Playing Gartic Phone with friends is like watching a game of telephone play out in real time, but with drawings that make you laugh so hard you might pee a little. You know how it goes – someone writes a phrase, another person draws it, then someone else tries to guess what that drawing was. By the end, “a cat sitting on a fence” has somehow turned into “aliens abducting a washing machine.” This game brings out both the artist and comedian in everyone – even if your stick figures look like they were drawn by a blindfolded toddler.
Want to be the person who starts the chain of hilarity? The prompts you write set the tone for the entire game. A boring prompt leads to boring results. But a funny, weird, or just plain silly prompt? That’s how game night memories are made. And trust me, nothing bonds friends faster than seeing someone try to draw “a pickle having an existential crisis” with serious concentration on their face.
Keep reading for 30 prompt ideas that will make your next Gartic Phone game the stuff of legend.
Funny Things to Write in Gartic Phone
These prompts will turn your Gartic Phone sessions into laugh factories. Get ready for some drawing disasters and giggle fits!
1. A T-Rex Trying to Make a Bed
This poor dinosaur just wants some nice, tight hospital corners, but those tiny arms aren’t helping. The image of a frustrated T-Rex with its little arms failing to tuck in sheets is comedy gold.
Players will struggle to capture both the scary teeth and the domestic situation, making for hilarious results when the final drawings show something that looks nothing like either a dinosaur or a bed. Bonus points if someone adds a tiny nightcap on the T-Rex’s head!
2. Grandma Wrestling an Alligator
Picture your sweet little grandma in her floral dress and reading glasses, except she’s locked in mortal combat with a swamp beast. Who’s winning? Grandma, obviously.
This works best when played with friends who know what a grandma should look like but have no idea how to draw an alligator. The contrast between the sweet elderly figure and the dangerous animal creates a perfect storm of ridiculous drawings. Use this prompt when you want to see creative interpretations of senior citizen strength.
3. A Penguin Having a Beach Vacation
Nothing says “fish out of water” like a bird that’s built for Antarctica trying to enjoy a tropical getaway. Look at him try to build a sandcastle with those flippers!
The absurdity of seeing this cold-weather bird lounging under a palm tree with sunglasses makes for great drawings. This prompt really shines in games with mixed artistic abilities because even the worst drawings of penguins are recognizable – they’re basically ovals with smaller ovals attached.
4. Abraham Lincoln Riding a Unicorn
The 16th president of the United States deserves a majestic steed, don’t you think? That tall hat and beard combination sitting atop a sparkly rainbow horse creates an unforgettable mental image.
This historical/mythical mash-up guarantees confusion and creativity. Most players will focus on getting either Lincoln’s beard and hat right OR the unicorn’s horn and rainbow tail – rarely both. The resulting guesses usually end up something like “wizard on a horse” or “tall hat man riding something magical.”
5. An Octopus Making Breakfast
Eight arms means this sea creature can flip pancakes, brew coffee, crack eggs, and toast bread all at the same time. That’s one efficient morning routine!
The chaos of tentacles holding various kitchen utensils creates drawing challenges that lead to hilarious interpretations. This prompt works wonderfully because it combines something familiar (making breakfast) with something unusual (an octopus as the chef), creating a perfect recipe for comedy.
6. A Superhero With a Really Useless Power
Not all heroes wear useful capes. This one might have the power to turn water slightly colder or make plants grow exactly one inch taller.
The fun comes from seeing what ridiculous powers people come up with when drawing this prompt. Someone might draw a hero shooting spaghetti from their fingers or communicating with dust bunnies. This prompt encourages creativity while poking fun at the superhero genre we all know.
7. A Dog Giving Financial Advice
“Have you considered investing in bones? The treat market is highly volatile right now, but squeaky toys show strong growth potential.”
This prompt combines the cuteness of a dog with the seriousness of financial planning for maximum comedic effect. Players might draw dogs in tiny glasses reading stock charts or barking at graphs. The juxtaposition of animal and human behaviors creates instantly funny visuals that are hard to mess up.
8. Aliens Discovering Pizza for the First Time
Green little beings from another galaxy experiencing the joy of cheese stretch and pepperoni for the first time. Their faces show a mix of confusion and delight.
This scenario gives players the chance to draw both aliens (which can be as weird as they want) and pizza (which everyone knows). The resulting interpretations usually focus on exaggerated alien reactions to Earth food. It’s especially funny when the guesses come back as “monsters eating circles” or “green people trying earth food.”
9. A Very Nervous Potato
Just a regular potato sitting there, sweating profusely, looking around with wide, terrified eyes. What’s it so worried about? Probably becoming french fries.
