Funkyphant

The Elephant in the Dark

There is a beautiful old story from Rumi’s poems about an elephant brought to a city where the people had never seen one before. Everyone was so excited to finally meet the creature, but the elephant arrived at night, and there were no lights in those days. In the dark, people gathered around and began to touch the elephant to understand what it was. Because the elephant was so grand, each person described only the part they were touching as the “true” definition of the elephant.

The beauty of the story is that no one was wrong—they were all sharing their own honest experience—but the elephant was actually the harmony of all those parts together.

Funkyphant was born from this core story. I wanted to challenge myself: How can I use only 9 cards to create a game that captures this spirit? The final game has been lovingly produced by the wonderful team at HABA, who beautifully refined the story with their expertise.

In the game, you have 9 cards, each showing one part of the elephant. It’s a charming memory game with a simple twist: our Funkyphant is dancing at a party! To make the experience even more magical, the cards actually absorb light and glow in the dark—allowing you to have a real “glow-party”. The first person to remember all the dance moves wins!

It’s a very minimal, sweet, and joyful game to play—no matter how old you are.

From Design Jam to HABA

Is it really possible to tell a whole story and truly engage people with just nine simple cards and a few playful rules? This was the question that started my journey with Funkyphant.

The process of bringing a game to life takes time and heart. After every new version, you have to sit down and playtest with a group of people. I loved watching them— seeing the moments where they felt a little lost, and the moments where their faces lit up with joy.

Once the mechanics were ready, the graphics were polished, and a little introductory video was made, I started the search for a publisher. That led me to one of my favorite milestones: meeting the wonderful team at White Castle in Austria.

Finally, they found the perfect match with the amazing team at HABA. To make sure the game was a perfect fit for the market, HABA professionally reimagined the story, the graphics, and even the name—turning it into the final version you see today.