A G I A N T G A M E S E T
Animal Hybrids
C o - d e s i g n e d b y G I A N T f a m i l i e s a t t h e W i n d s o r L o c k s P u b l i c L i b r a r y
A G I A N T G A M E S E T
Animal Hybrids
Co-designed by GIANT families at the Windsor Locks Public Library
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THE GIANT ROOM
INTRODUCTION
Something super weird (and oh, so wonderful!) is happening in this game book! Our animal hybrids are getting mixed and remixed into a deck of collectible trading cards that you can play all sorts of games with!
We are extremely honored to partner with Connecticut State Libraries and bring GIANT creative STEM experiences to the Connecticut community at the Windsor Locks Public Library. We implemented a Remix Station with the Windsor Locks’s team, Jane Frankel, Maria Carrasquillo, and Lois Crozier.
More than 35 participants participated, dreamed, created, and shared. Here, we have “remixed” their creations into a one-of-a-kind game set inviting all kids (and adults) to collect the trading cards and get slapping, improvising, drawing, storytelling, acting, and searching!
I want to thank the librarians and staff from Windsor Locks Public Library for their partnership. Funding for this program was made possible by the Connecticut State Library and Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), provided through the Institute of Museum and Lib S i (IMLS)
Let’s play!
Azi Jamalian Founder of The GIANT Roo
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AI-generated avatar based on originalartwork
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Originalartwork by a GIANT participant
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GAMES THE
TELL EPIC STORIES ABOUT YOUR ANIMALS
WHO’S THAT ANIMAL?
STORYTELLING TELEPHONE
SEARCH & FIND: FLOWER GARDEN
SLAP JACK
WOULD YOU RATHER...?
SEARCH & FIND: INTERGALACTIC LIBRARY
DOODLE CHALLENGE
SNEAKY ANIMAL QUEST
CHARADES
ANIMAL STORY IMPROV
EGYPTIAN RATSCREW
TELL EPIC ORIGIN STORIES ABOUT YOUR ANIMALS
1+ PLAYERS MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
Shuffle your deck: Separate your animals into 2 different piles. Shuffle each one.
Draw two cards: Pick one card from each pile. Keep them secret for now – it's a surprise!
Dream up an origin story: Imagine the origin story for both of the animal hybrids you chose. How were their hybrids created? How did they get their special powers? What do they like to eat? What habitats do they live in?
Share your story: Share your story with friends and family. Explain your animals, the exciting journey, and how you came up with your story. You can even draw it as a comic book!
RULES
Your imagination is the boss! Make your story as funny, weird, crazy, or serious as you want.
Use both animals in your story. Incorporate their unique powers and genetic makeups!
Everyone's a winner in this game. It's all about telling an incredible story.
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Time Challenge: Set a timer and see if you can finish your story in a certain amount of time. Quick thinking, quick storytelling!
Swap Stories: Trade your finished comic with a friend. Can they continue your story or add a surprising twist?
Random Element: Add a random item or location to your story. Or draw a third card, and find a way to include it in your adventure.
HO'S THAT ANIMAL?
2 PLAYERS
HOW TO PLAY
MATERIALS
RULES
Be honest with your answers – no tricky business!
Only ask questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no."
Keep track of your guesses on the game board. It's your roadmap to victory!
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Speed Round: Set a tim Quick thinking is the ke
Limited Questions: Restr questions each player c extra challenge.
Silent Round: Try playin use only facial expressi communicate your gues
STORYTELLING TELEPHONE
3+ PLAYERS HOW TO PLAY MATERIALS
Randomly choose a card: Choose a card. Each player writes a line of a story on their paper about their animal. The stories can all be different.
Draw a picture of that sentence: Pass the paper with the written story line to the next player. They have to draw a picture of that sentence. Fold the sentence and only expose the picture.
Write an explanation of that drawing: Pass it to the next player. They must write a sentence to explain what the picture is showing. Fold the drawing and only expose the sentence.
