The original game of Jenga® was created by Leslie Scott, who debuted it at the London Toy Fair in 1983. A few years later, Jenga®  became a tipsy, toppling tabletop sensation (and game night staple) when Robert Grebler purchased the rights to the game and introduced it to North America. 

It’s estimated that more than 95 million sets have been sold and 4 billion blocks have been stacked and collapsed since Jenga’s® debut! There’s just something about the gravity-defying fun of building an evermore wobbly tower out of 54 wooden blocks.

At its core, blocking—and the most famous version, Jenga®—is a simple game that’s easy to learn but challenging to master! After just a few games, you realize it’s a delicate dance between manual dexterity and fine motor skills; big risks and a hint of strategy. (And don’t forget psyching out your opponent!) In short, blocking is tabletop psychological warfare.

‍New twists on the sport have emerged over the years, as blockers look for ways to make their towers bigger, crazier and even more fun! Think XXL-sized games, blocks printed with challenges for each player and even a version with parallelogram-shaped blocks. These variations have popped up in toy stores, in backyards and in game-friendly bars everywhere — but we say nothing beats the original.