Tall Bird, Short Bird (1978)

In this children's game, players compete to create either the tallest or shortest birds, adding cards that show either a bird's head or its feet to the bird bodies on the gameboard. To start, each player receives three cards. Each player chooses one card and places it face down in front of him. The first player calls out either "Tall bird!" or "Short bird!" That sets the criterion for the round. Each player then places the card he chose on the board, and the players determine who has the tallest or shortest bird, depending on which was called. The winning player gets an "egg," one of the cardboard counters used to keep score. Each player then draws a new card. Play proceeds in the same way to the next player to the left, and cards are played on top of each player's existing cards on the board. The game ends when the last card is drawn. The player with the most eggs wins. This game is marked as "Piatnik Item No. 328," and probably was originally published in German in Austria. This summary is based on an English version printed in Austria but distributed by Discovery Toys of Martinez, Calif.