12-Year-Old Carlsbad Kid Launches Kickstarter for Rainforest Rumble Board Game

At just 12 years old, Beckett Tarver is the mastermind behind what could be the next hit board game. The Carlsbad-area pre-teen and his parents are working to bring Rainforest Rumble to toy stores everywhere, and they’ve just launched a Kickstarter campaign to make it happen.

The board game is ready three years after it started as a homework assignment for his third grade class, which is honestly pretty cool when you think about how most school projects end up stuffed in a drawer and forgotten.

Rainforest Rumble Prototype

A Jungle Adventure With Rainbow Pandas and Chunky Monkeys

Players get to embark on a jungle adventure with characters like the rainbow panda and chunky monkey. The game promises unexpected twists because the rainforest is full of surprises.

It’s got that imaginative, kid-created vibe that actually makes it sound fun rather than like another corporate board game trying too hard.

Rainforest Rumble board game

All or Nothing Kickstarter Campaign

The family has set a goal of raising $18,000 to continue developing the game. As an “all or nothing campaign,” if they don’t hit the goal by March 1, the campaign loses all of its pledges. It’s a tight deadline, but that’s how Kickstarter works – you either hit your target or you’re back to square one.

From Homework Assignment to Kickstarter

What started as a third-grade homework assignment has turned into a three-year journey to bring a board game to market. Beckett and his parents have put in the work to develop the concept, design the game, and now they’re asking for community support to take it the rest of the way.

Not every kid’s school project gets this kind of follow-through, so it’s worth paying attention to.

Beckett and Family

Help a local kid bring his game to life!

Whether Rainforest Rumble makes it to toy stores depends on whether the Kickstarter hits its goal, but either way, it’s a solid example of what happens when a kid’s creativity gets taken seriously.

📆 Kickstarter campaign runs through Saturday, March 1, 2026
🎟️ Support the campaign here
ℹ️ More info here

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