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Christmas Detective Game for Kids and Family, 30 Mystery Cases

Who ate the Christmas cookies? A printable detective party game for the whole family.

4.90 €

Four printable PDF files: A4 and US Letter, each in color and as an ink saver version. A digital download from Etsy: nothing is shipped.

Buy on Etsy, 4.90 €

Etsy handles the payment and the instant download. Etsy may show the price in your currency and add tax for your country; it shows the final total before you pay.

One player is the Detective. Everyone else is a Witness who saw one true thing about the cookie eater, but may only act it out, then say one word, then three words. The sooner the Detective points at the right suspect, the more crumbs you all win together.

Who Ate the Cookies? Christmas detective game for the whole family, 30 cases, 3 to 10 players, no cutting. Real pages: a player sheet, the gallery of 16 illustrated animal bakers and the example page.

Pictures

A closer look before you buy.

These are the pictures from the Etsy listing, in the same order. Click or tap a picture to open it larger.

The 16 suspect portraits and the cookie plate were made with the help of an AI image tool. The rules, the cases and the answers are our own, and two separate programs checked every case: exactly one suspect fits all three facts, and every fact is needed. Texts were created with the help of AI tools. AI was used to create the background scene of the listing images.

How it works: Witnesses act their thing, then say one word, then three words; the Detective points early for 3, 2 or 1 crumbs. Below, the example page showing how three facts leave one suspect.
What is inside: 15 family cases, 15 tricky cases and 2 practice cases, gallery in color, black and white and as a poster, sheets for 3, 4 and 5 players, answer codes, Crumb Book, Referee page.
Close up of a real player sheet: the practice row with an example gesture, rows where the player is the Detective, and rows with one fact, the box of words not to say and the answer code.
Before you buy: for families and classes, 3 to 10 players, you need a printer and a pencil, digital download only. Below, an example of a filled Crumb Book page with the Banned tonight list.

What you get

Four PDF files in A4 and US Letter.

  • Who-Ate-the-Cookies-A4.pdf (35 pages, color)
  • Who-Ate-the-Cookies-US-Letter.pdf (35 pages, color)
  • Who-Ate-the-Cookies-Ink-Saver-A4.pdf (34 pages, black and white)
  • Who-Ate-the-Cookies-Ink-Saver-US-Letter.pdf (34 pages, black and white)

Plain PDF files, no ZIP.

  • Paper sizes: A4 and US Letter.
  • File type: PDF, printed at home or at a print shop.
  • Digital download: nothing is shipped by post. The files are in Purchases and reviews on Etsy.com after payment.

Details

Inside

  • 30 cases: 15 family cases (ages 8+) and 15 tricky cases for teens and adults, plus 2 practice cases
  • A gallery of 16 illustrated animal bakers: in color, in black and white, and as a two page poster for big tables
  • Player sheets for 3, 4 and 5 players: one sheet per player for the whole evening, one row per case, no cutting
  • Answer codes with a short confession and the reason for every case
  • Rules on one page, a step by step example, a Crumb Book score page with the Banned tonight list, and a Referee page

How to play

Everyone gets one sheet. In each case one player is the Detective, and the others read only that row: what they saw, and a box of words they may not say. First every Witness acts their thing out without a sound, then says one word, then three words. The Detective may point once, at any time: after the gestures for 3 crumbs, after one word for 2, after three words for 1. Then someone looks up the case code to read who it was and why. A gesture or word that worked goes on the Banned tonight list, so the next case needs new ideas.

Who it is for

Families, Christmas parties and classrooms. 3 to 5 players play together; 6 to 10 play in two teams. Family cases from about 8; tricky cases (NO, one of two things, and places in the gallery) from 12. Little ones from 6 can act the gestures with a grown-up or be the Detective. You need a printer, paper and a pencil. No phone or app.

Printing

Print only what your group needs: the rules, the gallery, the sheets for your number of players, the Reveals page for your level and the Crumb Book. With 4 players that is 8 sheets of paper. You may print as many copies as your own family, party or classroom needs. Please do not share or resell the files.

Good to know

We have not timed the game at a real family table yet. About 5 minutes per case is our estimate, and how funny it gets depends on your group.

Questions

Before you buy.

How do I get the files?

No physical item is shipped. After Etsy confirms payment, download your files from Purchases and reviews on Etsy.com in a web browser; downloads are unavailable in the Etsy app. Guest buyers can use the download link in their Etsy receipt email.

Which files do I get?

Four files: Who-Ate-the-Cookies-A4.pdf, Who-Ate-the-Cookies-US-Letter.pdf, Who-Ate-the-Cookies-Ink-Saver-A4.pdf and Who-Ate-the-Cookies-Ink-Saver-US-Letter.pdf. The same pages in A4 and US Letter, so you print the one that matches your paper.

What if a file does not open or print?

If a file does not open or print well, send us an Etsy message with your order number and the file name. Please never send card or payment details.

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Content and support: ARLing s. r. o., Company ID 56583486, Bratislava, Slovakia. For a file or printing problem, send an Etsy Message with your order number and the file name.