Games. Love them or hate them, you can’t deny that they can be great for family life. A chance to have some fun, relax (or maybe not if everyone gets competitive), and a way to get all ages involved.  For me, the retro games are still the best – especially if you’ve got the old versions still hanging around cupboards.  It’s rare that the modern versions are as sturdy as the old ones.

I love reminiscing about the old games we used to play. When we were sent Pass the Pigs to review, it made me smile when I opened it up.  My brother and I used to have it and loved playing it, so it’s been nice to play it again and introduce it to N.

pass the pigs games

We were sent 2 versions of the game. The travel version which is the one I remember but with an updated case, and the giant inflatable garden Pass the Pigs game.

If you’re not aware of Pass the Pigs, it’s a game that can be played with 2-4 people. Each person takes it in turn to throw or roll the pigs, and you score depending on the position.  It seems I was good at rolling the pigs on their backs which N wasn’t impressed about. He kept adding scores to his even though he wasn’t as successful.

pass the pigs contents

The travel game set comes with 2 small pigs, score pad and pencils, and instructions.  The case is secure, and is a good size for slipping into a handbag or luggage.  N was a big fan of the set, so I can see him bringing it on holiday with us regularly.

rolling the pass the pigs dice

The alternative option for Pass the Pigs is the new giant version.  N loved the pigs – he just wanted to cuddle them rather than play, although he did enjoy trying to get them to land on their backs.

loving the giant pass the pigs

This comes in a bag with a scoring pad and pencils again, with the 2 inflatable pigs. It doesn’t take long to inflate them, and they’re not so big that they’d take over a garden. So they’re great for some garden fun in the summer.

What I like about Pass the Pigs (apart from the comedy value of trying to get them into the impossible position on the score card!), is that for children it’s a great way to encourage them to do maths without them realising.  N wanted to be the scorer each time, so he was able to practise his 5 times tables.

*includes Affiliate links

You can buy the game from the usual toy shops, the Pass the Pigs travel set and the giant set.

—————————————————

Disclosure: We were sent 2 Pass the Pigs games for the purpose of review.  All words and opinions are my own.

118 Comments

  1. Tammy Neal

    Frustration great for all the family to play

  2. I have two favourite childhood games, the first is connect four because it was the only game I almost always won! But I always loved playing cards. It was a Sunday afternoon family time thing we did every week.

  3. Snakes and ladders because it is a fun family game

  4. snakes and ladders as i have memories of playing it with my mum by candle light when there was no electric

  5. Debbie Preston

    Frustration because it is simple but so frustrating!

  6. Monika Bascombe

    Frustration – reminds me times when i was little and paying with my brothers

  7. Victoria B

    Astro Wars – hours of fun and I was the best at it!

  8. Lucy Robinson

    We love connect four. So simple yet a great game to play.

  9. We have an old game called Jaws where you fill the sharks’ mouth up with items and take it in turns to remove them. When it closes, whoever it was that made it shut is the loser. Ours doesn’t work any more, so we do it with dice and still take the items out but whoever rolls a 6 is the loser. 🙂 Looking for another one now that works. 🙂 We also like ROTADRAW although not a game.

  10. Karen Dixon

    Monopoly its a classic and fun for a long time

  11. Claire Davies

    KerPlunk – fantastic game! Hours of fun!

  12. jennifer jackson

    Battleships – i used to love playing it with my Dad

  13. sharon martin

    the old mouse trap, i have fond memories of playing this as a child

  14. Dale Dow

    Boggle, it gets you thinking and we have challenges to come up with unique words, slang words etc x

  15. jamie Millard

    Hungry Hippos. It’s fast, furious and fun.

  16. Caroline Smith

    Twister – always lots of fun and gets the kids off their bums!

  17. elaine stokes

    mouse trap, i still have mine from the 70’s always goes off when it shouldnt and sticks when it should… thats the fun of it

  18. Guess who for us. My daughter loves it and it really gets her to think about questions to ask and boosts her confidence

  19. Rachel Thompson

    Has to monopoly but i always get a bit ceazy if i can’t be the dog

  20. Adrian Bold

    Mouse Trap because it was so much fun watching all the parts interact with each other.

  21. Jennifer Baker

    Guess who! Loved to play it with my Sister on rainy days x x x

  22. kerplunk is a favourite in our house…..although the amount of marbles have disappeared!

  23. Deborah Mackenzie

    Cluedo, it is a game that doesnt age.

