure

An incorrect guess means returning the Power Banana and being barred from guessing again that turn.

If the player who grabbed the Power Banana makes an incorrect guess, they must immediately return the Power Banana to the center of the table. The Gorilla continues miming, and other players may grab the Power Banana to guess. However, any player who has already guessed incorrectly during this turn cannot grab the Power Banana or make any further guesses for the remainder of that turn.

Turn structure

A correct guess rewards the guesser and the Gorilla with one Monkey Do card each.

If the player holding the Power Banana makes a correct guess, that player draws 2 Monkey Do cards from the Monkey Do deck, selects 1 card to keep for themselves, and gives the other 1 card to the Gorilla. The Gorilla's turn then ends immediately after rewards are distributed.

Turn structure

If all players guess incorrectly, the turn ends with no reward.

If every non-Gorilla player has attempted a guess (by grabbing the Power Banana) and all guesses are incorrect, the Gorilla's turn ends with no reward given to any player — neither the Gorilla nor any guesser receives a Monkey Do card.

Card play

Monkey Do cards impose body-position constraints on the Gorilla that must be maintained throughout their turn.

Each Monkey Do card shows a specific body position that the owning player must hold during their entire turn as Gorilla, simultaneously with miming. Cards are kept face up in front of the player. Each card is tagged with one of six body-part symbols: head, body, right hand, left hand, right leg, or left leg. A player must maintain ALL positions shown by ALL their Monkey Do cards for their entire Gorilla turn.

Strategy briefing

Protecting your Monkey Do cards

Your Monkey Do cards are both your score and your handicap. In the Advanced Game, prioritize maintaining all required positions during your mime turn — a failed position costs you a card and shrinks your score. Only attempt ambitious mimes if you can realistically hold all your positions simultaneously.

Body-part slot management

You can hold at most one Monkey Do card per body part (six slots total). When you receive a new card matching an existing body part, you must discard the old one. Try to diversify across body parts to maximize your card count, and avoid 'wasting' a slot by drawing a card for a body part you already cover.

Advanced Game: When to Spend Bananas vs. Mime

Option A's 2-Banana spend (remove an opponent's Monkey Do card) is a potent catch-up or denial tool — it directly reduces a leader's score. Option B (miming) is the only way to advance the game toward its end condition and earns Monkey Do cards for both Gorilla and guesser. Consider spending bananas disruptively when you are behind, and choose miming when you have a card advantage.

Advanced Game: No-correct-guess penalty

If no one guesses correctly in the Advanced Game (Option B), everyone loses a Banana or a Monkey Do card. This group penalty incentivizes players to make educated guesses rather than sitting out. As the Gorilla, choosing a Monkey See card you can mime clearly is a safer play since failing to get a correct guess also costs you a Banana.

Guessing strategy: grabbing the Power Banana

Guessing incorrectly permanently bars you from guessing again that turn. It is better to wait and observe than to rush in with an uncertain guess — especially if the Gorilla's mime is still developing. However, waiting risks another player grabbing the Power Banana first and getting the reward.

Advanced Game: Refilling the deck with 3 Bananas

Spending 3 Bananas to add a Monkey See card back on top of the deck extends the game by one turn. Use this when the deck is nearly empty and you are behind in Monkey Do cards — buying extra turns gives you more opportunities to earn cards while denying your opponents the end-game trigger.

Tiebreaker preparation

In the Simple Game, ties are broken purely by reaction speed (grabbing the Power Banana). In the Advanced Game, ties are first broken by Banana count, then by reaction speed. Hoarding a few Bananas late in the Advanced Game is a hedge against a tiebreaker loss, particularly if you anticipate finishing with the same number of Monkey Do cards as a rival.

Common questions and edge cases

A player receives a new Monkey Do card but already has a card for the same body part. What happens?

The player must immediately discard the old Monkey Do card and keep the new one. They can never hold more than one Monkey Do card per body part symbol at any time.

The Gorilla is miming and loses balance, failing to hold one body position but recovering the other. What happens to their Monkey Do cards?

Only the Monkey Do card whose position was not held for the full turn is discarded. Any Monkey Do card whose position was successfully maintained throughout the entire turn is kept. Cards are discarded on a per-card basis, not all-or-nothing.

A player already guessed incorrectly this turn. Can they grab the Power Banana again later in the same turn?

No. Once a player has made an incorrect guess during a turn, they are permanently barred from grabbing the Power Banana or making any further guesses for the remainder of that turn.

In the Advanced Game, no one guesses correctly and a player has no Bananas and no Monkey Do cards. What do they lose?

Nothing. The rule explicitly states that a player with neither Banana tokens nor Monkey Do cards loses nothing when the group penalty is triggered.

In the Advanced Game, the Gorilla uses 1 Banana (Option A) to draw a Monkey Do card, but the drawn card matches a body part they already have. What happens?

Normal Monkey Do body-part replacement rules apply. The Gorilla must discard their existing card for that body part and keep the newly drawn one.

Using the Optional Rule, a player correctly names the character but not the action (or vice versa). Do they get any reward?

No. Under the Optional Rule, both the character and the action must be correctly identified in a single guess. Getting only one correct counts as a completely incorrect answer; the Power Banana is returned and that player is barred from guessing again that turn.

In the Advanced Game, a player correctly guesses the mime. Who decides which reward package is used?

The player who guessed correctly chooses between the two reward options: (i) they keep 1 Monkey Do card and give 1 to the Gorilla (Gorilla also gets 1 Banana), or (ii) they take 1 Banana and the Gorilla keeps 1 Monkey Do card and gives 1 to the guesser. The guesser has full choice.

In the Advanced Game, if the Gorilla chooses Option A (Spend Bananas), do they also mime a Monkey See card that turn?

No. The Gorilla chooses exactly one option per turn. Choosing Option A means the Gorilla only performs the banana-spending action and does NOT draw or mime a Monkey See card that turn.

The Gorilla draws the last Monkey See card. Does the game end immediately or does the turn play out?

The turn plays out in full. Drawing the last Monkey See card triggers the 'last turn,' but that turn is completed normally before the game ends and scores are counted.