Child's game employing tiles w/animal-pictographs

Abstract

Apparatus and system for playing the childs game ANIMOES™, wherein after an initial drawing procedure to determine the first-player position, a matching-play procedure commences by the players in turn, to if possible matchingly arrange their tile/card-pieces in variously abutted relationship relative to a previously emplaced pictographic animal-caricature of tile/card-piece exhibiting a like symbol; -thus, the first player to expend their alloted tile/card-pieces wins the desired position of “Spinmaster”. The Spinmaster is thereby freed to merely activate a random-selection spinner-device (whereupon is exhibited each of the preferred eight animal-caricatures), to see by chance which one of the other player's aminal-pictographs is selected, that player being required to emulate the sound or action known to characterize that of the particular selected animal, -making for amusing interaction of the players. To give added educational/play-value to the game, at the Spinmaster's discretion, players can also be required (dependent upon age level) to endeavor spelling the word for that animal, according to the species-name shown accompanying the pictograph. Another generic-variant set forth is an edible embodiment, lending further commercial potential to the invention.

What is claimed of proprietary inventive origin is:  
     
         1 .) A child's connect-a-picture game of competitively matching elements; said game apparatus comprising: 
 a plurality of four-sided parallelpied playing-pieces each having a planar display-surface divided into half portions both of which exhibit an individual animal pictograph thereon and including doublet playing-pieces thereto, whereby three or more players are each issued a like amount of said playing pieces which are played upon a common playing-field whereto each said pictograph is sequentially adjoined by a said playing-piece half portion bearing a common pictographic likeness; whereby first player to matchingly arrange their allotment of said playing pieces thus wins position as Spinmaster for that play-segment in charge of operating a manually activated random-selector means exhibiting all of said different pictographs, the pictograph selected by said random-selector thus determines which kind of animal one of the other player's in turn is to emulate.    
     
     
         2 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein the collective inventory of aggregate said playing-pieces constitutes a unique format configuration comprising eight vertically-tiered horizontal-rows of playing-pieces, wherein the top-row contains only one playing-piece, and wherein each consecutively descending row is increased by an additional playing-piece, and accordingly whereby the said eighth of bottom-row thereby contains eight playing-pieces; and including a vertically-aligned left-margin in combination with a laterally stair-stepped right-margin.  
     
     
         3 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein said plurality constitutes thirty-six playing-pieces.  
     
     
         4 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein said playing-pieces comprise thirty-six rigid rectangular tiles dimensioned as to provide a nominal 2:1 length-to-width proportional relationship.  
     
     
         5 .) The childs playing-pieces according to claim- 4 , wherein for oral-safety said tiles measure approximately 4-inches×2-inches.  
     
     
         6 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein said playing-pieces comprise thirty-six flexile rectangular cards dimensioned as to provide a nominal 2:1 length-to-width proportional relationship.  
     
     
         7 .) The childs playing-pieces according to claim- 6 , wherein for oral-safety said cards measure approximately 4-inches×2-inches.  
     
     
         8 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein all said playing-pieces are randomly-scrambled prior to being delt-out to players, and one of said doublet playing-pieces is predetermined to be the key/playing-piece which must be sorted-out from among randomly scrambled playing-pieces and initially laid-down upon said playing-field as the master abutting member upon commencement of game play.  
     
     
         9 . ) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein said random-selector means is a spinner having a pointer set upon an axis and including a manually actuated spinner-knob thereto, plus an encircling-panel displaying an azimuth array of different animal-caricature pictographs thereon corresponding to those said pictograph images represented upon said playing-pieces.  
     
     
         10 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein said playing-pieces are rigid albeit edible cookies or crackers which may be played or eaten.  
     
     
         11 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein upon said animal selection via said random-selector, a player also must try to make sounds or physical gestures emulating that particular selected animal.  
     
     
         12 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 1 , wherein upon said animal selection via said random-selector, a player also must try to spell the word for that selected animal as is verified by a species-name accompanying the pictograph.  
     