Check if the last sentence is the same as the drawing: Keep going until each paper is full. Unfold your paper and see where your drawing and stories went! Is the last sentence super different than the original?
Each player writes a story line about the animal.
Each player draws a picture to represent the sentence.
Each player passes their folded paper to the player next to them.
Each player folds the paper so that only the sentence is visible.
Each player passes their paper to the player next to them.
Each player folds the paper so that only the drawing is visible.
Each player writes a sentence to represent the picture.
Repeat this process until the entire page is filled!
RULES
Your story line has to include the animal, but remember, the more complicated you make your sentence, the harder it will be to draw! (This is a good thing! It will make the game of telephone more challenging and wacky.)
No peeking! Keep the drawings and sentences hidden until the end for maximum surprise.
Don't worry about perfection – the sillier, the better! In fact, the worse the drawing is, the more difficult it is to match the original story line…
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Time Pressure: Set a timer for each turn to add an element of excitement.
Word Limit: Restrict the number of words or lines each player can use, challenging them to convey their ideas concisely.
Theme Variation: Choose a specific theme or genre for the story to follow, such as fantasy, sci-fi, or comedy.
Multiple animals: Have each player choose their own animal. Once the round is over, try to match the last story line or drawing of each paper to the animal.
1
Draw a card for the game.
EXAMPLE GAME
Megamouth was a regular dragon until one day he was caught in a science lab.
Jojo was a dragon scientist who worked hard at the lab mixing chemicals together.
2
Write a descriptive story line.
A dragon scientist creates a magic potion that created lots of big bubbles that filled the lab.
3
Fold the paper after completing your writing or drawing. 30
SEARCH & FIND I FLOWE
1+ PLAYERS
SSLAP LAP JJACK ACK
2+ PLAYERS MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
Review the jacks: Before you start, study the four animal trading cards on the next page. These will be the special "jacks" in the game that you'll be slapping for!
Deal the deck: Shuffle the cards and deal them evenly among the players. Keep your cards face-down – no peeking!
Start slapping: The first player flips over the top card from their deck, placing it face-up in the center. Everyone keeps an eye out for the special animal "jacks."
Slap it: When one of the four special "jack" animal cards is played, be the first to slap it! The quickest slapper gets to collect all the cards in the center.
Continue playing: Take turns flipping over cards and slapping when a "jack" appears. The player who collects all the cards in the deck wins!
RULES
Only slap for the special animal "jacks" – don't get too trigger-happy!
Watch out for false slaps! If you slap a non-"jack" card, you have to add an additional card to the center pile.
Keep the game friendly and fun – no overly aggressive slapping!
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Change Up the Jacks: Decide on a different group of four animals to be the “jacks.”
WOULD YOU WOULD YOU RATHER…? RATHER…?
2+ PLAYERS
MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
Pick a card: Draw a random animal from the deck. This animal will be the inspiration for your dilemma.
Create your question: Think of a funny, gross, serious, rhyming or thoughtful "Would you rather…" question inspired by the traits or abilities of the chosen animal. Write it down or draw it on your paper.
Share your question: Each player takes turns presenting their animal dilemma to the group. Get ready for some laughs and thoughtful pondering!
Make your choice: After hearing the dilemma, each player must make a choice – which option would they rather pick? There are no right or wrong answers, just lots of fun discussions!
Ask questions that make you think and feel, rhyme, spark a debate, make you go YUCK, or make you laugh!
Respect everyone's choices – there's no winning or losing in this game, just great conversation.
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Speed Round: Set a timer for each player to come up with their dilemma. Quick thinking makes for some hilarious scenarios!
Roleplay Edition: Act out your chosen "Would You Rather" scenarios for an added layer of entertainment.
Theme Variation: Choose a specific theme or category for the dilemmas, such as superpowers, travel, or food preferences.
