Loopin' Louie
Award-winning game where players defend chickens from a looping plane.
Loopin' Louie hit shelves in 1992, the brainchild of designer Carol Wiseley and published by Milton Bradley. Two years later, it snagged the Kinderspiel des Jahres award. The core setup involves a central crane tower—assembled with a screwdriver—that holds a motorized arm. At the arm’s end dangles a biplane carrying the game’s namesake, Louie. Up to four arms branch off the tower, each fitted with a canal, a barn, three chicken tokens, and a paddle-like lever. Two AA batteries power the crane’s rotation.
Players press their levers to keep Louie airborne, timing each press so his plane doesn’t knock chicken tokens off the barns and into the canals. Whoever still has at least one chicken token left when the chaos ends wins.
The game found a second life in Germany, where it became a popular drinking game. The Wall Street Journal noted in 2014 that over 1.3 million copies had sold there since 2006—far outpacing sales anywhere else. Modders have also tinkered with the original four-player limit, creating unofficial expansions for eight players, and later twelve using three planes. In 2015, Hasbro released a Star Wars variant called Loopin’ Chewie, designed for three players, which likewise saw an unofficial six-player mod.
- designed_by
- Carol Wiseley
- published_by
- Milton Bradley
- year_published
- 1992
- award
- Kinderspiel des Jahres (1994)
- max_players_official
- 4
- max_players_modified
- up to 12
Lore & Background
Loopin' Louie was designed by Carol Wiseley and published by Milton Bradley in 1992. The game requires assembly of a central crane tower with a figure of Louie in a biplane attached to the end of the crane. Up to four arms connect to the tower, each with a canal, a barn, three chicken tokens, and a lever. Two AA batteries power the motor that rotates the crane. The object is for players to press their levers to keep Louie in the air, preventing him from knocking chicken tokens into the canals. The player with at least one chicken token remaining wins. In 2015, Hasbro produced a Star Wars variation called 'Loopin' Chewie' for three players.
Reader's Guide
Loopin' Louie holds significance as a Kinderspiel des Jahres winner and as a cultural phenomenon in Germany, where it is widely known as a drinking game. The Wall Street Journal described it as one of Germany's most popular drinking games, noting that by 2014, over 1.3 million copies had been sold in Germany since 2006—far more than in any other country. The game's simple yet engaging mechanics have inspired unofficial modifications: modders increased the maximum number of players to eight, and later to twelve with three planes. Similarly, the 'Loopin' Chewie' variant has an unofficial modification for six players. Its legacy includes both its original family-friendly design and its adaptation into adult social contexts.
Did You Know?
- Loopin' Louie won the Kinderspiel des Jahres award in 1994.
- Unofficial modifications allow up to twelve players using three planes.
- A Star Wars variation called 'Loopin' Chewie' was produced by Hasbro in 2015.
- The game sold over 1.3 million copies in Germany since 2006.
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