Pizza, donuts, and…pandas? This is a social card game like you’ve never seen before
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Forget pulling out Cards Against Humanity during your next games night, Panda Party is the newest (and cutest) card game causing some fun chaos at home.
And because it’s chock full of panda puns—and locally made—we’re already obsessed.
Dreamt up by locals Darko and Ana Andreski four years ago, the game began as a passion project inspired by the need for a simple, quirky, and social card game that can be played by anyone.
Taking time off work to travel the world earlier this year, the couple finally had the time (and energy) to get in touch with their creative side and decided to bring it to life. Now on Monday October 31, they’re finally launching the Kickstarter.
Growing up with non-English speaking parents, Darko explains that the main inspiration behind the super easy-to-pick-up (unlike real pandas) card game was it can be played by all ages and all linguistic backgrounds—perfect for a family catch-up during the holidays.
“We’ve never been able to play card games with our parents because it’s really hard, there’s a language barrier and I don’t think that parents back in the day played the kind of games and card games we play now,” he says.
“It’s definitely at the core of why we’re doing this.”
Darko and Ana.
Drawing inspiration from other popular games like Exploding Kittens, in Panda Party (and an alternate reality) pandas rule the world. After discovering that pizza and donuts give them much more sustenance than bamboo, they party all day and night—hence the name.
Without giving away too much (because what’s the fun in that?), all players compete to collect a full house of pandas at their party. And once you play the game, it will become clear who’s the biggest party animal and who’s the biggest party pooper.
But how do you win? Simple. Be the first player to collect five punny pandas (think Panocchio, Rapanzel and Candy Pandy) at your party.
“There’s a bit of strategy involved but we didn’t want to complicate it too much, so it’s mostly a game of luck,” says Darko. “And every game is different because you don’t know what kind of cards you’re going to have and what kind of pandas you’re going to get.”
“Panda Party is not an ordinary game, there’s a social element to this as well. It connects people.”
Designing the gameplay, characters, and illustrations and even making the packaging themselves (Darko has a background in graphic design and Ana is an analytics consultant by day and a budding illustrator by night) the duo is excited to launch and eventually expand beyond the first edition game.
Planning to develop “bambooster” packs, the first round will be released alongside the Kickstarter launch—which will also feature Halloween-inspired pandas. And with big ideas for the future (hello Panda Parties at home) Darko and Ana aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
“We’re thinking of donating $1 of each of our sales to the WWF [World Wildlife Fund] which will be amazing,” says Darko. “We just want to give back and I think that would be awesome because we have that panda character, and we want to support this animal as well as other endangered animals.”
“We actually have two competitions going on as well. If people sign up now on our website, we’re giving away free HD panda wallpapers for desktops and mobiles and the other one is a bit more fun. It’s called ‘Get Pandafied’…people go in the running to get a custom illustration of themselves or a family member of their choice in our adorable panda style.”
No matter if you’re a UNO fanatic or Cards Against Humanity champion, you have to admit this sounds game adorable—and it won’t be left collecting dust on the shelf.
For more information visit pandaparty.com.au
