Play Poohsticks online: the bridge game from Winnie-the-Pooh
How to play
Drop, don't throw. Then watch the water.
Poohsticks is the simplest game ever invented, and the online version keeps it that way. A round takes about twenty seconds. There is nothing to read, nothing to lose, and no way to fall in.
- 1
Choose a stick
Tubby, Twiggy, Barky, Long, or the original Fir Cone. Each floats a little differently.
- 2
Hold and aim
Put a finger on your stick at the rail and slide to pick your spot. The dark water is quicker; the reeds and lily pads are not.
- 3
Let go on GO!
Ready… Steady… GO! Let go early and that is a throw, which never helps. Everyone playing lets go together.
- 4
Make waves
Once your stick is floating, tap the water to drop a pebble. The splash pushes nearby sticks, just as Pooh planned for Eeyore.
- 5
Wait
Under the bridge, nobody knows. Your friends run to the other rail.
- 6
First to the ribbon
Sticks poke out one by one and race for the finish line. Too close to call? Photo finish.
Why it stays fair
Real Poohsticks is almost entirely luck, and that is why a small child and a grandparent can play it together without either of them pretending. The online game is built the same way. Choosing well nudges your odds; the turbulence under the bridge decides most rounds. Every physics change is checked against thousands of simulated races so that no stick, lane or trick can win more than about two rounds in three.
Matches are best of three, and when a match ends the game suggests stopping. Play a few, then go and find a real bridge when you can.
Questions parents ask
- How do you play Poohsticks?
- Everyone drops a stick into the river from the upstream side of a bridge at the same moment, crosses to the other side, and watches. The first stick to float out from under the bridge wins. In the online game you hold your stick with a finger, slide along the rail to choose your spot, and let go on "GO!"
- Is the online game free?
- Yes. There is nothing to download, no account to make, and no advertising. Progress such as unlocked sticks and River Friends is saved on your own device.
- How many people can play?
- One to four players can share a single phone or tablet. Each player holds their own stick on the screen and everyone lets go together on GO. Empty lanes are filled by Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit and Roo, who each play in their own way.
- Is Poohsticks a game of luck or skill?
- Mostly luck, a little skill, exactly like the real thing. Choosing a stick, reading the water and dropping in the right place nudge your chances, but the turbulence under the bridge decides most rounds. A five-year-old beats a grown-up regularly.
- What age is it for?
- It is designed for children around three to seven playing on a parent’s phone. There is no reading required, nothing to lose, and a round takes under half a minute.
- Where does Poohsticks come from?
- A. A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Pooh drops a fir cone from a bridge, sees it come out the other side, and invents the game. The real Poohsticks Bridge is in Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, and the World Poohsticks Championships are held every year on the River Thames.