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Monstera is a 160-tile American Mahjong set with clear backs that show a bamboo-slat inlay, potted bamboo bams and tropical flower tiles. Two joker designs and tiger dragons marked BAM and CRAK complete the table.
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Flat $9.95 shipping · 30-day returns from delivery
Monstera is a set of bamboo mahjong tiles in two ways. Flip a tile and the back is clear, with a pale yellow tone and a bamboo-slat inlay showing through, so a face-down wall looks like a row of bamboo blinds. Turn it face up and the bams are drawn as potted bamboo, each stalk bunch sitting in its own patterned vase, with green numerals in the corner. The 1-Bam is a blue and teal crane-like bird with a long, feathered tail. From the side you can count four layers: the white face, a mint band, a lime green band and the clear bamboo back.
The rest of the set follows the same garden mood. The dots are green and teal rosettes with dark blue numerals. The craks sit inside pink paper lanterns, with pink numerals and multicolored characters. The dragons are tigers, and they carry their suit on the tile: the green tiger reads BAM and the magenta tiger reads CRAK, which helps newer players match dragons to suits. The soap is a green pagoda-roof frame trimmed with pink flowers. The eight flowers are eight different tropical bouquets, with bird of paradise, orchid, anthurium and monstera leaves, and they are not numbered. The jokers come in two colorways: five show a pink lion under a purple parasol and five show a teal lion under a lime parasol.
That covers the 152 tiles an American game uses, plus two extra jokers and six blanks to keep as spares.
The maker lists the tiles as acrylic, with the bamboo slats set into the clear back, so this is a new set with a bamboo look rather than a vintage bamboo-backed set. The listed size is approximately 1.26 x 0.95 x 0.63 in (32 x 24 x 16 mm), taken from a general size chart, so treat it as a guide. A soft, slightly damp cloth is usually all acrylic tiles need; skip solvents and keep the clear backs out of strong sun for long stretches.
| Game | American Mahjong |
|---|---|
| Tile count | 160 |
| Tile breakdown | 36 dots, 36 bams, 36 craks, 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers, 10 jokers, 6 blanks |
| Tile size | Approx. 1.26 x 0.95 x 0.63 in (32 x 24 x 16 mm), as listed by the maker |
| Material | Acrylic (as listed by the maker) |
| Colors | White faces; clear, pale yellow backs with a bamboo-slat inlay |
| Construction | 4 visible layers, face to back: white, mint, lime green, clear bamboo back |
| Finish | Glossy faces, translucent backs, rounded corners |
| Numbering | Arabic numerals in the corner of suit tiles; flowers not numbered |
Orders are processed within 1 to 2 business days, with tracking on every parcel. Delivery across the United States takes 10 to 25 days and costs $9.95, one flat rate charged once per order whatever the number of items.
Changed your mind? You have 30 days from delivery to request a return, unused and in its original packaging. Approved refunds go back to your original payment method within 3 business days.
Read at a glance
Nobody wants to squint at their own hand. Faces that carry across the table, so the game moves and nobody has to ask.
Weight you'll notice
The difference between a tile you tolerate and a tile you reach for is in your fingers. Heavier tiles shuffle better and stack straighter.
Match your mat
Tiles set the palette for everything else on the table. Pick the ones you want to build around.
The maker lists the tiles as acrylic. The bamboo you see is a bamboo-slat inlay set into the clear back of each tile, and the bams are drawn as potted bamboo. So this is a new set with a bamboo look, not one of the vintage sets whose tiles were backed with bamboo. The faces are white and glossy, and four color layers show on the edge: white, mint, lime green and the clear back.
The bamboo tiles, usually called bams, are one of the three suits in mahjong, alongside dots and craks. Each suit runs from 1 to 9, with four of each tile, so a set has 36 bams. The 1-Bam is traditionally drawn as a bird. In American Mahjong the bams pair with the green dragon. On Monstera the bams are potted bamboo, the 1-Bam is a crane-like bird, and the green dragon is a tiger that reads BAM.
A standard American Mahjong game uses 152 tiles: 108 suit tiles, 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers and 8 jokers. Monstera has 160 tiles: 36 dots, 36 bams, 36 craks, 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers, 10 jokers and 6 blanks. The two extra jokers and the six blanks work as spares. No case, racks, dice or National Mah Jongg League card are listed with the set.
There are 10 jokers in two designs of five. Five show a pink lion under a purple parasol, and five show a teal lion under a lime green parasol, both with JOKER written across the top. The designs differ only in color, so they are easy to spot as jokers during play. If your group prefers identical jokers, you can play with the eight of your choice and keep the rest aside.
A mahjong set is handled more than almost anything else in the house: every tile passes through four pairs of hands, several times a game.
That is what we select for. Tiles that read clearly from the far side of the table, edges that stay clean, and a case that still closes after a few seasons of being carried around.
Sets differ in ways that only show at the table: the weight of a tile in the hand, how a crak reads from three seats away, whether the case survives the trip to a friend’s house.
When we have the figures, we publish them: tile count, tile size, weight and material. When we do not have one, we leave it out rather than guess.
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