Ear Tug

A game collection about small, large and colorful ears.
For 2 to 4 players ages 3 - 12


Author: Brigitte Pokomik
Illustrations: Antje Flad
Length of the game: each approx. 5 - 10 minutes


"Take a tug at my ears" the cat meows to the little dog. "But be careful!" Softly the dog pulls on an ear.
"Hey, but that's my ear!" the bear growls. "The ear of the cat is a completely different shape!"
"It's not that easy", the dog whimpers desperately. "Maybe somebody can help me?"


Contents
9 Animal cards
21 wooden ears
1 little bag
1 set of game instructions


Dear parents:
Before playing, acquaint your child with the game material.
First take the blue ears off the game and put the other ears in the little bag.
Together take a look at the cards and talk about what animals are there and what kind of sound they make.
Let your child pick the wooden ears out of the bag. Study the ears together and help your child classify them by color and insert them into the corresponding dips.

1. My ears, your ears

For 2 and 3 little ear searchers ages 3 and up.

Who will be the first, with a bit of luck and fine feeling, to pull out of the bag the corresponding ears for their animals?

Preparation of the game

Each player chooses 3 animal cards showing animals with different shapes of ear: One animal should have triangular, the second round and the third oval ears.
If there are only 2 players, the remaining animal cards are put aside. Also put aside the 3 blue ears, they are not needed for this game. All the other ears are put into the bag.

How to play:

The player with the biggest ears starts. If you cannot agree the youngest player stands and pulls 2 ears out of the bag.

Does one or even both ears match with the shape and color of one of the animals in front of you? You can insert all fitting ears into the dips or the animal card.

You have to put back into the bag all ears that do not match any of your animals.

Pass on the bag to the next player in a clockwise direction
They also will try to pull out 2 ears which match one of their animals.

End of the game

As soon as a player has collected all ears for their 3 animals, the game ends. The player wins and is the "Big ear puller"

Variation for impatient ear pullers
Not only two, but three ears can be pulled out of the bag each turn.

2. The hare has long ears

For 2 - 4 players ages 4 and up.

Who will, with a bit of luck and fine feeling, collect the most animals?

Preparation

Place all animal cards next to each other on the table.
All ears - including the blue ones - are put into the bag.
Any ear is pulled out and placed onto the corresponding animal card.

How to play

The player who is best at moving their ears starts. If you can't agree, the tallest player starts.

Pull one ear out of the bag and place it on the corresponding animal card.

Did you pull out a blue ear?
There is no corresponding card. Place it back into the bag

Does the animal now have both ears?
As a reward you take the card and ears and place them in front of you.

Then you pass on the bag an it's the turn of the next player in a clockwise direction.

End of the Game
The game ends as soon as the last animal has both their ears and lies in front of a player.
The player with the most animal cards wins and is the greatest "ear expert." If various players have the same amount of cards, they win together.

Tic, Tac -animal

For 2-4 little tactical players ages 5 and up.

Whoever will place the last ear in a row of three cards, wins the game.

Preparation
The animal cards are shuffled and laid out in a square of three rows each with three cards. Put aside the blue ears, all the other ears are kept in the little bag

How to play
Does anyone of you own one of the animals shown on the cards? You may start. If you can't agree, it's the oldest player who starts.

Pull an ear out of the bag and put it on the corresponding card. Then it's the turn of the next player in a clockwise direction.

Important: It is not permitted to pull out two ears of the same shape one after another. If that happens, the second ear is put back into the bag and it is immediately the turn of the next player.

End of the game
As soon as three cards in a row (vertical, horizontal, diagonal) are provided with ears, the game ends.
The player who placed the last ear, wins the game.

Variation
The game gets more tactical when the blue ears are brought into the game.
Whoever pulls out a blue ear may put it into a corresponding dip which is still free.
The one who later pulls out the corresponding ear for that dip can exchange it.
The blue ear is immediately placed into another suitable dip.
If there is no dip available, the ear is taken out of the game.