One of the cutest tabletop games we’ve played.
Funko Games, the company behind tabletop games like Coca-Cola Polar Rollers and Funkoverse, recently released the Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game, a cooperative tabletop game inspired by the Peanuts television special A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965.
We had the chance to check out the Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game.
What is this game? What’s it about?
The Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game is a cooperative tabletop game for 1-5 players with a recommended age of 5+. The game challenges players to decorate Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree with up to 18 paperboard ornaments without letting the plastic red ornament fall off of the top of the tree.
The Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game has an expected play time of 15 minutes.
How do you play this game?
The Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game requires quite a bit of assembly. To start, families will construct Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree by inserting a flexible plastic tree trunk into a base and then sliding three sets of branches onto the trunk. Each branch is designed to hold a maximum of four or five paperboard ornaments.
Families will then need to assemble 15 paperboard ornaments by sliding matching pieces into each other to form 3D shapes. The game’s three additional ornaments are flat yellow stars.
Finally, families are asked to straighten the tree trunk as much as possible before hanging the plastic red ornament from the top of the trunk.
Once the game begins, players will take turns rolling a die with sides labeled “Top,” “Middle,” and “Bottom.” Depending on how the die lands, players will need to hang an ornament in the corresponding section of the tree without touching the branches with their hands. Since the tree trunk is so flexible, each time players hang an ornament, the tree may begin bending over to one side. Players will be challenged to hang as many ornaments as possible while preventing the red ornament from falling off of the top of the tree.
If players are ever dissatisfied with the result of their die roll, they can hang one of the three star-shaped ornaments on any section of the tree instead of following the die’s instructions.
If players can place all 18 ornaments on the tree without causing the red ornament to fall off, they’ll win the game. If the red ornament falls off before that happens, the game ends and the group will receive a score based on the number of ornaments they successfully placed.
Is this game fun to play?
The Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game is one of the cutest tabletop games we’ve played here at SuperParent. The game may be incredibly simple, but it offers a fun experience as players must try to determine where to hang each ornament to prevent the red ornament from falling off of the tree.
In addition, the game can serve as a fun introduction to concepts like balancing and gravity for younger players.
Is there anything else parents need to know about this game?
Parents should be aware that the plastic branches form a very tight fit with the tree trunk. In fact, they fit together so well that we initially thought we wouldn’t be able to slide the largest set of branches down to their intended location (they were becoming “stuck” farther up the trunk). With enough force, we were eventually able to put the tree together correctly, and the trunk thankfully seems sturdy enough to handle such force.
In addition, we recommend families play the game on a hard surface to give them the best chance at winning, rather than something like a card table, which has more of a plush surface that may allow the tree to move more than intended as the game is played.
What’s the final verdict?
The Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game is an adorable, family-friendly experience that requires little skill to play and can teach kids about physics concepts. We highly recommend picking this one up to enjoy throughout the holiday season.
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The Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game is now available for $19.99.
Disclosure: SuperParent received the Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game for coverage purposes.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
