How to Play the Pop-Tarts Card Game

Fast-paced Flavor Filled Fun 2- 6 players ages 13 and up

Pop-tarts. Just the word alone is fun and can make you laugh, so when I saw that Pop-tarts card game, I thought it must be hilarious. So I picked it up to give it a try.

You know we love fun-themed card games here –games like Sleeping Queens, There’s  A Moose in your House and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. How will Pop-tarts compare? Let’s find out.

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The Object of Pop-tarts the Card Game

The object of the game is simple: be the first player to eat 30 points worth of Pop-tarts.

Setting Up Pop-tarts

First, you need to separate the card types. There are Pop-tart cards, action cards, bonus cards and then there are the toaster, freezer and arrow cards. There are also reference cards and a 1^st player card.

To start, you shuffle the Pop-tart, action and bonus cards and place them in their own piles.

Next, you place the toaster and freezer cards on the table with enough space between for 7 Pop-tart cards. The arrow card goes under, pointing in either the direction of the toaster or the freezer.

The next step is to turn over 7 Pop-tart cards and place them side by side between the toaster and freezer cards.

Next, each player gets a card that has a toaster and freezer on the card, they place it in front of them. Then you deal out three action cards to all players. Each player can also have a reference card if they need it.

Last, you flip over three bonus cards and place them above the Pop-tart line. Now, you’re ready to play.

Playing Pop-tarts Card Game

The rules say that the last person who ate a Pop-tart gets to go first.

On your turn, there are three steps you can take.

The first step is to play up to three action cards. The actions include changing the arrow direction, and different ways of switching Pop-tarts in the line. You can play all three of your actions, or one or two or none at all if it doesn’t suit your plan.

The second step of your turn is to plate a Pop-tart. To do this, you take the Pop-tart closest to either the freezer or the toaster, depending on the arrow direction. You then place the Pop-tart on your plate card (the one with the toaster and freezer) according to what side you pick the card up from.

The last step in your turn is to eat a Pop-tart. You may only have four Pop-tarts on your plate at one time. If you have a fifth, you must eat one. You eat a Pop-tart by placing it to the side. Only Pop-tarts that have been eaten count towards points.

When you eat Pop-tarts, you may look to the bonus cards. If the Pop-tarts that you’re eating match the bonus cards, you can place the bonus cards in your score pile. You must eat all of the Pop-tarts at the same time to qualify for the bonus cards.

Before finishing your turn, you need to slide the Pop-tarts in the line up towards wither the toaster or the freezer (depending on the arrow) and flip over the next card to place in the middle. You will also need to draw as many action cards you need to bring your hand back up to three cards. You may discard any actin cards that you already have in your hand to draw new ones. Last, you need to flip over new card for any bonus cards that you scored.

Ending the game

When one player reaches 30 points in their score pile, all players after them get one more turn. The player who went first does not get another turn, nor anyone who plays after them. This is done so that all players have the same amount of turns.

Winning Pop-tarts Card Game

When all players have had their last turn, everyone counts the amount of points in their score pile. The player with the most points wins the game.

If there is a tie, the player with the most bonus cards wins the game.

What We Like

First, the theme of the game is fun. Pop-tarts—need we say more? It is well carried out throughout the game, including the silver-lined box.

Next, the game play is easy to understand. The game quality is also good.

What We Don’t Like

First, although the game play is really quite simple, the learning curve is rather high. There are a lot of pieces to sort out the first time you play. This gets better after you’ve played once, but it was a little confusing the first time.

Next, we found the game a little too repetitive. It may be good for younger kids but the box suggested age is 13 up. I think this age limit is misleading. A younger kid would love the game play and be fully able to play. With an age rating of 13+, we were hoping for a more challenging game.

Another thing that made the game a little less enjoyable was the lack of variety in the action cards.

Is the Pop-tarts Card Game worth Adding to Your Family Game Shelf?

If you have younger kids, especially any Pop-tart lovers, Pop-tarts card game is a pretty good game. If you are looking for a more strategic game, I would say skip this card game.

To get your own Pop-tarts card game, shop here. Canadians can shop here.

For more card games kids will love, check out Crazy Fish, GOPS and Fe Fi Fo Fum. For more games that 13+ will love, check out Linger Longer, 3 to 13, and Hearts. Visit our Family Game Shelf shop for tons of fun with seasonal and original games for every occasion.

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