SEARCH & FIND II
INTERGALACTIC LIBRARY
1+ PLAYERS HOW TO PLAY
Our animals have gone on an adventure to an intergalactic library, but they got a little lost. We need YOUR help finding them! Can you help us search for these animals?
HIDDEN AN
DOODLE DOODLE CHALLENGE HALLENGE
2+ P
HOW TO
ATERIALS
Pick andom animal trading card p a secret – this is the animal you'll be sketching.
Start drawing with a twist: You must draw your animal, BUT you have to do it with your eyes closed!
Guess the animal: Show your sketch to the other players. They must guess which animal you picked based on your drawing.
Reveal the mystery card: Once the guess is made, reveal the actual animal card to see how close (or hilariously off) the guess was. Prepare for laughs and surprises!
RULES
No peeking – keep your e entire sketching process!
Embrace imperfections – your drawing should look very weird and funny! The more creative and unexpected, the better.
Have a good laugh, and don't take the game too seriously. It's all about the joy of creating and guessing.
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Time Challenge: Set a timer for the sketching round, making it a quick and exciting challenge.
Guessing Points: Award points for accurate guesses. The more challenging the sketch, the higher the points!
Team Edition: Play in pairs. One player sketches with their closed eyes, and the other guesses.
SSNEAKY NEAKY AANIMAL NIMAL QQUEST UEST
You'll embark on a scavenger hunt to uncover the hidden location of a prized animal. The catch? The location is concealed behind a coded message written by the other player that you and your fellow treasure hunters must decipher. Channel your inner cryptographer, and let the quest begin!
2+ PLAYERS MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
Select the hidden card: Each player chooses one animal trading card and hides it in a secret location without the other players seeing.
Create the coded message: Each player must create one or more coded messages leading their opponent closer and closer to the card’s hidden location. Use symbols, ciphers, or any cryptic method to create your clues.
Start the hunt: Players exchange their coded messages, and the quest begins! Each player must decode the messages to unveil the location of the hidden card.
Claim your prize: The first player to decode all the messages, reach the hidden location, and discover the hidden card, claims the coveted animal as their reward!
RULES
Keep your coded messages challenging but decipherable – the quest should be an adventure, not an impossible puzzle!
No sharing of decoded messages. Each player must try to decode the message themselves, but can be given hints upon request.
Stay within the agreed-upon area for the scavenger hunt to keep it fair.
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Time Pressure: Set a time limit for each decoding session to add an extra layer of excitement.
Team animal-Hunt Quest: Form teams and collaborate on the codebreaking adventure. Combine your skills to decipher the messages.
Hidden Challenges: Incorporate a series of coded messages that bring your opponent on an entire scavenger hunt! Include small challenges or puzzles at each location, making the journey even more engaging.
CCHARADES HARADES
3+ PLAYERS MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
Shuffle and draw: Shuffle your deck and draw a animal without revealing it to others. This will be the animal you'll be acting out.
Set the timer: Decide on a time limit for each charades round. For example, 1-2 minutes works well, depending on your group's preferences.
Act it out: With the card in hand, start acting out the animal's traits, abilities, or any distinct features without speaking. Use gestures, movements, and expressions to convey the essence of the animal.
Guess the animal: Your friends have the challenge of guessing which animal you're portraying. The first person to correctly guess becomes the next charades star!
RULES
No verbal clues – strictly acting!
If no one guesses correctly in the allotted time, you have to sit out of the next round.
When a person guesses the animal correctly, they become the next charades star.
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Speed Rounds: Reduce the time limit for each charades round, adding an extra level of excitement.
Action Challenges: Act out a specific action that the animal is doing. Players then must guess both the animal and the action.
Team Charades: Divide players into teams. Each team takes turns acting and guessing, tallying their points as they go.
ANIMAL
STORY IMPROV
3+ PLAYERS
MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
Pick a card: Pick a random animal from the deck and dream of its story. Is it from a magical land, an underwater cave, another planet, a volcano, or something else? Share an intro to its story in one sentence.
