A True Family Board Game

Developed by Daughters. Helped brought to life by Dad.

CREATED BY TWO SISTERS

Rainbow Unicorn Rescue was created by two sister with just some scratch paper, markers and a whole lot of tape. They did everything; from designing the game, to creating the backstory and rules. Once they were done, they taped it to the back of an old box, and off they went.

Once they asked me (their dad) to play, it was clear; The game was better than the other board games in our collection. Not only that, but the story and rules made total sense!

Once the game ripped apart, we didn't want to stop playing. That's when the idea hit me; Let's make a real life version so we can play whenever we want.

A Board Game For Kids, By Kids

It was important for me (the dad) to make sure the “designed” version of their unicorn game stayed as close to the original as possible in terms of game function, objective and components. After all, this was their game, not mine.

Luckily, they made my job pretty easy, since they came up with a fun new kids’ board game where everything made complete sense. My contributions to Rainbow Unicorn Rescue were simple; design it to look like a real kids’ board game you’d buy at a store, and help them with the name! The original board game didn’t have a name, so we came up with Rainbow Unicorn Rescue together.

While the design might look different; the original rules, components and objective are 100% the same as the day they first created the game.

Original Rainbow Unicorn Rescue Game Design

The Game That Was Never Meant To Be!

For the first couple months, our family were the only ones to ever play Rainbow Unicorn Rescue. We (at least me) were relieved to know that no matter how many times we played, it was still fun and exciting. Mission accomplished!

But about 2 months in, our youngest daughter wanted to bring Rainbow Unicorn Rescue into her pre-school class for show and tell. It didn't dawn on me then, but this was a pivotal moment that changed the course of Rainbow Unicorn Rescue.

Luckily Rainbow Unicorn Rescue was a hit (exhale!) Kids were lining up to play, and and soon parents were asking how they could buy a copy. This obviously got our wheels spinning, and you can guess what happened next...

A global pandemic! 

How to Make a Board Game While Still Being a Dad

When we decided to turn Rainbow Unicorn Rescue in to a real working board game for kids, it was important to make this a very healthy, fun and collaborative process with our daughters. We wanted them to know that this was their board game, and that we were working together to bring it to life. While I (dad) redesigned Rainbow Unicorn Rescue, they had final say on the colors, creatures and of course – the unicorns.

Luckily, they instantly took to the creative process; asking for updates, giving honest (and often brutal) feedback, and sharing their ideas. They were mesmerized by the entire process, and watching it come to life.

Being a part of the process gave them a chance to stretch their imaginations and get their wheels spinning. Soon they had plans for a whole line of Rainbow Unicorn Rescue products like books, shirts, backpacks and even a TV series! As a dad, it was great!

Once we got our board game design finalized, and had a real life version of Rainbow Unicorn Rescue in our hands, we couldn’t wait to start playing. 

Original Rainbow Unicorn Rescue Game Design

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