Down From The Attic Episode 3: Pop Up Pirate!

Down From The Attic ep.3 Pop Up Pirate

Video review here! https://youtu.be/-j6DjR68NSo

Here’s a game I think most of have played at some time, whether owning it or playing round at friends as kid, shiver me timbers, baton down the hatches and hoist the main sail,  it’s Pop Up Pirate by Tomy. This is a game that’s instant action, simple to play, and down to pure chance, there’s one loser and multiple winners.

The box art is fun and friendly, lets not forget that this is aimed at children, a jolly pirate and his parrot smiling out from the box. “It’s a barrel load of family fun. Slide the swords into the slots, but BEWARE, if the pirate pops up- YOU’RE OUT”  The pirate is smiling pretty relaxed for a guy who, oh I don’t know, has a sword in his back?! There’s a sinister edge to this game that you pick up on as an adult. 

Unlike many board games were the rules and instructions are printed on the box lid or on an instruction manual, this has the game instructions printed right on the back of the box. “Pop up pirate is a barrel of fun for everyone. First gently but firmly push pirate down until he locks down into position. Then select your favourite colour swords and take it in turns to slide them into the slots in the barrel. But beware, slide it into the wrong slot and out pops the pirate- and that means you’re out! But which slot is the wrong slot- you won’t know because it’s a different slot every game.” That’s right, it’s completely random. This is Russian Roulette for kids, only with a 24 chambered gun….barrel….that’s triggered with swords. It’s not the best analogy I’ll admit. 

The game pieces are charming, there’s really no other way of describing them. The pirate in particular is simply adorable, a big round head and a tiny body, I always liked the way this figure looked. The only stickers to him are the eye and the body, his bandana, beard and eye patch are all moulded pieces fixed in place, which i’m thankful for, it’s really helped keep him looking in good condition over the years. He’s surprisingly lightweight, which helps with him popping up, and trust me, he can pop up quite high. 

The barrel is nicely weighted and feels solid, and even after all these years, the spring mechanism works flawlessly every time, a real testament to great design. The swords are solid, they don’t feel cheap in the least bit, obviously rounded off for safety reasons.

 The base does a good job of fleshing out the whole desert island/pirate motif. There’s a giant squid and a the friendliest shark ever in the sea and the stickers underneath the barrel display a desert island, complete with beach with driftwood, palm trees, treasure, a giant angry vulture and friendly locals.

You know what’s going to happen. Everyone playing knows. It’s an inevitability….but when? That’s the real question. This game gets tenser and tenser as each sword blade is slotted in place. Ideally, you want to play this game with four people, one for each colour, but playing with two? Two colours each. Three players? pick a colour each and share out the remaining colour. More than four? choose swords at random, it doesn’t matter since you take it in turn to put the swords in place, everyone at the table will know who popped the pirate. 

Look at this thing now, it’s like a porcupine! Knowing that one of the remaining slots was going to set him off was almost unbearable as a kid, knowing that your choice dooms you….or dooms your friends. Getting to this stage and putting the sword in and nothing happen, you felt like a bomb disposal expert snipping the right wire. “It’s come to this, two slots left…which do i pick?! I’m gonna go with….no….no that’s obvious it’s the wrong one….or is it? I’ll go with the other, definitely the other…..no, I was sure with that first one, this one….I’m not sold on.” Everyone is looking round like they know what’s going to happen… the sword goes in….

POP!

With the slot being triggered to set the pirate off popping, you think you’d feel some slight resistance putting the sword in. Not at all, until you click the sword fully in, you have absolutely no idea of whether you’re safe or doomed. I’d love to see how this game works but I’m conscious that undoing the screws would cause springs to uncoil and it’d never work again. That’s another impressive thing with this game, no batteries, it’s all done with springs and cogs, clever stuff, it genuinely impresses me how inventive toys of the 80s and 90s were.

I played this game frequently as a kid and it never failed to liven up a rainy day or an afternoon after school with friends. Even now, as an adult, this game is fun. The games are very short, and length of the games really depends on how quickly the pirate pops. I’ve played this game with people who’ve never even heard of it and seeing the tension and suspense on their faces as they place sword after sword in, not knowing what will happen, it’s immeasurably satisfying. I compare this game to the likes of Crocodile Dentist and Jenga in that there is really only one loser and multiple winners. This game is thankfully still being made and still being made by Tomy, i highly recommend you getting a copy either for your kids or to relieve childhood memories, it’s a really great party game.