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Printable detective gameAges 6 to 92 to 8 players, 20 to 45 minutes

The Case of the Muddy Footprints.

A first detective game you print at home. Muddy footprints lead across the clean library floor at Acorn Hill School, and The Big Book of Pond Life is gone from the shelf. Four friends had break at the same time, and only one of them was in the library at 10:40. Your young detectives hunt for six picture clues, crack a picture code and cross out places on a big chart until only one friend is left.

What you get

Two PDF files of the same 15 pages: one A4 with British spelling and one US Letter with American words (sweater, sandbox, recess). You print them at home, cut out the cards and play at a party, in class or on a rainy afternoon. Nothing is shipped.

The kit laid out: the title, Button's picture code key with warm-up words, the four friends Pip the Mouse, Bruno the Bear, Daisy the Duck and Toby the Tortoise, a detective ID card, the top secret letter, a certificate and the label for The Big Book of Pond Life
The real cards from the kit, arranged on one picture.
6.90 €one payment, VAT included

VAT included, nothing added at checkout. You buy the two files once, keep them and print as many copies as your family, party or class needs.

See all 15 pages first

The files unlock right after payment. You can still withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason (our terms, section 5). Terms

  • download buttons appear on this page right after payment, and the links come by e-mail too
  • A4 and US Letter, both in the price
  • no account to make

How the detectives play.

Four steps. A grown-up reads the case file aloud and hides the cards; the children do the rest.

How the game goes in four steps: evidence card 1, the picture code key, the empty detective chart with four friends and four places, and the reveal
  1. Hunt for the evidence. Six cards hide around the room, and each one rules somebody out of a place.
  2. Compare the pictures. Whose feet are webbed? Who is too big for the sticky door? Who wears yellow? The friend cards and the footprint guide have the answers.
  3. Crack Button’s code. Warm-up words first, then the picture code key turns Button’s secret note into words.
  4. The reveal. Read the top secret letter aloud and everyone goes to find the book. Before you play, you tape the book label onto any book at home and hide it where the letter says.

What is in the kit.

Fifteen pages, the same in the A4 and the US Letter file. Every picture on this page is cut from the real pages.

The four friend cards, each with a drawing and what the friend wears, their feet, size and what they like, the witness card and the book label
Four friends and the witnesses. Pip, Bruno, Daisy and Toby, each with a card to compare against the clues.
Evidence cards 1, 3 and 6 with big drawings, the picture code key and a list of the names of all six clues
Six evidence cards. Three are shown here; the clue text of the rest stays hidden.
Two certificates of detective work signed by Mrs Mole the librarian and four detective ID cards with space for a name, a special skill and a self portrait
ID cards and certificates. 8 ID cards the size of a bank card to a page, and 4 certificates to a page.
  1. 1Start here: 3 steps for grown-ups, what to print for a group and what you need
  2. 2Case file to read aloud, with a map of the school and a simple timeline
  3. 3Four friend cards: Pip the Mouse, Bruno the Bear, Daisy the Duck and Toby the Tortoise
  4. 4A witness card, an evidence table sign, a footprint guide and the book label
  5. 5 and 6Six evidence cards with big pictures and big print, and 2 picture code keys with warm-up words
  6. 7The detective chart: 4 friends and 4 places, big squares for small hands
  7. 8Detective reports for the teams
  8. 98 detective ID cards, the size of a bank card
  9. 104 certificates, signed by Mrs Mole the librarian
  10. 11 and 12The no scissors version: all 6 clues and the code key on two pages
  11. 13Game plan for grown-ups, with 3 hints, a hard mode for 8 and 9, a 45 minute plan at a glance and a checklist
  12. 14A top secret letter from the friend who was in the library
  13. 15Full solution for grown-ups, step by step, with the finished chart

All fifteen pages, before you pay.

The secret letter and the solution are blurred, and the clue text is replaced by grey lines, so nobody at your party can peek.

All fifteen pages of the A4 file side by side with a label under each; the letter and the solution are blurred and the clue text is hidden
Tap the picture to open it large and zoom in.
Page 2, the case file: the story of the missing book, a map of Acorn Hill School and what happened when
Page 2. The case file with the school map.
Page 3, four friend cards with a drawing of each friend and what they wear, their feet, size and what they like
Page 3. Friend cards to cut out.
Page 10, four certificates of detective work to cut out, signed by Mrs Mole the librarian
Page 10. Four certificates to a page.

