Woodpecker Labs’ Zach Rome on his gross-out – and surprisingly strategic – card game, Go Poo

Zach, it’s great to connect. For anyone new to Woodpecker Labs, can you talk me through what sorts of things the studio focuses on creating?
We develop intellectual property for the gift, game and toy industries. In reality, that means we develop whatever silly ideas come to mind! Over the years, we’ve created products ranging from socks to children’s books, to our topic for today – poo-themed card games.

Yes! On that, you recently licensed Go Poo! to Paper House Productions. For anyone new to the game, give us the pitch?
Go Poo is the grossest game of Go Fish ever. Players collect disgusting cards to take Poops and win points. The grosser the poo, the more the points! It seems simple at first, but it’s surprisingly strategic.

Dare I ask how the idea came about?
I had previously worked with the folks at Paper House on another project. They were looking to do a new game and I shared the prototype for Go Poo. Their Art Director, Tim Murray, loved it and we got to work creating it together.

Terrific. And there’s a shot of you and Tim there – worth noting that you’re an adult now and not always in a clown outfit, just in case anyone tries to track you down on Linkedin! The game launched via Kickstarter. What appealed about that path to market?
Neither of us had done a Kickstarter before, but of course had watched many others be successful through the platform. We liked that it offered not only a potential source of funding, but some built-in marketing through the process.

It turned out to be a great path for us, not only in getting funded – we were fully funded in three days and got a ‘Project We Love’ award – but mostly for the gaming community. They’re a super supportive group of creators and backers.

Looping back to Paper House – what made them a good home for the game?
Paper House is a small company based in the Hudson Valley. They’re a super creative and collaborative group, with a ton of experience bringing all sorts of products to market. They’re also not afraid to take risks and put something out there that’s outside of their core portfolio. They’ve been incredible to work with and – spoiler alert! – we’ve got a couple of new projects coming out together soon.

And is Go Poo! indicative of the types of toys and games Woodpecker Labs might look to develop more of down the road?
Yes and no. We’re already working on an expansion with Paper House, so you can count on more grossness coming your way soon! But we also have some other games and products in the mix for the more mature-minded. Generally speaking, we try to solve life’s little problems.

Before we wrap up, what fuels your creativity? And what kills creativity for you?
Creativity is all about keeping your mind open. It’s why kids tend to be much more creative than adults. When they look at something, they don’t approach it with 100 different preconceived notions and biases. I find myself being most creative when I’m putting myself in new situations. So, conversely, I try to avoid being in negative and closed-minded environments.

Zach, huge thanks again and congrats on all you’ve achieved so far with Go Poo!

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