The simplicity of this prompt is what makes it great. A potato is easy to draw, but adding human emotions to a vegetable creates comedy gold. Most players will draw an oval with stick arms, legs, and a worried face. Yet the descriptions that come after often capture the existential dread perfectly.
10. Santa Claus at the Beach in July
The big guy needs a vacation too! Imagine Santa in swim trunks, his big belly sunburned, trying to build sandcastles while elves bring him tropical drinks.
This seasonal mismatch creates instant visual humor. The contrast between traditional Santa imagery (winter, North Pole) and beach activities makes for funny drawings. Players usually nail either the Santa elements (beard, hat) or the beach setting, leading to hilariously confused guesses in later rounds.
11. A Chicken Plotting World Domination
Behind those beady eyes lies a mastermind. This chicken has maps, evil plans, and possibly an army of loyal hens ready to take over the planet.
This prompt works because it gives the innocent farm animal sinister motives. Players typically draw chickens with narrowed eyes standing over maps or globes. The contrast between the silly chicken appearance and serious evil plotting creates instant comedy that translates well in the game.
12. Pickles Having a Pool Party
These cucumbers got preserved and now they’re living their best afterlife, splashing around in tiny pool floats and playing Marco Polo in jar juice.
The absurdity of pickles engaging in human recreation activities makes this prompt winner. Most players will draw green oblong shapes with faces in water, which leads to some wild interpretations when others try to guess what’s happening. The sillier the pickle activities, the better the laugh factor.
13. A Bear Doing Ballet
Graceful yet deadly, this woodland creature has traded foraging for fouettés. Its tutu barely fits around its massive body, but the dedication to dance shows in its eyes.
The contrast between the bulky, wild animal and the delicate, precise art form creates instant visual humor. Players struggle to combine bearish features with dance poses, often resulting in drawings that look nothing like either. Yet somehow the guesses often capture the essence perfectly!
14. A Sad Robot Learning to Love
This mechanical friend was programmed to calculate and compute, but now it’s trying to understand human emotions. Its metal heart is slowly warming up.
The emotional robot creates wonderful drawing opportunities. Players typically draw robots with tears or heart symbols, often adding question marks to show confusion. This prompt works because it humanizes something non-human, creating a relatable yet absurd scenario that’s perfect for artistic interpretation.
15. A Ghost Trying to Use a Smartphone
Being deceased for 200 years means you missed some tech developments. This spirit can walk through walls but can’t figure out how to open Instagram.
The frustration of an incorporeal being trying to use touch-screen technology that requires physical contact makes for comedy gold. Players usually draw floating sheets with arms holding phones, often with confused expressions. The technological generation gap with a supernatural twist creates instantly funny scenarios.
16. A Cow Writing Poetry
Sitting in a field with a notebook and pen, this bovine has deep thoughts about grass and the meaning of moo. Its farmer has no idea about its literary aspirations.
This prompt combines the mundane (a cow) with unexpected sophistication (poetry writing). Players typically draw cows with thoughtful expressions holding pens, sometimes wearing glasses for extra effect. The intellectual cow concept usually survives multiple drawing rounds surprisingly well.
17. Cavemen Discovering Ice Cream
Unga bunga brain freeze! These prehistoric folks just discovered frozen treats and don’t know whether to be scared or delighted by the cold, sweet substance.
The time-travel food concept creates wonderful drawing opportunities. Players tend to draw stereotypical cavemen with clubs and animal skins holding ice cream cones with exaggerated reactions. The contrast between primitive people and modern dessert creates an instant comedy scenario that translates well across multiple drawing interpretations.
18. A Very Disappointed Toaster
It had one job – to make toast. But someone used it for bagels again, and now it’s questioning its purpose in life. The sadness is visible in its little toaster slots.
Anthropomorphizing household appliances creates instant humor. Most players will draw a toaster with a sad face, sometimes with arms crossing in disapproval. This prompt works because it gives human emotions to an everyday object, creating an absurd scenario that everyone can relate to.
19. Fish Walking Their Human on a Leash
The tables have turned! These aquatic pets have somehow gotten their owner on a leash and are taking them for a walk around the neighborhood.
This role reversal creates instant visual comedy. Players struggle to draw fish with legs walking upright while leading a human on a leash. The resulting guesses often capture the bizarre power dynamic perfectly, even when the drawings look nothing like fish or humans.
20. A Vampire at the Dentist
“Please open wider, sir. And could you maybe retract those fangs so I can check for cavities?” The dentist has seen it all, but this patient is special.