  24. I have a 1980s travel battleships game which we still take with us on holiday

  25. Patricia Avery

    I still have Snakes and Ladders and Ludo which were the only board games I had as child. I played with my children and now with my grandchildren. We all love to play them 🙂

  26. Lisa Wilkinson

    I love Monopoly because it’s a great game for a family games night

  27. astrongcoffee

    I loved cleudo – got our old game out the other day and the boys love it too!

  28. Rachael Sexey

    Tribal pursuit as it’s a classic get together Sunday afternoon family game

  29. Wendy Guy

    I love Ludo because it reminds me of enjoyable winter afternoons when I was a child.

  30. Natasha Hoey

    Snakes and ladders, its simple and my young daughters can play.

  31. Ali Fanstone

    one of my favorite games was ker plunk also loved mouse trap and a similar game called haunted house

  32. Rachael O'Brien

    SImon says ! Electronic game (red, blue, yellow and green buttons) you match the tune/pattern , loved this game as a kid x

  33. Jill Fairbanks

    I love mousetrap so glad it’s still going strong

  34. Allison Sherwood

    Mousetrap, it was great fun setting it up aswell as playing the game

  35. Sam Parkes

    Frustration was a childhood favourite of mine and now my daughters

  36. caroline james

    I love playing our vintage 1973 scrabble set.

  37. Caroline Bourne

    I used to love Operation – so much fun!

  38. Arabella Bazley

    At the moment my favourite is Happy Families. I found an old pack in a charity shop and there are a couple missing but they are so delightfully non-PC that we are getting a lot of amusement from them 😉

  39. Guess who, I used to love describing all the characters when I played it with my mum and now I do the same with my son.

  40. Kyomi Johnson

    I always loved kerplunk was so much fun for all our family

  41. Simon Keeping

    Can’t beat a game of Hungry Hippos!!

  42. zoe brown

    guess who still enjoy playing it with my nephews

  43. francis lee

    I still love my rubix cube, still as hard as it was back in my youth

  44. Rachel Butterworth

    Mouse Trap. The thrill of the chase.

  45. Gillian Hutchison

    At the moment my 7 year old and 6 year old have just learned to play draughts so loving challenging them to play 🙂

  46. Christina Palmer

    Snakes and ladders because it is suitable for all ages meaning the whole family down to the youngest can join in

  47. vicki gorton

    connect 4 and its still going strong xx

  48. Mark Colombus

    Would have to be Game of Life 70’s version, reading it now its so non-pc 🙂

  49. Rebecca Taylor

    Really has to be Cluedo for us 🙂

  50. Kate Bateson

    We love the Orchard Games, Feed the Gorilla is a particular favourite with my boys who like making the gorilla burp (typical boys!)

  51. Joanna Ford

    Mouse trap as it reminds me of all the fun I had as a child

  52. Snakes and ladders is our favourite retro game because it is a game of chance so all the family can win.

  53. Rebecca Howells (@Peanuthog)

    Hungry Hippos and Operation!

  54. Samantha Stanley

    I’ve always loved the seventies game “Sorry”. Managed to get it at a yard sale and kids love it too!

  55. Jolanta K.

    Monopoly because all four of us play together

  56. Michelle Ferguson

    I love monopoly as reminds me of being a kid and playing it with my family

  57. Christine Lockley

    Snakes and Ladders – takes me back to sitting in a caravan on rainy dayswith lots of laughter and steamed up windows

  58. Paula Cheadle

    we still love and play Monopoly and scrabble

  59. Marie Rule

    I love connect 4. It was one of my favourites as a kid.

  60. Lisa Conn

    I love connect four, simple concept but very addictive!

  61. Victoria Prince

    MouseTrap! because it brings back fond memories of my childhood, and the excitement of days at school when we could bring games in to play with our friends (I never actually owned it myself!)

  62. Alex Telford

    My kids love mousie mousie, we found it in a charity shop for 50p, best 50p spent ever!

  63. Jeanette Leighton

    Monopoly as we played it all the time when I was growing up

  64. Emma Ellams

    Simon Says, because it really tests my poor memory!

  65. Cluedo is one of my favourites or the family favourite is Monopoly

  66. Natalie Crossan

    I love Cluedo – different every time!!

  67. Melissa Lee

    I love Ghost Castle – we recently found one in a charity shop. It reminds me so much of my childhood!

  68. I have a game called Dizzy Dizzy Dinosaur it’s really fun, don’t think they make it anymore

  69. charlotte wilde

    i love frustration – still love pressing that popamatic button!

  70. lynn neal

    We love Cluedo because it is fun to rule characters out one by one and then see if you are right!

%d bloggers like this: