You have spent enough on laser pointers and feather wands. This one is a treat for you, the human, disguised as a cat thing. Kooky Cats, a tabletop card game from Yolky Games, packs more than 50 cartoon felines drawn by French artist Jean Jullien into a deck that’s genuinely fun to hold, let alone play. If there’s a cat person in your life whose gifts you keep overthinking, start here.
What makes it more than a novelty
The obvious hook is the art, and it earns the billing. Jullien is known for a loose, tongue-in-cheek style that spans everything from canvases and drawings to large-scale installations and playful objects like pet-themed surfboards and lamps, with recent showings including Art Basel in 2022. He also drew Dodgy Dogs, the game’s canine sibling, if the cat person in question is secretly a dog person too.
Every character lands in one of 12 categories, each riffing on a familiar bit of cat slang. There are Cool Cats and Curious Cats, Alley Cats and Fat Cats and Scaredy Cats, and on it goes. The joy is in the details. Ziggy the Copy Cat shows up wearing a zebra-striped onesie. Cindy the Curious Cat has wedged herself into a running washing machine to watch the spin. Claude the Cool Cat all but vanishes behind a shaggy mane and a pair of round, Lennon-style shades. These are cards you’ll want to leave face-up on the table.
What’s in the box
For a card game, it’s surprisingly well-appointed. The set includes 55 cards, 12 cat-egories plus 7 special cards, along with 12 heavy resin Kooky Tokens, a “The Cat That Got The Cream” face card, and a rules pamphlet. The cards are poker-sized with a quality Superlux finish, and the whole thing tucks into a silk-finished box that feels like a keeper rather than a throwaway. It’s made and designed in Europe, and the production values are a big part of why it reads as a gift and not a gag.
How it plays, and the one caveat
You’re trying to complete whole categories, gathering every one of a group’s four members before the round ends, and the rhythm sits at roughly Go Fish level, which is exactly the point. It’s the kind of game a mixed-age table can pick up in one round. The twists come from the special cards, drawing a “Cat’s got my tongue” or a “Cat nap” throws a small, welcome wrench into the simplicity, so it’s not purely luck.
Here’s the honest caveat, and it’s really a matter of matching expectations: this is a light, breezy family game, not a deep strategy title. If the person you’re buying for wants something crunchy and cutthroat for a dedicated game night, this isn’t it. If they want something charming, quick, and beautiful to keep on the shelf between plays, it’s close to perfect. Set your expectations to “delightful,” not “brain-burner,” and you’ll love it.
Where to get it
Kooky Cats successfully funded on Kickstarter and is now available to buy directly from Yolky Games, with the deck also popping up through select independent retailers. In the meantime, practice keeping a straight face and your cards close, because with designs this cute, the real challenge is not showing everyone your hand.
References
- Yolky Games. “Kooky Cats | Tabletop Game.” https://yolkygames.com/products/kooky-cats-tabletop-game