The inherent comedy comes from placing a creature known for its teeth in a situation focused on dental care. Players typically draw vampire capes, fangs, and dental chairs in creative combinations. The professional/supernatural client relationship creates humor that survives even through terrible artistic renditions.
21. Snails Having a Race
The slowest sporting event in history is underway! These determined mollusks have been racing for three days and have moved approximately two inches from the starting line.
The contradiction between racing (fast) and snails (extremely slow) creates instant comedy. Players usually draw snails with racing numbers or accessories like tiny helmets. This prompt works because the concept is simple enough that even poor drawings still convey the main idea.
22. A Confused Alien at a Human Wedding
This extraterrestrial visitor doesn’t understand why humans gather to watch two people sign papers and exchange metal circles. The cake is nice though.
The “fish out of water” scenario with an actual alien creates wonderful drawing opportunities. Players typically depict green beings with antennas looking puzzled amid wedding decorations. The cultural confusion aspect makes for funny interpretations even when the artwork quality varies wildly.
23. Dinosaurs Having a Tea Party
These extinct reptiles are showing their refined side with tiny teacups, cucumber sandwiches, and pinkies extended (if they have pinkies). Very civilized for creatures that usually just roar and stomp.
The juxtaposition of prehistoric beasts engaging in a genteel human activity creates instant visual humor. Most drawings focus either on making good dinosaurs or good tea party elements. The contrast between large, scary creatures and dainty teacups never fails to generate laughs.
24. A Shark Working in an Office
This predator of the deep has traded the ocean for a cubicle. It’s wearing a tie, using a computer, and trying not to eat its coworkers during meetings.
Placing a wild animal in a mundane human setting creates immediate comedy. Players typically draw fin-topped cubicles or sharks in swivel chairs. The professional shark concept usually survives through multiple drawing rounds surprisingly well, even when artistic skills are lacking.
25. Cats Running a Doggy Daycare
Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse! These felines are in charge of taking care of dogs all day, and they’re enjoying the power just a little too much.
The natural enemy relationship creates instant tension and humor. Players usually draw cats standing upright, sometimes with clipboards, supervising dogs. This prompt works because it reverses the expected power dynamic between these animals in a way that’s easy to visualize.
26. A Pickle Having an Existential Crisis
“What’s the point of being a pickle? Am I just a cucumber that sold out? Will I ever find meaning in this jar?”
The absurdity of giving deep philosophical thoughts to a food item creates immediate humor. Players typically draw pickles with worried expressions, sometimes holding their heads in their hands. The concept of existential dread in a pickle is simple yet hilarious enough to survive multiple interpretation rounds.
27. Trees Gossiping About Humans
“Did you see what that human was wearing today? And they say OUR leaves fall off!” These woody perennials have opinions about the creatures walking beneath them.
Anthropomorphizing nature creates wonderful drawing opportunities. Players usually draw trees with faces leaning toward each other with speech bubbles. This concept works because it flips the perspective – suddenly humans are the ones being observed and judged by something we usually ignore.
28. A Very Buff Butterfly
This insect hasn’t skipped wing day at the gym. Its delicate beauty is now combined with massive muscles and it’s flexing for all the garden to see.
The contrast between the delicate, beautiful insect and bodybuilder physique creates instant visual comedy. Players typically draw colorful wings attached to unreasonably muscular bodies. The contrast is so striking that even terrible drawings still convey the basic funny concept.
29. Socks Escaping from the Dryer
The great sock jailbreak is underway! These determined foot coverings are making their bid for freedom after being tumbled against their will.
This prompt explains the universal mystery of missing socks in a humorous way. Players typically draw socks with faces and limbs sneaking away from laundry machines. The concept of inanimate objects plotting escape is simple enough to survive multiple drawing rounds while still remaining funny.
30. A Snowman on Summer Vacation
This frosty fellow is determined to see the beach before he melts. He’s packed his sunscreen, shades, and beach towel, but time is running out!
The inherent contradiction of a snow creation in summer heat creates instant comedy. Players usually draw melting snowmen with vacation accessories like sunglasses or suitcases. The “racing against time” element adds stakes to an already funny visual concept.
Wrapping Up
These Gartic Phone prompts will turn your next game night into a laugh riot that your friends won’t stop talking about. The best part is watching how these ideas morph and change as they travel through different people’s interpretations.
The real magic of Gartic Phone happens when you stop worrying about your drawing skills and just embrace the chaos. After all, the terrible drawings often lead to the funniest moments! So grab your friends, fire up the game, and let these prompts spark joy, confusion, and uncontrollable giggles.