Stuff Yer Face – The Marble Eating Clown Game

Introduced in 1982 by Milton Bradley, "Stuff Yer Face" emerged as a captivating tabletop game tailored for two players. The game board, reminiscent of a vibrant carnival setting, hosted a circular blue arena adorned with two whimsical clown puppets. Amidst this delightful setup, 25 marbles jostled for attention—ten yellow, ten green, and five red. The objective was straightforward: become the victor by having your clown puppet consume all ten marbles of your designated color.

The gameplay pivoted on the ingenious use of puppet arms. With nimble maneuvers, players attempted to scoop up marbles and direct them into their clown's wide-open mouth. In an intriguing twist, gobbling up an opponent's marbles inadvertently contributed to their score. Once all marbles of the designated color vanished, the pursuit of the elusive red marbles commenced. Claiming victory required devouring three of these crimson treasures. However, a precarious rule existed—consumption of a red marble before finishing your color marbles signaled a premature defeat.

Unquestionably, "Stuff Yer Face" wasn't your run-of-the-mill tabletop game. Its frenzied pace, distinct from the likes of "Hungry Hungry Hippos," was heightened by the inclusion of puppet hands. Operating these puppet arms proved an exercise in dexterity and patience, qualities not always abundant in youthful players. The challenge lay in maintaining control, preventing the enthusiastic pursuit from escalating into marbles cascading across the floor.

Enduring commercials for this classic game vividly encapsulated its exhilarating tempo, expertly conveying the frantic yet captivating ambiance that awaited players around the game board.

Since you can’t trust an ad to show you how fun something is, here is a more modern video showing some people playing the game now. Love that they add a little bit of strategy to the game by trying to throw their own balls into the other clown’s mouth.