     
         13 .) A child's connect-a-picture game of competitively matching elements; said game apparatus comprising: 
 Phase-I: a set of thirty-six planar four-sided parallelpied playing-pieces each including a display-surface divided into contiguous halves, each said half exhibiting a random pictograph likeness of an animal in combination with an imprinted word thereto identifying said animal by its name, and including doublet playing-pieces thereto for each animal representation; plus a playing-field means whereto is laid a predetermined master-doublet playing-piece to which said playing-pieces are successively assembled by the players via matching of pictograph likeness in their hand, the winner of the segment involving rounds of play being the first player to play-out their dealt issue of playing-pieces;    Phase-II: a position of Spinmaster is attained by said winner of phase-I, whereby said Spinmaster presides over operation of a random-selector device exhibiting discrete azimuth indicia corresponding to the same said animal pictographs exhibited upon said playing-pieces, thereby enabling selection of an animal-pictograph to be in some manner emulated by a player to right of said Spinmaster.    
     
     
         14 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 13 , wherein each said playing-piece means is a rigid tile or a flexile card configured approximately twice as long as it is wide.  
     
     
         15 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 13 , wherein the collective inventory of aggregate said playing-pieces constitutes a unique format configuration comprising eight vertically-tiered horizontal-rows of playing-pieces, wherein the top-row contains only one playing-piece, and wherein each consecutively descending row is increased by an additional playing-piece, and accordingly whereby the said eighth of bottom-row thereby contains eight playing-pieces; and including a vertically-aligned left-margin in combination with a laterally stair-stepped right-margin.  
     
     
         16 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 13 , wherein aggregate said playing-pieces constitute a unique collective format described as comprising eight vertically-tiered horizontal-rows of playing-pieces, wherein the top-row contains only one playing-piece, and wherein each consecutively descending row increased by an additional playing-piece, whereby the bottom-row thereby contains eight playing-pieces; and including a vertically-aligned left-margin in combination with a laterally stair-stepped right-margin.  
     
     
         17 .) The childs connect-a-picture game according to claim- 13 , wherein said random-selector means is a spinner having a pointer set upon an axis and including a manually actuated spinner-knob thereto, plus an encircling-panel displaying an azimuth array of different animal-caricature pictographs thereon corresponding to those said pictograph images represented upon said playing-pieces; thereby determining what animal a player must try to to emulate via execution of physical movements or sounds or both, and/or must try to correctly spell according to identifying word inscribed proximal said animal-pictograph.  
     
     
         18 .) A child's connect-a-picture game of competitively matching elements; said game system comprising: 
 providing a set of thirty-six four-sided parallelpied planar playing-pieces each including a display-surface divided into contiguous half portions both of which exhibit an animal pictograph thereon and including a doublet playing-piece for each of the eight different animal pictographs, said playing-pieces initially being randomly scrambled bottoms-up, whereupon three or more players are each issued a like amount of said playing pieces, and including a common playing-field whereto a predetermined master-doublet playing-piece is found and initially placed face-up, and whereto the matching animal-pictograph end portions of other said playing-pieces are abutted in turn by each said player moving in a clockwise manner as viewed from above; whereby first said player to thus expend their allotment of said playing-pieces thus wins position as Spinmaster for that play-segment in charge of operating a manually activated random-selector means exhibiting all of said different pictographs, hence the pictograph selected by said random-selector thus determines which kind of animal the player's to said Spinmaster's right is to emulate.    
     
     
         19 .) The childs game system according to claim- 18 , wherein said random-selector means is a spinner having a pointer on an axis and a manually actuated spinner-knob thereto, including an encircling-panel bearing an array of different animal-caricature pictographs thereon corresponding to those said pictograph images represented upon said playing-pieces.  
     
     
         20 .) The childs game system according to claim- 18 , wherein upon said animal selection via said random-selector, a player also must try to spell the word for that selected animal as is verified by a species-name accompanying the pictograph; or alternatively; a player must try to execute physical movements or sounds or both movements and sounds emulating that particularly selected animal.