Cartoon & Fairy-Tale Charades
Heroes, villains and talking animals to act out — the easiest charades theme for younger players
Cartoon charades is the version that works when the youngest player is five and the oldest is fifty. Everyone already knows a princess, a wicked stepmother, a talking wolf and a fairy godmother, so nobody sits out because they have not seen the right film.
The word packs below stick to the archetypes and objects that turn up across the old stories — a glass slipper, a pumpkin carriage, a gingerbread house — rather than any single studio's characters. That keeps every word guessable by the whole room, which is the only thing that actually matters in charades.
Want charades ideas for older players? Browse all our charades ideas
Random fairy-tale mime
Tap the button, act out whatever appears, and let the other team guess. Perfect when the group is too impatient to write words down.
A princess who has lost a shoe
Cartoon and fairy-tale word packs
Read a pack out loud and let each player pick, or write the words on slips and drop them in a hat. These are the characters and objects every version of the story shares, so nobody is left guessing at a name they have never heard.
Heroes and good characters
Princess, brave knight, woodcutter, fairy godmother, talking mouse, youngest brother, clever servant girl, kind baker, wandering minstrel, sleeping beauty
Villains and troublemakers
Wicked stepmother, big bad wolf, giant, evil queen, greedy king, mischievous imp, witch in the woods, dragon, troll under the bridge, thief
Talking animals
Talking wolf, cat in boots, three little pigs, frog prince, singing bird, loyal dog, cunning fox, tortoise racing a hare, mouse with a needle, goose that lays golden eggs
Magic objects
Glass slipper, magic mirror, spinning wheel, golden key, magic lamp, poisoned apple, seven-league boots, enchanted rose, treasure chest, magic beans
Story places
Enchanted forest, castle tower, gingerbread house, dark cave, humble cottage, royal ballroom, bridge over a river, beanstalk reaching the clouds, underwater kingdom, windmill
Cartoon actions
Tiptoeing away, running on the spot before dashing off, sliding down a banister, hiding behind something far too small, tripping over nothing, peeking around a corner, blowing a house down, sneaking up on someone, waving a wand, taking an enormous bow
Funny mime challenges for kids
Deliberately silly, and easy enough that younger players still win rounds. Give the actor 60 seconds and no words at all.
- Be a wolf trying very hard to look like a grandmother
- Mime losing one shoe and hunting for it everywhere
- Act out a giant who is trying to be quiet
- Be a frog hoping very much to be kissed
- Mime blowing a house down and running out of breath
- Act out a mirror answering a question it does not want to answer
- Be a cat walking in boots that are far too big
- Mime falling asleep mid-sentence for a hundred years
Fairy-tale jokes to break the ice
Read one out between rounds. The groans are part of the game.
- Why did the princess bring a ladder to the ball? She heard the steps were the hard part.
- What does a wolf say before dinner? Let us prey.
- Why was the gingerbread man bad at charades? He kept running out of the room.
- Why did the dragon refuse to play? He was afraid of losing his fire.
- What is a giant's favourite charades rule? No small talk.
- Why did the frog do so well at charades? He was great at jumping to conclusions.
How to play cartoon charades
Ordinary charades rules with a friendlier word list. Four players is enough, and with young children a couple of tweaks keep everyone in the game.
- 1
Split into two teams
Mix ages across the teams rather than putting the children together — younger players guess much faster with an adult in the same team.
- 2
Pick a word from a pack
Use the packs above, the random prompt generator, or slips in a hat. For the youngest players, stick to the animals and objects packs and let them pick blind.
- 3
Act it out in 60 to 90 seconds
No speaking and no pointing at things in the room. Give younger children 90 seconds instead of 60, and one point per word guessed either way.
Cartoon charades FAQ
What is cartoon charades?
It is charades played with characters, objects and places from cartoons and fairy tales instead of films or professions. The rules are unchanged — the word list is just easier for younger players to picture and act out.
What age is cartoon charades good for?
From about four or five, which is younger than most charades themes manage. Children that age already know the archetypes, and physical words like a wolf or a giant can be acted before they can read.
How many words do we need?
About 5 to 10 per player. The packs on this page hold roughly sixty words between them, which comfortably covers a family game night, and the generator will produce more on any theme.
Can we play without printing anything?
Yes. Use the random prompt generator above on one phone and pass it around, or simply read a word pack aloud. Nothing needs printing, writing or cutting up.
How do you make charades easier for small children?
Give them 90 seconds instead of 60, let them make sounds as well as gestures, allow a teammate to act alongside them, and choose from the animals and actions packs — those mime themselves.
Are these words from any particular cartoon?
No. Every word is a shared story archetype — a princess, a wicked stepmother, a talking wolf, a glass slipper — rather than a specific studio's character, so the game works no matter which versions your group grew up with.
Ready to play?
Grab the family, pick a word pack and start acting. The rules take a minute to read and the game runs on one phone.
See how to play
