New! Let's Count Elephants in an Elevator!
Ding! How many elephants can you squeeze into an elevator? SimplyFun’s newest early childhood math game takes counting to new heights with a silly theme that is an elephant ton of fun! Get ready to take turns ‘counting on’ as you line up elephants to reach the elevators’ max capacity in this portable dice and card game created by Dr. Reiner Knizia.
In this blog, we’ll uncover how to set up and play this 2026 National Parenting Product Award winner, and we’ll go behind-the-scenes with our in-house design team to reveal early artwork sketches that led to the colorful elephant characters we see today.
Meet the ‘Counting on’ Card Game, Elephants in an Elevator!
Ready to help the bellhop at the Watering Hole Hotel fill the elevator to capacity? Roll the number die and take turns ‘counting on’ to fit the right number of elephant guests without going over.
Be the player to get closest to the limit to collect the cards and win that round.
The player who collects the most cards at the end of the game wins!
Elephants in the Elevator provides a simple setup and instructions while helping children ages 5 and up practice ‘counting on’ to reach totals. An early childhood math concept that builds on basic preschool number sequencing, giving children the confidence to add from a given number onward, rather than starting from 1.
You can play Elephants in an Elevator with 2 to 5 players, ages 5 and up. Each round takes about 10 minutes.
What's in the Box
- 55 Elephant Cards, which includes:
- 10: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 Cards
- 5: 10 Cards
-1 Elevator Board
-1 Number Die
Setting up Counting Game, Elephants in an Elevator
1. Place the elevator board in the middle of the play area.
2. Roll the die and place it in the elevator board's slot. *The number shown is the total value of elephant cards you can fit in the elevator during the first round.
3. Shuffle all the elephant cards and deal a hand of four cards to each player.
4. Place the remaining cards face down near the middle of the play area to act as a draw pile. *Make sure to leave some space beside the elevator board to act as the play line.
5. The first player to trumpet like an elephant starts the game!
How to Play Counting Game, Elephants in an Elevator
1. On your turn, choose one card from your hand to play. If the play line is empty, your card will start the play line. If you are adding to the line, choose a card that adds to a number less than or equal to the value shown on the die.
2. When you add your card, count on from the total number in the play line and say the new total out loud.
3. If the card you add brings the total equal to the value on the die, congratulations! Take all the cards in the play line and keep them in a stack near you. After playing your card, draw a new card so you have four cards in your hand. Now it’s the next player’s turn. If the play line was taken, the next player must first reroll the die to set a new value of elephant cards that can fit in the elevator.
4. If you do not have a card to add that keeps the total less than or equal to the die value, you must say so. The player before you then wins the play line, since they played the highest card without going over. After that player collects the cards, reroll the die and choose a card from your hand to start the next play line.
End of the Game-Elephants in an Elevator
The game continues with players filling elevators and winning play lines until there are no more cards in the draw pile and each player has played all the cards in their hand. Now the game is over, and each player counts the number of cards they won. Players count each card once and ignore the numbers on the cards. The player with the most cards wins.
*Try This: For an easier game, add to the number 11. Put the 11 side of the die face up in the elevator board and remove all 10’s from the card deck. Shuffle the remaining cards and deal each player four cards. The die is never rerolled. Otherwise, gameplay remains the same. You can also increase the die value as player skill grows!
Adapting Counting Game, Elephants in an Elevator to the Classroom
Elephants in an Elevator is a fun, no-prep way for classrooms to practice adding on. Instead of another math worksheet, it feels like a ‘Fun Friday’ activity that students can enjoy any day of the week! Each copy of Elephants in an Elevator can accommodate up to 5 players.
How to set up gameplay for the classroom:
Divide students into groups of 5. Place one card holder and dice on each group station. Shuffle all the elephant cards and deal a hand of four cards to each player. Place the remaining cards face down near the middle of the play area to act as a draw pile.
Explain the simple rules to the class before letting them play independently with their groups. Work your way around the classroom, helping students as needed.
