Dayton-area game maker released new game following successful year

Englewood-based Dolphin Hat Games has released several card games, including the widely popular “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza,” which hit the number one spot for games sold on Amazon.com, and which has been distributed in over 40 countries. CONTRIBUTED

Englewood-based Dolphin Hat Games has released several card games, including the widely popular “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza,” which hit the number one spot for games sold on Amazon.com, and which has been distributed in over 40 countries. CONTRIBUTED

A Dayton-area children and family game inventor has created a new game after having wild success with online sales for its flagship card game.

Englewood-based Dolphin Hat Games recently released a high-energy tabletop game, called “Gimme That!” following a year of success from its flagship card game, “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza,” which hit the number one spot for games sold on Amazon.com.

In 2021, Dolphin Hat Games said it sold around 1.2 million copies of the popular game, which founder Dave Campbell said is entertaining for kids and adults alike. The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards and be the first to slap a match, while incorporating the laugh-inducing name of the game into the action.

“(Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza) gives you a license to be silly because you’re doing these crazy hand motions, and there’s also a verbal and speed component to it,” Campbell said. “There’s not many games where you can have someone who’s 12 years old, someone who’s 20 years old, and someone who’s 40 or 50 years old sit down to play this game and all genuinely have a good time.”

The companies newest game, “Gimme That!” is another quirky, fast-paced game that utilizes a custom dice and has players grabbing pencils, passing “spud sheets,” and giving “high-frys” and “spud bumps” to everyone at the table.

“(Gimme That!) pays homage to Yahtzee, one of the all-time best family games, and a personal favorite of mine still to this day,” Campbell said. “We feel we’ve created something fresh and timeless that customers of our games will immediately fall in love with.”

Campbell started Dolphin Hat Games in 2015, brainstorming the idea while working as a traveling salesman.

“Really, all that I was doing was making games for my family. My whole thought was that I was going to make games and put them up on Amazon because I enjoy doing it as a hobby,” he said. “So, it’s just a hobby that has grown into my business career.”

Campbell said his hope is to make card and tabletop games fun in a world filled with technology.

“One of the things I wanted to do with Dolphin Hat was to get people away from screens for 10 to 15 minutes and have some laughs,” he said. “I wanted to try to break down as many barriers to games as possible. With our games, you can learn the rules in a minute and start having fun.”

To learn more about Dolphin Hat Games, visit www.dolphinhat.com.

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