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Specifications
Uncle Wiggily is a classic board game that includes a foldable game board measuring about 16 inches by 16 inches; four colorful game tokens that are replicas of Uncle Wiggily; and a set of game cards. Depending on which year your game was produced, you may have two sets of cards or just one set.
Object of the Game
Each player begins at start, which is Uncle Wiggily's home. The board is a classic "track" that includes approximately 100 spaces to land upon. The player ambles up, down and across the board (the forest) and hops by places such as Cluck Cluck's Chicken House, the Wibble Wobble Duck Pond and the Bow Wow Dog House. The first player to reach Dr. Possum's office wins the game. Uncle Wiggily is targeted at children who are between 4 and 8 years of age.
How To Play
The game is designed for two to four players. Shuffle the cards and place them face down, and each player places his token at start. The youngest child is typically asked to play first, and he selects the first card and reads it aloud before following the directions on the card. (Younger children may need an older child or adult to help them read.) Used cards are placed face up in a discard pile. (If the new cards are exhausted before the game is won, reshuffle the spent deck and resume play.) The cards contain written instructions for how the player should move. If the player is advancing forward or moving backward, there is also a corresponding advance or retreat number written above the instructions for emerging readers. The whimsical cards rhyme and may lead the player to do the following: "Where you go, I do not know; You have three hops, but take it slow," "We really hope you won't be blue; But Uncle Wiggily must go back two" or "A card this good is not often seen; Move Uncle Wiggily ahead by thirteen!" Play advances to the left.
Pitfalls and Rabbit Holes
Two players may not occupy the same space, so if you land on a space that holds another player's token, you must go back one space. If that space also holds another player's token, then you must retreat one more space until you reach an empty space. If you are lucky enough to land on the "rabbit hole," then you earn the opportunity to pop out on the other side of the rabbit hole, several spaces ahead.
Winning
The first player to land exactly on Dr. Possum's office wins. For example, if you are two spaces away from his office, you need to draw a card that advances you forward two spaces. If you draw a card that instructs you to retreat or to go to a different part of the board, then you must follow those instructions.