CLOWN is a children’s card game by Haim Shafir where players build clowns by collecting body-part cards of different sizes. Players draw cards showing clown body parts (shoes, legs, body, arms, head, hat) and try to assemble a complete clown where each body part is in the correct relative size order — each piece must be equal to or smaller than the piece below it, building from shoes up to hat.
Components
Deck of clown body-part cards in various sizes
Cards depict: shoes, legs, body, arms, head, hat
Each body part comes in different sizes (small, medium, large, etc.)
Setup
Shuffle all cards and place them in a face-down draw pile.
Each player creates a building area in front of them for their clown.
Determine a starting player.
Turn Structure
On your turn:
Draw a card from the pile.
Decide whether to add it to your clown stack or discard it.
Build upward — cards must go in body-part order from bottom (shoes) to top (hat).
Actions
Draw
Take the top card from the draw pile and reveal it.
Build Your Clown
If the card is the next body part you need (in order: shoes → legs → body → arms → head → hat), you may place it on your clown.
The card must fit the size requirement: each new piece must be equal to or smaller than the piece below it.
If the card doesn’t fit (wrong body part or too large), discard it.
Complete the Clown
A complete clown has all 6 body parts stacked from bottom to top in proper size order.
The taller (more oversized) your clown, the more points it scores.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
Players score points based on the height/size of their completed clown.
A clown built with larger starting pieces (big shoes) allows for taller overall clowns and more points.
The player with the tallest completed clown wins.
If multiple rounds are played, total points across rounds determine the winner.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
Size ordering: Each piece placed must be the same size or smaller than the one below it. You cannot place a larger piece on a smaller one.
Incomplete clowns: If the draw pile runs out before you finish your clown, you score only for the parts you have.
Card luck: The game involves significant luck of the draw, making it accessible for young children.
Speed variant: Some editions include a speed variant where all players draw simultaneously.
Designed for ages 4+ as a simple introduction to sequencing and size comparison.