Mölkky Set

Mölkky Set, 2023

For this sunny summer, I built two square Mölkky sets to play in the park with family and friends.

The word mölkky was coined by its creators and has no actual meaning. It was probably inspired by the Finnish word pölkky, which means block of wood. Mölkky is a game that requires both skill and precision, but also a strategical mindset!

The players use a throwing pin (the Mölkky) to try to knock over wooden pins, which are marked with numbers from 1 to 12. Knocking over one pin scores the amount of points that is marked on the respective pin. Knocking over two or more pins scores the number of pins that were knocked over. After each throw, the pins are stood up again in the exact location where they landed.

The first one to reach exactly 50 points wins the game. If a player scores more than 50 points, the player’s score is set back to 25 points. A player that misses all of the target pins three turns in a row is eliminated from the game.

This game had a particular success in France, probably due to its similarity to pétanque.

Due to some difficulties to find round beams for the making of these sets, I decided to use square blocks. It probably isn’t fit for official competitions, but it does great with family and friends!

I painted the numbers with signwriting enamel in order for them to last and endure the throws.