1 Overview
Beetle (also called Bug or Cooties in North America) is a classic children's drawing dice game. Players take turns rolling a single die, and each face corresponds to a different body part of a beetle. The goal is to draw a complete bug — body, head, 6 legs, 2 eyes, 2 feelers, and a tail — before any other player. Simple, visual, and wonderful for young kids who love drawing.
Beetle has been played since at least the 1950s and remains a staple for ages 5 and up. No reading required — just match the number to the picture.
2 Setup
- 1 standard six-sided die
- Paper and pencil for each player (or a printed Beetle template)
- 2–6 players; works great with 3–4
- Players sit around the table. Youngest player goes first.
3 Gameplay
On your turn, roll the die once. Check the result against the body part chart and draw that part if you can. Then pass the die clockwise.
Dependency rules:
- You must draw the Body (1) before any other part.
- You must draw the Head (2) before you can draw Eyes (4) or Feelers (5).
- The Head also requires a Body first.
- Legs (3), Tail (6) require a Body but not a Head.
If you roll a part you can't use yet (e.g., you roll 2 for Head but don't have a Body yet), you do nothing that turn. Pass the die.
If you roll a part you already have all of (e.g., you already have 6 legs and roll 3), you do nothing that turn.
First player to draw a complete bug (1 body, 1 head, 6 legs, 2 eyes, 2 feelers, 1 tail = 13 parts) wins!
4 Body Parts & Die Values
| Die Roll | Body Part | Quantity Needed | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Body | 1 | Nothing (first piece) |
| 2 | Head | 1 | Body |
| 3 | Leg | 6 | Body |
| 4 | Eye | 2 | Head (and Body) |
| 5 | Feeler (Antenna) | 2 | Head (and Body) |
| 6 | Tail | 1 | Body |
Total parts needed: 1 body + 1 head + 6 legs + 2 eyes + 2 feelers + 1 tail = 13 parts
5 Winning
The first player to draw all 13 parts of their beetle shouts "Beetle!" and wins the game. Play stops immediately — even if other players are one roll away from finishing.
Optional: let all other players finish the current round so everyone completes their turn count equally, then check who has the most parts drawn for a consolation ranking.
6 Variants
Speed Beetle (Multiple Rolls)
Each player rolls until they fail to add a part (a wasted roll), then passes. This makes turns longer and games faster. Good for younger kids who find waiting hard.
Cooties (North American)
The Hasbro "Cooties" game uses the same mechanic with plastic bug pieces instead of drawing. Great for kids who don't want to draw. Same rules, same die chart.
Team Beetle
2 players per team share a scoresheet. Any team member's roll can add a part to the shared bug. First team to complete their bug wins. Good for large groups.
Drawing Competition
Instead of winning by completion, everyone plays until their beetle is done, then vote on the funniest or most creative beetle drawing. Art prize instead of first-place win.
7 FAQ
8 Strategy & Tips
Beetle is primarily a game of luck, but a few smart habits improve your experience and give you a marginal edge.
Prioritize the Body Roll
Everyone needs to roll a 1 before anything else matters. Until you have a Body, every other roll is wasted. Mentally accept this — early turns with no Body are normal, not unlucky. Resist frustration; the Body will come.
Track Your Most-Needed Parts
The Legs (die face 3) are the biggest bottleneck. You need 6 Legs, meaning you expect roughly 36 turns just rolling 3s before all six are drawn. Once you have all 6 Legs, the Tail, Eyes, and Feelers typically come quickly. Mentally categorize your remaining needs after each successful roll so you know exactly what you still need.
Multi-Player Pacing
With 5 or 6 players, turns are less frequent and games naturally run longer. If time is short, use the Speed Beetle variant (keep rolling until you miss a useful part) to dramatically shorten game length. For younger children with short attention spans, Speed Beetle is almost always the better choice.
Celebrate Every Roll
Beetle is a wonderful game for mixed-age groups because it requires no reading or counting — just match the number to the picture. The excitement of waiting for that critical first Body roll is the game's core charm. Lean into the theatrical side: cheer loudly, groan dramatically on wasted rolls, and make it a performance.
9 Probability & Math
Each face of a six-sided die has a 1-in-6 (16.7%) probability. Here is what the math looks like for completing your beetle:
- Body (1): Expected 6 individual rolls on average before your first 1.
- Head (2): Another 6 expected rolls after you have a Body.
- Each Leg (3): 6 expected rolls per Leg. With 6 Legs needed, that is roughly 36 expected roll-turns spread across all players.
- Each Eye (4): 6 expected rolls per Eye × 2 = 12 total expected roll-turns.
- Each Feeler (5): Same as Eyes — 12 expected roll-turns.
- Tail (6): 6 expected roll-turns.
That totals approximately 78 expected individual turns per player to complete a full bug in isolation. In a real game with multiple players sharing the die, the winner is typically the first player who gets a lucky clustering of 3s early. Rolling 3 (Leg) is the most transformative streak a player can have, since it closes the biggest gap fastest.
The probability of completing your beetle in exactly 13 rolls (zero wasted turns) is astronomically small. You would need a perfect sequence of rolls with no repeats until all 13 parts are drawn. This essentially never happens, but it makes for a fun thought experiment.