SimplyFun

SimplyFun was registered in Washington State in mid-2004 and made its first sale in December 2004. It started with five family board games. Three of them, Eye to Eye, Linkity and Walk the Dogs, are still in the line today. The home office is in Bellevue, Washington, and the company says it is US owned and operated. Patty Pearcy, a CPA with a University of Washington MBA, joined in 2004 as a short-term consultant and is now President and CEO.

The line has grown to more than 140 non-electronic games and activities. The company says they have won over 250 awards from groups such as NAPPA, PAL and Mensa, and its games regularly appear in parenting gift guides. SimplyFun does not make apps or video games. It argues that face-to-face play builds skills such as decision making and resilience as well as school subjects.

“Play is where curiosity begins and resilience is built.”

Patty Pearcy, President and CEO, SimplyFun — company press release via GlobeNewswire, May 2026

For most of its history SimplyFun was a party-plan company and a Direct Selling Association member, with Independent Consultants it called Playologists. In February 2023 it moved its website to a new store and replaced the consultant program with an affiliate program. It now sells online at SimplyFun, on Amazon and through a school purchasing program.

There is no starter kit any more. Joining the SimplyFun Affiliate program is free. You fill in a web form, and once approved you can sign in to the affiliate portal and get your personal link. The program is open only to people who live in, and can work in, the United States.

To keep an account active, an Affiliate needs one of three things in each anniversary year: one personal purchase, one sale through their link, or 24 visits on their link.

Before 2023: the Playologist kits

Under the old consultant plan, new Playologists bought a starter kit. A February 2022 review listed a $49 Signature Kit with two games and a $139 Premium Kit with ten games. Those kits are no longer offered.

SimplyFun's August 2026 Affiliate Commission and Bonus Plan pays on sales made through an Affiliate's own link. There are no team commissions.

• Base commission: 10% on link sales, paid weekly.
• Monthly link sales bonus: 2.5% at $50 or more in a month, 3.5% at $100, 4% at $250 and 5% at $500.
• Annual achievement bonuses: points from $250 in yearly link sales, plus cash of $50 at $1,000, $100 at $2,000 and $250 at $5,000.
• Points: for link visits, yearly personal purchases and referred affiliates. Points convert to product coupons.
• Personal discount: 15% off your own SimplyFun purchases.

For comparison, the old Playologist plan paid 25% to 34% on personal sales, with team leaders earning 30% to 35% depending on volume. The new plan is simpler and free, but it pays far less per sale. Check the company's current plan before you count on any figure.

PROS

• Free to join, with no kit, no inventory and no parties required.
• Award-winning, screen-free learning games that parents and teachers already look for.
• 15% off your own purchases, which suits families who buy games anyway.
• Commission paid weekly, with clear published bonus tiers.
• A company that has been in business since 2004.

CONS

• A 10% base commission, plus at most 5% in monthly bonuses, is modest.
• No team commissions or leadership ranks, so this is not a business you can build a team in.
• Open to US residents only.
• Former Playologists lost the higher party-plan commissions when the program changed in 2023.