Calculated Fun
Möbi is a fun, fast-paced number tile game. The goal is to make simple math equations as quickly as possible—a great way for kids or grown-ups to apply math skills. Plus, it comes in an adorable blue whale.
Players draw blue number tiles, then use them to create simple equations (like 2+3=5) by including white math tiles (plus signs, minus signs, multiplication signs, etc.). Each valid equation is called a “pod.” Keep using your blue tiles to build new equations on those pods, almost like a crossword.
The first one to use all their blue tiles yells “Möbi” to win. Wild card tiles and a few other creative rules make this a great family game. Want to play with younger kids? Just remove the multiplication and division tiles.
With no scores to calculate or paper or pencils, all you need to play Möbi is a flat surface. It’s a great travel, beach, or picnic game. And it can help kids with hand-eye coordination, cooperative play, and automaticity, which is the ability to apply learning automatically without actively thinking about it.
Wife-husband creators Vanessa and Mark Ellingson like classic word games (Scrabble, Bananagrams) that disguise learning as play. They wanted to invent a game their son, Noah, would stay interested in as he grows up.
Whether or not you think you love math, you’re bound to love Möbi.
Vanessa
Hello everyone! I'm excited and proud to introduce Möbi to The Grommet. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have!
Mike – Grommet Team
8/10/2015 11:51 AMYou have a pretty incredible story of true inspiration, but actually turning it into a product then a business, was that a single ‘aha’ moment or more of a gradual process?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 11:52 AMIt was initially an “aha” moment …. then it became a gradual process as we tried to get Möbi to a place where we were comfortable and confident putting it in front of people of all ages and numerical ability. Once we got Möbi there, figuring out the manufacturing proved interesting at times, but as with anything, building a company is one big learning curve and we are so happy to finally be able to introduce you all to Möbi!
Mike – Grommet Team
8/10/2015 11:52 AMThis seems like a very fun numbers game, but I’m confused…there doesn’t seem to be a screen to connect it to. Is there some mistake? Do the manufacturers know you made a game without an app?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 11:55 AMHahaha - great point! We promise, the manufacturers are well aware that we are a “low-tech” (albeit “high-fun”) game! Although we appreciate the way technology has made our lives so much easier in so many ways, we also love to turn things off and return to the good old days of face-to-face communication and interaction in a fun, inclusive way!
Möbi Games is a family company and we built our first product Möbi to reflect our shared passions and values: having fun and loving what we are doing, making a difference in the lives we touch, and connecting to people while unplugging from things.
Mike – Grommet Team
8/10/2015 11:55 AMWhy is this a game people should play beyond being able to do mental math again?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 11:56 AMGreat question. Most importantly, Möbi is fun. We think that should be a prerequisite for any game! In addition, Möbi’s game play is simple, quick and addictive - making it an easy game to pick up and play! We’ve worked hard to make Möbi age appropriate for people between 6-106 so it can literally be played with just about any group. Möbi is incredibly small and lightweight, making it portable and perfect for vacations, classrooms and trips to grandma’s house.
Theresa
8/10/2015 12:31 PMHi Vanessa,
I'm a retail buyer for a kids store in Grand Cayman. Is the game available wholesale?
Thanks!
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 12:45 PM@Theresa
Hi Theresa ... Thanks for the note! Möbi is available wholesale. We will be launching with The Grommet wholesale team late this summer! To discuss wholesale opportunities prior to this, you can get in touch with The Grommet's Customer Support team here and they will connect us!
Kelly
8/10/2015 12:43 PMI have three girls ages 12, 10 and 7, do I need to get them each their own Mobi or do they play together with one set?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 12:47 PM@Kelly
Hi Kelly .... Your girls are at perfect ages for Möbi. You only need to get one set! Möbi can be played with 1-6 players and all math/number skill levels can play at the same time. It's a super interactive and inclusive game. Hope you have an awesome time playing!
Dupi
8/10/2015 12:56 PMVanessa, do you have contact information where I may ask a question that is not on a public forum?
Mike – Grommet Team
8/10/2015 12:59 PMHi Dupi, you can connect with Vanessa through our Customer Support team here.
KEN
8/10/2015 1:01 PMWHAT MATERIAL ARE THE TILES MADE OF ?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 1:04 PM@KEN
Hi Ken,
Thanks for the question! The tile are plastic. They are perfect for playing on just about any surface and have a great weight to them. Hope you have a great day!
Carol
8/10/2015 1:07 PMI work with first grade special ed. students & would love to see an all addition and subtraction game with larger tiles.
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 1:15 PM@Carol
Carol ... you are reading our minds! Stay tuned for more games to come from Möbi Games Inc.
In the meantime .... In playing Möbi with special ed students (and also kids that haven't learned division and multiplication) what we have done is simply take out those tiles. There are enough addition and subtraction tiles to still make Möbi work. You can also take out any high numbers your students may not be comfortable with (11s, 12s) and the game will still work.
Hope this helps and thanks so much for the note! We are children of teachers - we think people in education rock!
Laurie
8/10/2015 1:09 PMI could not find a detailed description of how many # tiles and how many math symbol tiles there are -- I'll be using this for free time in middle math classes to boost skills. thanks!!
