UNO Moo

UNO Moo - A beginner's UNO game

UNO Moo is a beginner's farm-themed UNO game that includes 7 characters, 5 colors, and wild and draw 2 options. This preschool version includes colorful round plastic figures, haystack partitions and even a play-and-store barn.

The farm animals have been out to pasture all day, playing together, sunning themselves, and generally enjoying the good life. The day is coming to a close and it's time for them to head back into the barn. It's your job to help round them up and make sure they all get safely inside. UNO Moo is not the card game that many of us are familiar with (no cards involved), but it is a precursor to that card game and is made by the same company.

The plastic figures are hollow, just shy of 1.5" in diameter, and each one has a face sticker on the front to indicate what it is. There are four each of seven different characters: farmer, pig, skunk, dog, cow, sheep and chicken. The sticker is only on the front, but the different animals look different on the back because they have different tails. The farmer figures are all white and each of the animal figures come in four colors: red, green, blue and yellow. The round figures have a flat base and easily stand on their own. 

The haystack partitions are cardboard and measure about 9 3/4" wide. There are score marks at each end. Simply bend in on each fold and then the haystack will stand on its own. 

The barn is hard plastic, 7 3/4" wide, 5" tall and 3 5/8 inches deep. There is a flap on the front of the roof that snaps into the barn to keep the lid (roof) on tight. There is a set of doors painted on the barn that do not open and another door above it that opens out (see image below). This is where you will stand the animals and where they will enter the barn during play. There is a handle in the top of the barn for easy carrying.

Object:
Be the first person to get all your figures back in the barn.

Set up:
Leave all the round figures in the barn and mix them up. Give each player a haystack. Each player draws five animals out of the barn and places them in hiding behind their haystack. One player takes one figure out of the barn, shuts the roof, opens the barn door, and places the figure on the barn door. 

Play:
Players take turns. On your turn, look at the type and color of the animal standing on the barn door. Look at your animals that are standing behind your haystack. If you have either the same animal of a different color or the same color of a different animal, you can play. Place your animal on the barn door and in the process push the animal that is sitting there into the barn. The animal you placed on the door is now the animal the next player must match. There are two "special" animals that can also be played if you have one:

• Skunk - A skunk can be played on another skunk or any matching color from any other animal. For instance, a red skunk can be played after a red cow. When this figure is played, the next person must draw two figures out of the barn and place them behind their haystack. Then their turn is over.
• Farmer - This is a "wild" figure and can be played as a match for any animal or any color figure. Once you play this figure, you then decided the color the next player must play. Look at your figures behind your haystack to help you decide which color to call.

If you don't have a figure that is playable, draw one figure out of the barn. If it's a match, play it. If it's not, your turn is over. When you are down to one figure behind your haystack, you must say "UNOMoo". If you don't, and someone catches you before the next player plays, you must draw two animals out of the barn and put them behind your haystack. Keep playing until someone has safely returned all his figures to the barn (nothing left behind their haystack) and wins the game. 

Try this:

• Play with the barn and its contents before playing a game. Name the different animals, line them up and show how there is one of each color for each animal, open and close the latch, look at the animals on the outside of the barn and name them, practice standing an animal on the open door, etc.
• Examine the animals carefully, see how they each have a different tail and how the cow tails are different from the pig tails, and the pig tails are different from the sheep tails, etc. Line one of each animal up backward and see if the player can remember and identify the animals just by their tails. When they can, randomly stand all the figures on the playing surface. Ask the player to find all four dogs, then all four skunks, etc. Either leave the animals after they have been identified, or for a game that will get easier as you go, pick up each type of animal after you have identified it. Or call for a single animal, such as a blue sheep. Can they identify it from the back?
• Stand all the animals facing forward, randomly on the playing surface. Sing a round of Old McDonald for each animal. As you are singing about the pig, collect one farmer and all the pigs from the pasture and return them to the barn. Do the same for each animal until the game is all put away. 
• Stand up all the cows in a row. Using that color sequence as a pattern, line up each animal type.
• Line up all the animals of one color. Using that animal sequence, line up the rest of the animals.
• Stand all the animals on the table face-forward in random order and play a game of I Spy. For instance, I Spy a red chicken, and ask the player to find the red chicken.
• Stand all the animals on the table in random order and then move them to the barn by type to put them away. Say "the cows are being called back to the barn for supper. They will be eating hay". Talk about what each animal eats.
• Line up a sequence of three, four or five animals. Either turn then forward so you can see the animal or backward and focus on the color. Ask the player to memorize the sequence. Say it out loud to help remember. Place a haystack in front of the animals so they can't be seen and ask the player to make a line of animals (or colors) in the same sequence. Lift the haystack and let them check if they are right. If they missed something, let them identify it and correct it with as little help as possible.

In the barn: 28 plastic figures, 4 haystack partitions

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.