Continue the story: The next player draws another animal from the deck. This player also dreams up this animal’s story, but it must connect to the previous one.
Memorize it: The following player draws another animal from the deck, dreams of its story and must include all previous stories. After a few rounds, the game will become more challenging since you’ll have to memorize all of the stories that came before you!
RULES
The first player to forget or mess up a previous animal’s story loses and is out of the game. The last player left standing wins.
Improvise and build upon the stories that other players have shared about their animals.
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Limited Time: Set a time limit for each player to create and share their story.
Trait Challenges: Add a rule that each new card's origin must include a specific element from the trading cards, such as their favorite things or special powers.
EXAMPLE GAME
Player 1: Coloroscarose is from Planet Broogy where there are many dragons.
Player 2: Mega Syclone Bear, who has laser eyes, lives in a secret green cave on Planet Broogy filled with many magical crystals and gemstones.
Player 3: Spotty, the flying fox, protects the crystals and gems in Mega Syclone Bear’s cave by freezing everything surrounding the cave.
Player 4: Pandaroo, who lives in the Bamboo Forest of Planet Broogy tries to break the ice around the secret green cave using its bamboo weapons so it can find the gems.
EGYPTIAN EGYPTIAN AT SCREW AT SCREW
2+ PLAYERS MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
Review the slap triggers: In a standard game of Egyptian Rat Screw, there are many rules about which cards can be slapped and when. In this animal edition of the game, we ’ ve created new slapping triggers based on the cards in the deck. Before you start, study the triggers on page 49.
Deal the deck: Shuffle the animal trading cards and deal them evenly among the players. Keep your cards face-down – no peeking!
Play your cards: Players take turns playing one card at a time in the center. Once a trigger card is played, the first player to slap the pile gets to collect all the cards in the center. Be quick, but watch out for false slaps! The first player to collect all the cards in the deck wins.
RULES
Only slap on designated trigger cards.
If you slap a non-trigger card, you hav add an additional card to the center pi
If you run out of cards, you are still in t game! You can continue to slap and w the cards in the center pile.
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
Change Up the Triggers: Invent your own rules on which cards can be slapped and when!
SLAP TRIGGERS
FOR EGYPTIAN RAT SCREW
1-STAR POWER RATING
Slap when...an animal has a power rating of 1 star.
RUN OF 3
Slap when...three cards in a row have their power ratings in ascending or descending numerical order. This includes:
0 1 2
1 2 3
2 3 4
3 4 5
4 5 6
6 5 4
5 4 3
4 3 2
3 2 1 2 1 0
Power rating
DOUBLES
Slap when...two animals of the same “species” are thrown in a row. This can include: two cats, two dogs, two robots, two dinosaurs, etc.
Fox doubles Dragon doubles
SANDWICH
Slap when...two animals of the same “species” are thrown with one card separating them. For example, a dragon, a crow, and then another dragon. These animals create a sandwich, and you have to slap!
Dragon Crow Dragon
DESIGN YOUR OWN GAMES AND ADD THEM TO THIS BOOK!
What games would YOU like to invent with your animal trading cards? Write down the rules of your game and playtest with friends and family.
GAME #1
# OF PLAYERS MATERIALS
HOW TO PLAY
RULES
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
# OF PLAYERS MATERIALS GAME
HOW TO PLAY
RULES
WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER
A GIANT THANK YOU TO THE KIDS, FAMILIES, AND GIANT TEAM MEMBE
WHO MADE THIS PUBLICATION POS
Station Concept and Planning
Azadeh Jamalian, PhD (The Jane Frankel (Windsor Locks
uillo (Windsor Locks Public Library) Windsor Locks Public Library)
liti (The GIANT Room)
Segovia (The GIANT Room) de (The GIANT Room)
de (The GIANT Room)
liti (The GIANT Room)
ene (The GIANT Room) ANT Room)
liti (The GIANT Room) de (The GIANT Room) GIANT Room)
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