Who it is for, and what you need.

What you need: a printer, pencils, an envelope, any book and tape, scissors or the two no scissors pages; how long it takes and how many can play
Age
6 to 9. For 6 and 7 year olds, one child who can read in each team, or a grown-up reads the cards aloud. An optional hard mode for 8 and 9: you cover the detective tips before you hide the cards.
Players
2 to 8, or 1 child with a grown-up. With 5 or more children, play in teams of 2 to 4. Print the chart once for each team, one ID card page for every 8 children and one certificate page for every 4.
Time
30 to 45 minutes with the evidence hunt, about 20 minutes without it. Plus about 20 minutes to print, cut and hide the cards, or about 10 minutes with the no scissors pages.
You need
A printer, pencils, an envelope for the secret letter, any book and a bit of tape. Scissors are optional: without them you play from pages 11 and 12.
Good for
A birthday party, a sleepover, a classroom, a club or a rainy afternoon at home.

Two files, the same 15 pages.

FilePaperPagesSize
A4 PDF210 x 297 mm, British spelling15 pages0.77 MB
US Letter PDF8.5 x 11 in, American words15 pages0.78 MB

Print at 100 percent or actual size rather than fit to page, so the ID cards come out the size of a bank card. Black and white works too, because every colour that matters is also written on the cards. The secret letter is best in an envelope, because paper lets light through; with no envelope, fold it in thirds along the marked lines.

Before you buy.

What age is it for?

Children aged 6 to 9. For 6 and 7 year olds, put one child who can read in each team, or let a grown-up read the cards aloud. 8 and 9 year olds can play on their own, with an optional hard mode.

To be honest, this is a first mystery: a 9 year old who already likes logic puzzles may find it easy, even in the hard mode. For children of 8 to 12 there is a bigger case with five suspects and eight clues, The Case of the Missing Birthday Cake.

How many children can play, and how long does it take?

2 to 8 players, or 1 child with a grown-up. With 5 or more children, play in teams of 2 to 4. The game takes 30 to 45 minutes with the evidence hunt and about 20 minutes without it, plus about 20 minutes to print, cut and hide the cards, or about 10 minutes with the no scissors pages.

Has it been played with real children?

Not yet, and we would rather say so. Every page was checked at print size by our own check script, which measures every page and makes sure no text runs off a card or the page, and the chart was checked by a computer solver. If anything does not work at your table, write to support@arling.sk and we fix it or send the money back.

What happens after I pay?

Stripe sends you back to this page, the page checks that the payment went through, and download buttons for the A4 and US Letter PDF appear in place of the buy button. The same links are sent by e-mail to the address you paid with. The links on this page work for 7 days and the ones in the e-mail for 30 days; after that, write to support@arling.sk and we send fresh ones.

The unlock is remembered in this browser, so you can come back to this page later on the same device. Keep the files once you have downloaded them.

How many copies may I print?

As many as you need for your own family, party, classroom or club. Please do not share or resell the files.

Who made it?

ARLing s. r. o. in Bratislava wrote the story and the puzzle and drew the pictures, with the help of AI tools. The drawings are simple shapes drawn in code, and our own program typesets every page.

Do I get a receipt?

Yes. Stripe handles the sale through Managed Payments as the merchant of record, and ARLing supplies the files. At checkout you will see “Sold through Link”, your bank statement will show LINK.COM* ARLING, and Link sends you the receipt.

Can I get my money back?

Yes. As a consumer you can withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason, as our terms say in section 5: write to support@arling.sk or use the withdrawal form, and we refund you within 14 days by the same payment method. If a file is broken or a puzzle is wrong, write to us and we put it right.

That is the law, not our customer service. All fifteen pages are shown above so you can decide before paying. If a file is broken or never arrived, write to support@arling.sk and we will fix it or send the money back. Terms and withdrawal form.

Colophon

Publisher
ARLing s. r. o., Ivanská cesta 32E, 821 04 Bratislava, Slovakia. Company ID 56583486, VAT ID SK2122352100.
Who makes it
Andrej in Bratislava looks after the products and the support and answers at support@arling.sk. The story, puzzle and drawings were made with the help of AI tools; our own program typesets every page.
Payment and delivery
Stripe handles the sale through Managed Payments as the merchant of record, and ARLing supplies the files. Your download links appear on this page as soon as Stripe confirms the payment, and the same links are sent by e-mail to the address you paid with. There is no account to make.

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