What game can you pick up at Toys R Us for $10, fit in your purse, play anywhere (including on airplane tray tables, at restaurants while waiting for your food, or at Starbucks over a latte with your date),… AND has adorable little pig-shaped dice?

That’s right – it’s Pass the Pigs, this week’s game review. Chad and I were introduced to this game when we were first married. Two friends of ours had us over for dinner and then asked, “Have you ever played Pass the Pigs?” We hadn’t, but we did that night and we were hooked; we picked up our own copy a few weeks later.

To be honest, the thing that makes this game irresistible for me is that the entire thing revolves around rolling pigs. Yes, pigs. It’s a classic push-your-luck game, where you roll and roll, hoping to increase your score without “pigging out.”

In a nutshell: Pass the Pigs consists of two identical little pigs; each pig has a black dot on one side (flank, I suppose, would be the correct term) and nothing on the other. On your turn, you roll the two pigs, just as you would roll dice, and score points based on how they land. Here are some examples of landing positions and how they score:

You may roll as many times as you like, upping your score with each roll — unless, that is, you “pig out.” If the pigs land so that both pigs are lying on their sides, one dot-side-up and the other dot-side-down, you lose all your points for that turn and your turn is over. It’s called a “pig out.” Pass the pigs on to the next person. Play continues around the table (or airplane row, as the case may be) until one player hits 100 points. That player wins!

Note: the latest “2nd edition” of Pass the Pigs includes a card game called Snout. I haven’t played it yet, but hey – 2 games for in 1, both involving cute little pigs. You can’t beat that!

In summary:

Pass the Pigs

Number of Players: 2 or more
Time required: 30 minutes or less (depending on the number of players)
Ages: 7 and up (younger players will need some help knowing when to stop!)
Where to buy: Amazon.com or Toys R Us

Callapidder recommends it for: Pass the Pigs makes a great “filler” – a quick and easy game that is perfect for filling in between other “stuff.” Play it when you have some extra time, take it to a restaurant to play while waiting for your food, or get it out after dinner for a quick game before everyone goes their separate ways.

Read all of Callapidder’s Game Reviews HERE.