From the first time we played Dancing Eggs, we knew there was something truly noteworthy about the game. The design (it comes in an egg carton, for goodness sake!), the durability, the hilarity, the ease of learning, the elegance of the rules – all signs of a game that we’d want to play again and again.
As with most games that eventually receive our Keepers award, the design is so elegant, and the play value so rich, that the game can be easily adapted to the abilities of the players. Adults can play with kids because we can make different rules for the adults (adults don’t run, they shuffle) so that they can play safely and fairly. If someone can’t run at all, then maybe all they have to do is say the alphabet backwards while everyone else is running to get back to their place in the circle. If the penalty for dropping an egg seems too harsh for a five-year-old, maybe all she has to do is stop long enough to get all the eggs back into position, and then the game just goes on, and on.
It’s a funny game. We all get a little, well, ridiculous, silly even, just in playing it. So we don’t really need to take it seriously. And we can play together, with anyone.
The components are exceptionally sturdy (the hard rubber eggs, the one wooden egg, the large wooden dice), and will most definitely outlast the egg carton container. And egg cartons are very easy to replace.
Durability, simplicity, flexibility, easy to learn, fun to play again and again, with different people of different ages and skills. A Keeper, if ever there was one.