What happens on the card

Two manga panels: up top the master cook, headband, big moustache and a tiny party hat; below, seen from above, his cast-iron takoyaki pan, twelve round holes. Batter is poured and cooks from pale to golden; at its perfect moment a ball glows with a green ring. Tap it to flip it with the pick, KURU!, a sizzle, steam, and it flies up to the score as TAKO POINTS. Too early and it wobbles, not yet!, and the streak is lost; too long and it is a little dark, one point. Eight perfect flips light TAKOYAKI FEVER, the pan blazing, every point double. A golden ball worth ten now and then, and twice a cat sneaks a paw in for a ball. At TIME! every ball left is flipped at once and the takoyaki drop into a tower on a plate, sauce, mayo, dancing bonito flakes, three candles on top: UMAI!!, confetti, their name and age.

Who it is for

Cooks and chefs, foodies, the friend who photographs every plate, Japan travellers who remember Osaka, and anyone who runs the barbecue.

What to write in a chef birthday card

The message is yours. If you need a start, these fit this card:

  • “Happy birthday! Perfectly golden, like you.”
  • “Wishing you a year cooked to perfection and flipped at the right moment.”
  • “Bon appétit, happy birthday, UMAI!”

How to send it

  1. Tap Make this card: the card opens with this game.
  2. Type their first name, their age and your message. The card updates as you type.
  3. Send the link on WhatsApp, by text or by email. You are told when they open it.

Questions

Can I personalise this chef birthday card?

Yes. Their first name and age are written into the game itself, and you choose the title, the message, a P.S., the celebration at the end, the colours and the fonts. You can also switch to any of the other 43 games without losing your words.

How much does a chef birthday card cost?

Making and previewing it is free. Sending it costs 2.60 € in the euro zone, £2.20 in the United Kingdom and $2.90 everywhere else, once, with no subscription.

How do I send a chef birthday card?

As a link, on WhatsApp, by text or by email. It opens in their browser, on a phone or a computer, with no app and no account, and the link does not expire.

Can they lose the game?

No. Every game lasts about twenty seconds and always ends on the birthday cake with their name, whatever they do. A score is shown at the end, just for fun.

Also known as: cooking birthday card, foodie birthday card, japanese food birthday card, osaka birthday card, birthday card for cooks.