
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,664
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Bugs in the Kitchen
- 2–4 players
- 15–20 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2013

2002
Rules assistance for The Ladybug's Costume Party
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Ladybug's Costume Party is a board game released in 2002 for 2–6 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 4 and up. It was designed by Peter-Paul Joopen and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Roll / Spin and Move, and Memory.
Each turn in the children's game Maskenball der Käfer, each player spins the spinner on the board. If the spinner points to one of the eight ladybugs, the player may move that ladybug to visit the others. Each ladybug piece has a magnet in its nose, and if the visiting ladybug "likes" the ladybug (i.e., is attracted to it), they may swap spots (each ladybug has five spots of one color), and she continues on to visit other ladybugs; if the ladybugs do not like each other, the turn is over. Once a ladybug has five spots of different colors, she is ready for the ball and taken out of play. The players win if all of the ladybugs are ready. If the spinner points to one of the smaller leaves, then the player doesn't get to move any ladybugs, but instead must advance the ants along the side of the board. If all seven of the ants are on board (and each takes two moves to get on-board), the players lose.
The Ladybug's Costume Party supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Ladybug's Costume Party is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Ladybug's Costume Party for ages 4 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Ladybug's Costume Party has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Ladybug's Costume Party belongs to these categories: Animals, Children's Game, and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Roll / Spin and Move, and Memory. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Ladybug's Costume Party are: Peter-Paul Joopen. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Ladybug's Costume Party as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.