Review and Giveaway: Doggie Doo

In an age where everything entertainment-related for kids seems to be found on an LCD screen, it's nice to have new products being introduced that take it back to the "old school" style of family games. And for me personally, it's even better when said game incorporates something hilarious and childish like picking up poop. Enter: Doggie Doo.

I'll admit, when I first saw the commercial for Doggie Doo, I was in shock. I thought there was no way that a game that involved scooping dog poop could be real. But in typical fashion, I quickly took to Google to do some research on the product and learned some interesting things. Doggie Doo was  originally introduced in Europe, where its popularity exploded. It was even nominated for 2010 Toy of the Year in the Netherlands. Due to it's popularity overseas, the manufacturer's (Goliath Games) decided to try their luck in the United States market. The game will officially be released nationally on August 1, but I was lucky enough to get my hands on the game ahead of time and review it.

My first surprise upon opening the package and examining the contents was that Doggie Doo doesn't require any batteries. I expected that the farting and pooping action was electronically assisted, but I was wrong. Again, this game goes old school and employs manual pumping to 'will' the doo out of the doggie.

I anticipated the doggie treats (which end up doubling as the poop) to have the consistency of Play-Doh, but when I opened the container, it was actually reminiscent of Nickelodeon's old 'Gak' product, if you remember that. It was sort of a slick feeling, yellowish green goo that made a loud farting noise when you press it into the container. As you get into the game, you realize that consistency is necessary in order to provide the awesome dog fart noises that precede the 'dump'.

Doggie Doo after releasing some back-end tension.

Setup is simple. It's as easy as connecting the 'leash' (aka pumping hose) to the dog, distributing shovels and getting out the treat goo, and you are ready to go. Also included is a treat mold, a 'feeding bone' (how you transport the goo into the dog's mouth) and a die, which dictates how many pumps of the leash you get on your turn.

The game process is simple. The dog is fed a treat, then players take turns rolling the die to see how many times they pump the leash. If the dog poops thanks to one of your pumps, you scoop the poop and add it to your 'collection'. This continues until a player has 3 pieces of 'dog mess' on their shovel and is declared the winner.

A close up of the radioactive Doggie Doo poop.

In the end, the game is short, sweet and very comical, especially the first time around. The simple rules and quick set up make it a perfect family game. It's definitely the type of game that is fun for the kids, while avoiding being completely mind-numbingly boring for adults. I honestly see this being the perfect game for younger kids who still have short attention spans, especially younger boys who will be enamored with the echoing, wet fart sounds. Though Ava is too young to actually play the game, she loved petting and kissing the doggie and of course pointing out the poop and exclaiming 'Poo poo?' So even if your child isn't quite to the game-playing age, Doggie Doo could still serve as a temporary diversion (with proper supervision, of course) with the doggie, bright colored poop and absurd farting noises. I also commented to my wife that I could see creative college students managing to make a drinking game out of this if they were bored (if anyone ever does that, you did NOT get the idea from me!).

Ava goes in for the kiss of approval.

I did have a couple minor qualms about the game, but nothing that would divert me from recommending it. The mold that is intended to produce the 'perfect' size treat isn't so perfect. It actually seemed like more often than not, we had to put a bit more into the dog in order to get it to move through to the backside properly. Fortunately, when the dog isn't farting, you basically know that nothing is happening, so you at least have a good indicator of something being stuck or if there isn't enough food inside. Also, be careful with the treat goo; I made the mistake of setting a chunk down on a piece of paper, and when I picked it up the goo had pulled the printing off of the paper. Keep the 'food' in the container as much as possible! And hopefully, Goliath Games will make replacement tubs of the food readily available for purchase, because I could see the stuff getting lost/misplaced/trashed frequently.

Overall, I was a big fan of Doggie Doo. Kids would definitely enjoy it, and I love that it's a diversion (albeit brief) from computers, iPods, etc. If the standard board game fare isn't for your family, I highly suggest giving Doggie Doo a try. Unique, simple and humorous; you can't ask much more from a family game, can you? Plus, if you're lucky, it will convince your kids that picking up dog poop is fun and you can get them to clean up the backyard!

Visit the Doggie Doo website for more information, plus find them on Facebook and Twitter.

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DOGGIE DOO GIVEAWAY!

Goliath Games agreed to provide one Doggie Doo Game (a $29.99 value) to a lucky winner in my giveaway. One of you will have the chance to own this game before it's even available to the public!

Required entry:

To get entered into the contest, you must Like the Doggie Doo Game Facebook page and follow Doggie Doo on Twitter. Once you've done so, leave a comment below with your Facebook and Twitter names, plus a way to contact you if you are the winner.

Additional entries (leave a comment for EACH additional action):

- Follow A Family of My Own on Twitter (1 entry)
- Like A Family of My Own on Facebook (1 entry)
- Watch the Doggie Doo Walks a Human video and tell me one of the places Doggie Doo visits (1 entry)
- Tell me what you would name your Doggie Doo (get creative!) (1 entry)
- Tweet about this giveaway, mentioning @AFOMOBlog, @doggiedoogame and linking to this post. Example:

"Enter by July 15 to win a @doggiedoogame in this #giveaway from @AFOMOBlog: http://bit.ly/mdS7nC"

Make sure to leave a comment below for each additional entry action, otherwise they will not be counted!

Deadline for entries is Friday, July 15, and I'll announce the winner on Monday, July 18.

Good luck!

Posted in: contest,Doggie Doo,entertainment,family,game,giveaway,reviews