How to Play Heads, Bodies and Legs

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Heads, Bodies and Legs is a collaborative drawing game in which players each contribute one section of a figure without seeing what the others have drawn. The paper is folded between turns so each contribution is a surprise, and the finished creatures are revealed all at once to general hilarity.

It needs no skill, no literacy and next to no equipment, which makes it a reliable choice for family gatherings, rainy afternoons and mixed-age groups. It travels well, scales to almost any number of players and a round takes only as long as it takes everyone to draw their section.

A little history

The game belongs to a family of fold-and-pass drawing and writing games whose origins are unclear, though similar parlour pastimes were recorded in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. The Surrealist movement popularised a closely related format under a different name in the 1920s, using words rather than drawings, but the straightforward illustrated version with heads, bodies and legs has been a staple of British children's parties for well over a century and is traditionally passed on informally rather than through published rules.

Setting up

1. Give every player one sheet of plain paper and something to draw with.
2. Agree in advance whether you are drawing humans, animals or either.
3. Decide the number of rounds you will play so everyone knows when the game ends.
4. Agree a signal or word that tells the group when everyone has finished their section and it is time to fold and pass.

How to play

1. Each player holds their paper in portrait orientation and draws a head in the top third of the sheet. The head can be human, animal, alien or anything the player chooses.
2. At the bottom of the head, the player draws two short lines extending downward, just far enough to show the next player where the neck ends. These guide lines are the only hint given to the following player.
3. The player folds the paper forward so that the head is completely hidden behind the fold, leaving only the two guide lines visible at the crease.
4. All players pass their folded paper to the player on their left simultaneously.
5. Each player now draws a body on the middle third of the paper they have just received. The body should connect naturally to the guide lines at the top. It may be clothed or bare, upright or otherwise.
6. At the bottom of the body, the player again draws two short guide lines to indicate where the legs should begin, then folds the paper forward to hide the body.
7. Papers are passed to the left again.
8. Each player draws the legs and feet on the remaining lower section of the paper, connecting to the guide lines at the top of their section.
9. When everyone has finished the legs, no further folding is needed.
10. All papers are passed one final time to the left, or collected into a pile, and then unfolded and revealed one by one so the whole group can see each finished figure.

Winning and scoring

Heads, Bodies and Legs is not a competitive game and has no formal winner. The reward is the reveal: the stranger and more mismatched the figures, the better. If your group wants a competitive element, players may vote for their favourite creature after the reveal, with each player voting for any figure except one they contributed a section to. The figure with the most votes wins that round, and the player who contributed the most sections to winning figures across all rounds is declared the overall champion.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the guide lines. Some players draw very long lines that effectively dictate the body or legs, removing the element of surprise. The standard ruling is that guide lines should be no longer than one centimetre, just enough to show a connection point, and should not suggest a shape. If a player draws informative lines (for example, two lines that are clearly trouser legs rather than a neutral guide), the group may ask them to redraw before the paper is passed.

A second edge case arises when someone peeks at the hidden sections before the reveal. Agree before play begins that peeking disqualifies that player from the vote if you are using the competitive scoring variant. When playing with younger children, peeking is usually tolerated but the paper should be refolded promptly. Players who finish their section very quickly should wait quietly rather than watching others draw, which can create pressure.

How to win more often

• Draw right to the edges of your section. Timid small drawings in the centre produce less interesting creatures than bold figures that fill the available space.
• Vary scale deliberately. Drawing an enormous head or tiny legs increases the comedy of the mismatch on the reveal.
• Use your guide lines honestly. The game is funnier when bodies and legs connect plausibly, because the contrast between each section's style carries the humour without an obvious anatomical break ruining the illusion.
• If playing multiple rounds, change drawing style each time rather than repeating your usual approach. Switching between realistic, cartoonish and abstract keeps the results varied.
• With younger children, label each creature with a name after the reveal. This adds a few minutes of extra enjoyment and gives children a reason to look closely at what everyone has drawn.

Variations

Four Sections

Divide the paper into four equal sections rather than three: head, upper body, lower body, and legs and feet. This works best with four or more players and produces more elaborate figures. Guide lines are drawn at each fold as normal.

Animals Only

Players agree before play that every section must depict part of a recognisable animal rather than a human. The resulting chimeras tend to be wilder than the standard version and the game works especially well with younger children who enjoy naming the invented creatures.

Words and Legs

Replace the head section with a written phrase or sentence describing a character, fold and pass. The next player draws a body to match the description they are given, folds and passes. The last player draws legs without seeing either the text or the body. On the reveal, read the original phrase aloud before unfolding the drawing. The mismatch between description and image is usually considerable.

Continuous Strip

Use a long roll of paper or tape several sheets together end to end. All players sit in a line and draw simultaneously along the strip, each working on their own section. When everyone is done, the strip is unrolled to reveal a single long parade of connected figures. This version works particularly well at a table with a large group and produces a keepsake worth keeping.

Heads, Bodies and Legs: frequently asked questions