Gooey Louie Retro Board Game Review
Doug Larson
OCC Editor in Chief
This is Gooey Louie, and it’s a disgustingly good time! Originally produced by Pressman in 1995, Gooey Louie is a hilarious strategy game for kids ages four and up. Players compete to see who can pick the most “gooies” out of Louie’s nose before his head explodes!
Box Art
Starting with the 1995 Pressman edition of the game, we see a beautiful example of mid 1990’s pop art on the box. The bright bold colors jump right out at you, and the cartoony depiction of Louie is as charming as it is disgusting.
The reverse side of the box features the standard marketing we’ve come to expect from modern board games. A nice photo of a group of kids enjoying the game adorns the package alongside small blurbs that call out the game’s features.
Moving on to the 2023 edition we see a less inspired art style that seems almost muted by comparison to the original 1995 edition’s art. Louie is still prominently displayed albeit in a more stylized fashion more in line with modern animation such as one may find of the Cartoon Network.
On the reverse side of the box we see a similar motif as found on the original; A photo of a table full of excited children enjoying the game alongside blurbs and smaller photos showcasing the hilarious gameplay that awaits you.
Gameplay
There are two ways to play the original Gooey Louie. The short game rule set has players take turns picking green rubber “gooies” out of Louie’s nose. When a player tugs on an unlucky gooey, Louie’s brain pops out, and the game is over. The player who picked the unlucky gooey loses right away. To determine a winner, the remaining players line up their gooies end-to-end. The player with the longest string of gooies wins!
The long play rules are similar, however, players do not end the game when Louie’s brain pops out. Players take turns picking gooies out of Louie’s nose. When a player picks an unlucky gooey and pops Louie’s brain out, they are eliminated. The remaining players reload Louie’s nose with gooies and begin picking again. Play continues until all other players are eliminated and only the winner, who is truly a master picker, remains.
The 2023 Goliath edition of Gooey Louie offers updates to the Louie model, and features some changes to the gameplay. The Louie sculpt is significantly smaller than the 1995 edition, and introduces a second nostril for players’ picking enjoyment. The Louie model now also ejects his eyeballs as well as his now green colored brain when an unlucky gooey is picked. The rules have also seen an update with the addition of a six sided die. Players now roll a die to determine if they should pick a gooey, and if so, whether they should pick more than one at a time. The die also offers the chance for a player to steal a gooey from another player, which may truly be the most disgusting part of the game.
Games in the 2023 edition also end when Louie’s brain is popped out by an unlucky pick. The gooies have also been updated to feature a new shape and three colors, all lovely shades of green and yellow. At the end of the game, players count how many gooies they have to determine the final score. Each gooey is worth one point and any player who has collected at least one gooey of each color receives a bonus point.
The Verdict
Gooey Louie has seen a lot of changes over almost 30 years. The latest version of the game may be smaller, but it is still quite enjoyable. When it comes to quality, the original 1995 version wins hands down. It simply comes down to how the scale of the game affects playability. The 2023 edition offers a great value for a younger audience, but limits its appeal to a younger audience due to the small size of the playset. Larger older editions of the game are more accessible to a broader audience, and for me, that’s always a win!
For a closer look, check out my Gooey Louie Retro Board Game Review on YouTube.
Get your copy of the 2023 Goliath edition of Gooey Louie.