Hula Hippos is a fast-paced dexterity game where players spin a wooden hoop and simultaneously flick their hippo pieces, trying to land them inside or underneath the hoop when it stops spinning. The first player to successfully get four hippos into the hoop wins.
Components
24 Wooden Hippos (6 each in 4 colors)
1 Wooden Hoop
Setup
Best played on smooth, flat surfaces (wood tables and floors).
Give each player 6 hippos of one color. Place extras back in box.
Line up hippos flat-side-up in front of each player.
Place the wooden hoop in the center of the playing area.
Turn Structure
The game is played in rounds:
Spin the Hoop: One player holds the hoop upright between thumb and forefinger and gives it a good spin onto the playing surface.
Flick Hippos: As soon as the hoop starts spinning, all players simultaneously flick their hippos, trying to position them inside or underneath the hoop.
End of Round: When the hoop stops spinning, all flicking immediately stops. Hippos inside the hoop or underneath its edge have won the round and are removed from the game (placed back in the box).
Next Round: Players gather remaining hippos, line them up, and another player spins the hoop.
Actions
Hippo Flicking Rules
You may only flick each hippo once per round.
You may only use one hand to flick the hippos.
You may not touch the hoop while it is spinning.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
Play rounds until one player has successfully flicked 4 hippos into the hoop.
In case of a tie, play until one player flicks 5 hippos into the hoop.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
Hippos lying either inside the hoop OR underneath the edge of the hoop count as successful.
The game does not specify a particular starting player, but subsequent rounds rotate the spinning duty.
Variations
Be the first player to flick all 6 hippos into the hoop.
Players may flick all hippos more than once as long as the hoop is still spinning.