Released by Romper Room in 1973, Animal Farm was a children’s tabletop game in which players raced to collect matching farm animals.
GAMEPLAY
Setup began with the barn placed at the centre of the play surface, with a barn door facing each player. In front of every door, players arranged a fence and placed one cow, pig, and chicken within it, filling all four sides of the barn, even if fewer than four people were playing.
To start the game, the ball was rolled down the silo chute on top of the barn. Whichever doorway it exited determined the first player, with turns continuing to the left. On each turn, players rolled the ball down the chute and quickly removed an animal from the barnyard it entered. The goal was to collect three matching animals while disrupting opponents’ progress. If the ball dropped into a player’s own barnyard, that turn was lost.
Play continued until one player successfully gathered three of the same animal to win the game.
A variation of play allowed players to collect two of each animal instead, increasing both the competitiveness and the length of the game.
IN THE BOX
A complete game included a barn, ball, four fences, and four of each animal: pigs, cows, and chickens. Instructions were printed on the exterior of the game box.
COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS
Animal Farm was an accessible game for young players because it did not use dice or spinners to progress gameplay. Counting was kept to a bare minimum, making it a good choice for family game nights with preschool-aged children. Other examples of games with little or no counting include Don’t Spill the Beans from Schaper, KerPlunk from Ideal, and Ants in the Pants from Schaper.
Note: If you buy something using the eBay link in this story, we may earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting independent toy journalism!