It’s A Small World: The #1 Most Adorable Board Game Ever!
It’s a small world! is one of Walt Disney World‘s most beloved rides and an incredibly catchy song. . .and now it’s a board game, too!
Made for 2-6 players (or you can play a solitaire version if needed), it’s a small world! is perfect for kiddos and adults alike. The gameplay is gentle and fun, just like the ride, making it ideal for a cozy evening-in with hot tea and freshly baked cookies.
Unlike Monopoly, it’s a small world! won’t take an entire week to play, and unlike Settlers of Catan, it’s unlikely to jeopardize any friendships. (Yeah. . .I collected too many sheep.)
So grab a snuggly blanket and settle in for the night – we’re about to embark on the happiest cruise that ever sailed ’round the world – board game style!
Parts, Pieces, & Putting Together it’s a small world!
WARNING: UNBOXING OF THIS GAME MAY RESULT IN A CUTENESS OVERLOAD
All right, now that we’ve gotten our safety disclaimer out of the way, feel free to lift the lid of that glittery box and bring out the board game! Luckily, not too much set-up stands between you and getting into the gameplay.
The pieces of Funko it’s a small world board game are made of plastic and sturdy cardboard and are designed to recreate the structure of the real Disney it’s a small world! ride. When you unfold the board (illustrated with a winding riverway), you’ll notice it has four holes in it. Pop in the white rotating bases beneath the board, then insert the four scene boards – it doesn’t matter which scene is on which base.
These gorgeous scene boards make up the rooms of the ride and are illustrated to the brim with colorful children and vibrant animals from all around the world. Each scene is beautifully rendered in an abstract, collage style, just like you see in the ride. The design of the scene boards pays homage, not only to the ride, but also to one of Walt’s favorite artists, Mary Blair, who was the mastermind behind the children’s book style of it’s a small world!
When I unboxed the scene boards, I just wanted to stare at them all night – and thankfully, that’s essential to the gameplay! But we’ll get to that in a moment. For now, put your blinders on and pick a boat!
There are two little boats to choose from – one red, one blue. Each comes with a flag sail. You can put the red flags with the red boat and the blue flags with the blue boat. . .or, in true Mary Blair fashion, opt for some contrasting colors! (That’s what I did.) Just coordinate whichever flag you choose with the same colored flag tile in the card tray. That flag tile will act as sentinel over your score pile!
While you might be tempted to just put the whole deck of adorably tiny cards straight into your score pile, they go in the middle section of the card tray as a draw pile. (I know, I know, it’s tempting to sneak the penguin card just for the cuteness. . .but we must resist!)
With the cards in place and the score trays adorned with flags, there’s just one slot left to fill in the card tray: the foundation of the iconic clocktower! Just insert the tower like you did the scene boards, and make sure the time is turned to one o’clock. (Turn the clock using it’s plastic, smiling face as a dial!)
Lastly, pass one of the long, green cardholders to each player or team. Now you’re ready to begin!
How to DOMINATE—I Mean, Play Nicely!
The object of the board game is to finish with the most cards – and enjoy the ride along the way! Remember, it’s a small world! is a bid for friendship and peace!
Protip: Play Disney’s “It’s A Small World (After All)” song in the background as you play the it’s a small world! board game.
Let’s Begin!
Start by dividing your players into teams. If you’re playing with more than two people, then you’ll have two to three people per boat, riding together like in the attraction! It’s the perfect combination of competition and cooperative gaming – it’s a small world! is the best of both worlds!
There are two starting points on the board, one for each team, so slip your boat into the river and start cruising! In keeping with the spirit of the game, the team with the smallest player gets the first turn.
The boat silhouettes in the river show you where to move and also display a number of cards. That’s how many you’ll draw whenever you move to that space! Speaking of cards, there’s a few different ones you might draw. There’s the adorable characters and sweet animals, but also circles and clock faces. What’s with that?
Cutesy Cards
Here’s where we get into the nitty gritty! When you draw a character or animal, it’s time to search the scene boards making up your “room!” If you find the person or critter you drew, place the matching card into your score pile! If you can’t find them, put the unmatched cards into your cardholder for later.
Flips
If you have a card with one to four circles on it, you just found a flip card! This is where those rotating bases come into play. If you can’t find a matching character or animal, you can use your flip card to turn the scenes around you so you can make a match! For the record, peeking is allowed so you can decide if you want to flip. But if you want to make the game harder and leave more of it to chance, you could incorporate a no-peeking rule!
You can flip as many times as there are circles on your flip card. With up to four circles on some cards, I think it’s implied you can flip the other team’s rooms to try and prevent them from making matches on their next turn. (Not that I would ever advocate such deviousness!)
Once you’ve played a flip card, it goes into your score pile. Note: you don’t have to use a flip card right away, you can save it for when you need it most!
Clock Faces
If you find a clock face card you must immediately turn the clock to the next hour. Then you get to put the clock face card into your score pile! (Although, if you happen to draw a clock face on your first turn, it goes back into the draw pile once you change the time.)
Your turn ends when you can’t find any more matches in your “room” and have finished using any flip and clock face cards. Place any unused cards into your cardholder where they may become future matches or flips!
Now it’s the other team’s turn! Keep moving your boats through the rooms and finding as many matches as possible until the end of the game.
Protip: turn the game board as you move to make it easier to explore your “rooms!”
The Sun’s Getting Low. . .
When the clock finally reaches 6 o’clock, revealing twinkling stars, the game is over. (Whoever drew the last clock face card may finish out their turn if they have any flips or matches that can be made.)
Grab the cards from your score pile and count them up. Whoever has the most is the winner!! Congratulations!
In my two-player experience, it’s a small world! generally lasts around 30 minutes, so it’s perfect if you want to play several rounds (best 2 out of 3!) or intersperse it with other games during your board game night. You can also opt to shorten or lengthen the game by having it end when the clock reaches five o’clock or seven o’clock instead.
Other Ways to Play
it’s a small world! celebrates the oneness of people from around the world, and it can be played in a spirit of oneness, too!
If you’re playing with kiddos who need a little help or like to be doing something on every turn – or if you just don’t care for the intensity of competition – you can work together with every player, using one boat, to try and collect 20 matches before the clock strikes six!
If you want to revel in the it’s a small world! cuteness all your own, a solitary round of challenging yourself to get 20 matches before time runs out is also super fun! And let’s face it, lions and tigers and crocodiles are so much cuter than aces and spades.
If you love board games and cuteness, then you absolutely need it’s a small world! to be part of your game night collection. It’s more than just a game, it’s a work of interactive art! it’s a small world! will bring the magic of the Magic Kingdom into your home whenever you play.
Cover Image
Photo: Funko Games
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