Dancing Eggs is yet another clever, high-quality toy/game from the German company Haba. Simple to play, it's a scream for kids and adults.
COMPONENTS:
The game comes in a recycled paper egg crate housing nine full-sized rubber eggs, one full-sized wooden egg, an action die, and an egg placement die.
GAME PLAY:
Players in turn roll the action die. The action die features pictographs of six actions:
* "Cluck, cluck, cluck"--the player who rolled can take an egg from the box after saying the key phrase.
* Egg Drop--a rubber egg is dropped and the person who snatches it after it bounces off the table gets to keep it.
* Run Around the Table--all the players run around the game table, the first one back to his/her spot takes an egg from the box.
* Die Grab--first player to grab the die after this action comes up gets to take an egg from the box.
* "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo"--the first player to fully crow out the key phrase gets to take an egg from the box.
* Mute--if this action comes up and a player mistakes its similar graphic for "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo" and says the key phrase, the player surrenders an egg or loses a turn.
After taking an egg, the player receiving it must roll the placement die to determine where that egg will be placed on the players body:
* Under the chin
* Side of the neck
* Under the arm
* In the crook of the arm
* Between the knees
* Anywhere the player chooses
Each rubber egg counts for a point, with the wooden egg (much harder to hold in place) counting for two. In the course of play, if a player drops a held egg, the round is over, the player who lost the egg is out, and the points are tallied. The player with the most points wins the round.
PROS:
* The game components are exceptionally well made.
* The game play is enormous fun.
* Everyone who plays this game enjoys it.
* Because it's not one of the common games out there, people are intrigued by its unfamiliarity.
* All types of people enjoy the game. Though aimed at kids, adults may enjoy it even more.
* It requires good coordination and helps kids master it.
* The game play gets people up and moving.
* It's very simple to learn.
* The game makes for embarrassing moments and plenty of hysterical visual imagery, especially as people attempt some of the actions while loaded with eggs. (Try running around a table with an egg between your knees, for instance.)CONS:
* The game requires enough room for people to run around the table.
* Disaster may strike in the form of injuries or household damage during that same run-around-the-table portion of the game.
* Uncoordinated or very young children may struggle to hold even one egg. (The game is recommend for kids five and up. That's an accurate assessment of the skill level and may even be a bit generous to the youngsters.)
* Though it includes nine eggs, in the four player game there may not be enough eggs to go around. (The instructions compensate for this by allowing players to take eggs from other players. Some folks recommend actually buying two sets of this game to double the number of eggs. When playing with adults, that's a wise idea.)
* The instructions are vague as to how to address some situations that might arise while playing the game.
CONCLUSION:
A definite winner. Though it's not a cheap game, in its favor it's not a cheap game; the components are well crafted, especially the rubber eggs. Peals of laughter will tell you how much people enjoy playing Dancing Eggs. Great for parties, great for kids, great for mixed groups--it's simply a great game. With the caveat being the need for space and for a box of Band-Aids for those overly ambitious battles between players who treat racing around the table like Death Race 2000, it's hard to go wrong with this fine game from Haba.
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Dancing Eggs (4448) - by HABAProduct Description: We love this funny game. Catch the dancing egg and then run around the table with egg between your knees or under your chin, but as soon as the egg drops the game is over. Beware of egg thieves! A boisterous bouncing game for 2-4 players.Included in the box: 1 wooden egg, 9 rubber eggs, 1 red action dice, 1 "where to place the egg" dice, 1 set of instructions.
Buy cheap Dancing Eggs (4448) - by HABA now
My 3 year old loves this set of blocks and creating new patterns.She especially likes to have an adult work one half of the puzzle and then she problem solves and works the other half.My 5 year old also enjoys working with the patterns but not as much and she is more independent when working with it.Overall it is well worth the money.I was surprised with how well my kids like to play with it.
