Pass the Pigs started life as 1977's Pig Mania!, itself an adaption of a dice game named Pig which had been around for decades. Eventually the publishing licence was sold to Milton Bradley and the game was rebranded as Pass the Pigs. Today the game is produced by Winning Moves and available in regular, big, giant, and party versions.
The concept behind it is pretty simple. You roll the pigs and, depending on how they land, score points. The more acrobatically they land, the more points you score. For instance, both pigs landing on the same side will net you 1 point, but if you manage to get two in the 'leaning jowler' position you'll bag yourself 60 points. The first player to reach 100 points is the winner.
Although I had heard of the game I had never actually played it, so I didn't waste any time when I was given the chance to review it on the blog. Marianna has been itching to play it ever since it arrived - over a week ago! - but all of the adults in the house managed to come down with coronavirus and she had to make her own entertainment in front of the television until we felt better again.
It's not been much fun but, thankfully, we've had it pretty mildly and are now nearing the end of quarantine. That made it time for Pass the Pigs!
We tried out Big Pigs first. The pigs are quite large, like a pet toy, and even make a loud squeaking noise when you squeeze them. I think the Big Pigs are best suited to summertime in the garden or parties as their size means you need more room to throw them. Marianna loved flinging them about the place though, especially when she eventually won the game.
After that we roped nanny in for a game of the classic version. The small pigs needed much less room, though Marianna's exuberance in throwing them meant rescuing them from under the sofa on more than one occasion! It was really good fun, all the same, and we got pretty invested in it - adults and children alike.
What I really liked about the game is how easy it is to play, making it absolutely perfect for young children. You don't need a board, so you don't have to supervise the moving of counters. You don't need to teach any special skill before you start, and there isn't any fiddly mechanism to set up. You just roll the pigs and off you go.
If it's all children playing you might want to simplify the scoring system to enable them to keep track, but for a grouping of adults and young children I am completely sold on Pass the Pigs. It's going to be our new go to game above even Snakes & Ladders and Buckaroo.
Pass the Pigs is available from the
Winning Moves website. The original version is £9.99, while Big Pigs and Party Pigs retail for £14.99 each. Signing up to the newsletter will bag you 10% off your first order too. Once you have the game you can join in the fun on social media using the hashtag #PassthePigs and share all your best moves.
Have you ever played Pass the Pigs? What did you think of it?
*We were sent the games to review, but thoughts and opinions are all our own!*
