Merry Families by Clara Gilod
CHF 12.00
The colorful card game for cosmopolitan children between the ages of 4 and 99 | Ideal as a gift!
Celebrate diversity through play! 🌈
When Clara noticed that the families depicted in her son's games looked nothing like her family, she decided to do something about it!
She illustrated Merry Families, a cheerful take on an old French classic that shows children some of the many constellations of rainbow families: queer, multicultural, single-parent families, families without children, and all abilities. Some families also have cats and dogs!
This representation helps children of queer parents see other families that are just like their own. And all children can develop empathy and understanding for other identities that have been largely underrepresented in games. Let's play!
Description of the product
- A children's game for children aged 5 and over, played like Quartet or Go Fish, with 35 cards: 7 families of 5
- It is an inclusive variant of an old French card game. Illustrator Clara Gilod wanted to play the original game with her son, but none of the families looked like hers. So she created this version so her son could see families like his in her games.
- It shows children some of the many family configurations: Some families have two mothers, some families have grandparents, some families have pets, some families have no children!
- There is an instruction card (in DE) in the game with a QR code for full instructions in English, here.
- The game is printed in Austria using only 100% recyclable, healthy components with no residue or harmful chemicals. Only renewable energy is used in production and we publish here the breakdown of emissions from our supply chain, which are overcompensated by our print shop.
About the POLAR EMBASSY
A games publisher that celebrates and promotes queer themes
What started as a Christmas present has turned Jon Derman Harris into a part-time publisher. In 2020 he illustrated a deck of tarot cards for a friend, who later convinced him to publish the card set.
No sooner said than done: In addition to his main job as a freelance industrial designer, Derman Harris founded the publishing house Polar Embassy - a publishing house that celebrates queer artists, themes and lifestyles. More entrepreneur than illustrator, he quickly expanded his concept and started collaborating with other queer artists in the summer of 2023.
This was followed by the release of the second and third decks of cards: a queer version “Quartet” for children that celebrates rainbow families, and playing cards about sex positivity. The environmentally friendly printed games are available via the Polar Embassy online shop and in 75 brick-and-mortar stores. In the future, the publisher would like to encourage more queer artists to use card games, books or zines to create more visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community.