Exploding Kittens: Bears vs Babies Card Game

Build a Monster. Devour an Army. Try Not to Get Eaten First.

There's a particular kind of chaos that settles over the table when someone slaps down a hand of mismatched body parts, assembles a magnificent abomination, and then promptly has it eaten by a bear in a tutu. Bears vs Babies is gleefully, deliberately ridiculous — and underneath all that absurdity is a surprisingly sharp game of timing and nerve.

From Exploding Kittens, the team behind one of the best-selling card games of all time, Bears vs Babies was designed by Matthew Inman (the creator of The Oat) and Elan Lee. Players draw and collect body parts to build the most powerful monsters they can, then trigger battles against a shared army of grotesque (and oddly adorable) babies. The twist: those babies can just as easily eat your monster if you're not careful. Every card you play is both an opportunity and a risk, and the best moments come from reading the table and knowing exactly when to strike — or when to let someone else take the hit first.

This is a game that plays fast, hits its peak with a full table of rowdy players, and generates the kind of outbursts that make the neighbours wonder what's going on. It works well as a warm-up game before a longer session or as the main event for a casual evening. Recommended for ages 7 and up, it plays in roughly 15 to 20 minutes and comfortably seats two to five players — though it truly comes alive with four or five. If you're looking for something light enough to hand to almost anyone but funny enough to hold the attention of people who usually want something heavier, this lands in a sweet spot.

The artwork — drawn entirely by Matthew Inman — is the real visual star here. Every card is dense with detail, personality, and the kind of deeply weird humour that rewards people who actually read what's in their hand. The game comes packaged in a distinctive furry box that is, yes, covered in fur, and ships in a NSFW edition (with some adult content) alongside the standard version — worth knowing if you're buying as a gift. Component quality is clean and card-stock is durable enough to survive a spirited evening without sleeves.

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