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 1:23 PM@Laurie
Hi Laurie ... awesome plan! We have introduced Möbi to a number of middle school math classes and gotten an amazing response!
You will find 162 tiles in each whale!
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 1:35 PM@Laurie
I realize, I didn't fully answer your question! So sorry! You will find 87 operation (white) tiles and 75 number (blue) tiles in each game. When you open up your Möbi, you will see that each operation tile has a different operation on the flip side. So for example, -/+ are on opposite sides of the tile. You can use these as you wish throughout the game.
Michael
8/10/2015 1:10 PMI think this looks wonderful and like a lot of fun. For those of us who really love math - have you considered making an add on set of symbols for square, parenthesis, etc?
I've ordered the set, and am looking forward to a weekend evening of fun!
Mike
Mike – Grommet Team
8/10/2015 1:22 PMThanks for the feedback and kind words, Mike! A more advanced set is an interesting idea. Increase the fun to an exponential level!
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 1:25 PM@Mike
Hi Mike and Mike .... yes, there will be more games from Möbi Games Inc. in the future ... and more symbols are in the works! Happy to hear you will be playing Möbi this weekend! Enjoy!
Dawn
8/10/2015 1:12 PMI love this idea....I am a homeschooling Nonnie to a 7 year old/2nd grader. He is very easily distracted, and I think this would be great for him - and he may not even realize it is not just a game! I am curious though....how many blue (number) tiles are there, and can we purchase additional blue or white tiles? Or would I simply need to purchase more than one set?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 1:32 PM@Dawn
Hi Dawn ... First of all, Nonnie's are amazing and what lucky kids to have you! There are 75 blue number tiles (and 87 white operation tiles). Right now, to get additional numbers you would have to buy additional sets. That's a great idea for the future though - "booster" sets of tiles!
John
8/10/2015 2:30 PMHow many players per game purchased??
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 2:36 PM@John
Hi John! Great question ... Möbi can be played by up to 6 players at a given time. The more players, the quicker the game goes! Have fun!
Elise
8/10/2015 2:53 PMCan you tell me the number range of the tiles. What is the highest number?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 3:02 PM@Elise
Hi Elise! The numbers go from 1-12 (but 12 doesn't have to be the highest number created).
Let me give you some examples so that last point makes sense!
1+2=3
6+4=10
1x4=2+2
12+3=3x5 (so although there isn't a "15" tile, you can create the number 15)
Hope this helps!
Heather
8/10/2015 3:49 PMI live in Canada and Grommet does not ship to us. Is there somewhere else I can get this game?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 3:57 PM@Heather
Hi Heather! We are a Canadian company! If you contact The Grommet's Customer Support Team - they will connect us! Happy to meet you neighbour!
Ellen
8/10/2015 3:59 PMWhere are the tiles made?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 4:02 PM@Ellen
Hi Ellen,
We tried to get the tiles made in North America but had quite a tricky time finding prices that wouldn't hurt the end consumer. We are now getting them made overseas by a wonderful company. They produce for many of the "big" game companies and are of superior quality!
Hope this helps!
May
8/10/2015 5:09 PMIs this game appropriate for a 4 yr old? Can he play by himself too?
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 5:15 PM@May
Hi May! The instructions say ages 6-106! That being said, you can play with those under 6. There are detailed instructions inside as to how to best play the game with little ones. Briefly: taking out the big numbers, taking out the multiplication/division etc.
We have played with our young nephew (age 5). Möbi is great for number recognition!
Your 4 year old can play by himself but be mindful that the tiles are small - so we suggest adult supervision with young Möbi fans.
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 5:21 PM@May
In terms of playing Möbi "solo" - yes, absolutely. You can play Möbi by yourself and build some of the most amazing pods! Go at your own pace, build really cool things type of Möbi! Great practice for young and "mature" minds alike!
Hope this helps!
May
8/10/2015 5:20 PMEllen asked where are the tiles made and you did not answer her question. Instead of saying "overseas", you can answer her question simply by saying "China". It's always better to give the direct answer. There's no shame in this answer, unless YOU think there is.
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 5:23 PM@May
Sorry May! Yes, they are manufactured in China. We have found a wonderful company after a lot of searching!
Ellen
8/10/2015 10:13 PM@Vanessa Thank you May, thats answers my question.
paul
8/10/2015 6:54 PMAbout 25 years ago I knew a guy that had patented a game like this, similar to Scrabble (C) and he called it Numbler. Numbers, operations and his even had squared and cubed tiles. I still have an Autographed First Edition of NUMBLER!
Vanessa – Special Guest
8/10/2015 7:08 PM@paul
Hey Paul - super cool to hear! We haven't come across Numbler! Thanks for sharing! Would love to see it! Happiest of nights.
Mike – Grommet Team
8/10/2015 9:56 PMVanessa, I think Paul is hinting at an autograph for his edition of Mobi!
Suzanne
8/10/2015 8:12 PMI am not getting how you keep score.
Mike – Grommet Team
8/10/2015 10:06 PMMobi keeps it nice and easy, Suzanne, the first one to get rid of all their tiles with valid equations, wins!