Tip: Several numbers are featured on the die. To simplify gameplay, you can instruct your students to focus only on reaching the number 11 (the lowest on the die).
A Counting Game Families Can Take on the Go this Summer!
We love how much fun Elephants in an Elevator is to play on the go! The silly concept of squeezing just the right number of elephants into an elevator, along with its interactive play and portability, means kids won’t even realize they’re practicing math, because they’ll be too busy having fun!
And what better time to get a head start on the school year ahead than practicing counting on a blanket in the sun? Plus, this game’s compact size and easy setup make it ideal for playing on planes, trains, or as a fun afternoon activity to add a touch of whimsy to your child’s Tuesday.
Behind-The-Scenes with Elephants in an Elevator
Who was the game designer?
Tiffany O'Brien: Elephants in an Elevator was designed by Reiner Knizia, a long-time partner with SimplyFun. Here are all the fun and exciting games created by Dr. Reiner Knizia.
What are the commonalities between Dr. Reiner Knizia Games?
Tiffany O'Brien: As a world-renowned designer, his repertoire is not limited to one specific type of game and I would venture to say that his games can be found in almost every age range and skill category. Games designed by Reiner Knizia are always fun and engaging to play. Our team has always loved bringing those ideas to life with artwork and themes that enhance the already awesome game design.
Did SimplyFun make tweaks to the original blueprint of the game?
Tiffany O'Brien: Elephants in an Elevator was originally released by SimplyFun as a game called Tally On. As I wasn’t the one who came up with the name, I can say that the title was brilliantly aligned with game play as you are literally adding on to the number played. We decided to update and upgrade the original game by changing the original theme from loading up a truck with boxes to the ridiculously fun theme of seeing how many elephants can be squeezed into an elevator. We also modified the game by adding a die that had multiple goals or elevator max capacity numbers to work towards.
Any interesting challenges, fun details or aha moments during the illustration process and through game iterations?
Alvin Madden: We landed on the elephant theme fairly early in the process, and while we tried many different elephant ideas, once I drew an elephant in the style of what you see on the cards, the whole team was on board.
Despite the elephant aspect going smoothly, I was never quite happy throughout the process with the hotel background imagery or the overall color scheme. It was originally much more subdued, so the biggest “aha” moment was actually very late in the process when I really decided to push the color scheme in a more exaggerated direction. So the bright yellows and teals along with the red border, happened pretty much at the end of art production.
BONUS: Other themes we came up with include:
- Birds on power lines
- Other large animals packed into tiny spaces, such as walruses, lions, or bears.
- Marshmallows in hot chocolate
- Scoops of ice cream on a cone
- Stacking ingredients in a sandwich
How long did the game take to produce?
Tiffany O'Brien: As this was more of a reimagining of a previous game, the main effort and time went into brainstorming the new theme and then all of the new artwork of various elephant characters.
Alvin Madden: I think it was around four months of production from early concepts and brainstorming through assembling the files for the factory.
What was your inspiration for the artwork?
Alvin Madden: With the previous edition of this game, Tally On, we felt that the theme of the game wasn’t interesting enough for our audience. So we set out to make something fun, whimsical, and funny!
Any fun stories about where you found the inspiration?
Alvin Madden: We ended up going in a different direction, but I was looking at old “The Far Side” comic strips and even sketched some elephants in that style. I think perhaps there’s still some comic strip DNA in the art!
As a game designer & game enthusiast, what do you love most about the game?
Tiffany O'Brien: My favorite part of the game is that we are adding to the previous card by calling out loud how many elephants are currently in the elevator. Speaking out loud gives other players a chance to help check the math, as well as allows the next player to only have to add on their card number, rather than having to add up the whole line of elephants each time. This all adds to the fun and ease of learning!
Alvin Madden: This game is for kids as young as five, but I think the appeal extends well beyond that age. You can start with counting or move on to addition. The predicting and strategy aspects are also really fun for players to think about.
Ready to make counting an 'elephant ton' of fun for your littlest learners this summer? Game on!
