Hi—we’re Morphology Games. You might know us as the creators of Morphology, a laugh-out-loud board game that asks players to build words for their teammates to guess using 30 quirky game pieces (and their imaginations). In 2010, Morphology was named number 2 Toy of the Year by TIME Magazine. 

Kate Ryan Reiling invented Morphology after graduating from Macalester College, when she and two friends were stuck inside on a snowy night and decided to do something creative. They started building words for each other to guess using Jenga® blocks and Pente® pieces, and Morphology was born. After graduating from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, Kate realized she had something special on her hands. “People kept asking to buy the game," she says, "but I only had my prototypes which I had to beg to get back.”

Morphology Games launched in 2009 with our first production of Morphology to immediate success in the gaming world. Morphology got two "Top Toys of 2010" nods at the New York Toy Fair, and since then has continued to receive recognition from around the industry (check out a list of our accolades here).

Some of the most enthusiastic devotees of Morphology are families. Parents love playing Morphology with their kids, and have often told us that watching their children build words is like getting a glimpse inside of their minds. But the game, which is designed for ages 13+, and can be quite challenging for young players. After hearing from many parents that they were tinkering with Morphology's rules to make it play-able for their younger children, we knew that we had to do something to accommodate these young creators. 

That "something" is Morphology Junior. 

What is Morphology Junior? 

Morphology Junior takes all the fun of the "original" game and adapts it to younger players (target age: 8+.) In order to move their frog-pieces from the "Start" lilypad to the "Finish," Morphologists must put on their creative thinking-caps to build words like "bike" and "snow" using the 35+ game pieces provided (see below for details). The game mixes some "original" Morphology rules like "Everybody Play" and "Pick 5" with some new adaptations, including "Morph" (where the Morphologist becomes a piece in the game) and "Ribbit, Ribbit" (where the Morphologist can make noises to help his/her teammates guess the right word).

Give it a try. Can you guess this word? 

(If you guessed "pillow", you were right. If you didn't, it's okay--quirky interpretations are part of the fun of the game!) 

Morphology Junior has already gotten great reactions from kids and families in test-play. Good Housekeeping even named Morphology Junior number two among "12 Great Games for 2012" after testing it out at New York's 2012 Toy Fair. We can't wait to see what happens when the game hits stores in June!

Why Kickstarter?

So here's where we're at: we've finalized the rules of play, chosen the pieces, designed the game board and started the production process. We've reached the final leg of the race, and now we need your help to get us across the finish line. That's why we've come to Kickstarter. 

We plan to manufacture 7,500 games and get them into stores--and then into kids' hands--by June of this year. We're hoping to raise $15,000 on Kickstarter to help us get there. We can't do it without you. 

At the risk of sounding cheesy, we think that Morphology Junior has inherited the power of its older sibling (Morphology) to bring creativity, happiness and laughter to friends and families. We hope that's something you can be proud to be a part of. 

So... what's in the box? 

Morphology Junior caters to a younger generation of creative minds, so we've made some adaptations to the "original" Morphology toolkit. Here's what you'll get to build with: 

• 4 wooden "people"

• 1 piece of string

• 1 square of green felt

• 18 colored cubes (6 colors)
• 4 wooden blocks

• 1 wooden "barrel"
• 2 plastic rings
• 9 colored "beads"

(Sorry--the books in the background aren't included.)

There's lots of other stuff in the box, too: 

Word Cards: The game comes with 480 words to build (240 easy, 240 hard.) In Morphology Junior each word comes with a helpful "hint" to aid guessing--the word "rainbow", for example, comes with the hint "in the sky"; "chimney" comes with the hint "on a house". 

(The Morphology Junior pieces are so much fun to build with!) 

Game board (and four cute froggies): We've designed a fun new board that holds true to the Morphology spirit. Start your team's frog on the first lily pad. Morphology Junior is a race across the pond! 

(Purple is winning.)

Rulebook: We explain the ins-and-outs of Morphology Junior in six concise pages (adorable graphics included.) 

(See that cute guy up top? He's our Morphologist!)

Timer: Our 60-second hourglass timer may very well become your mortal enemy by the end of the game. (You've got to guess before the last grain of sand drops or you don't move forward!) 

Die: This classic game piece brings on all the Morphology Junior craziness. Roll a 3 and you can become a piece in the game; roll a 6 and you can make noises. You get the picture. 

(Yes--it really is as fun as it looks.)

So how can I help? 

Donate.Even teeny-tiny donations will push us towards the $15,000 we need to get Morphology Junior off the ground. Of course, the more you give, the better your reward will be! (Check out our reward tiers on the right side of this page.)

Here's how to donate: 

• Find the "back this project" on the top of this page (right-hand side). Click it.
• Enter a donation amount, and pick your prize tier. Click "continue". 
• You'll be directed to Amazon to check out. If you have an Amazon account, sign in. If you don't, choose "I am a new customer" and enter an email address to launch an account. 
• Follow the directions to complete your donation.

Spread the word. Word of mouth is key for Kickstarter projects, so don't hesitate to mention us to your friends (or your enemies!). 

Find us online: Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for updates on the Kickstarter project, fun daily guessing games and more. Share our page (and our campaign) with your online friends! (Don't have Facebook or Twitter? Check out our website, our YouTube channel or our Pinterest account.)

Give us feedback: We welcome any kind of input, so don't hesitate to get directly in touch with us at admin@morphologygames.com.