Plus and Minus

What if one image could transform another simply by being placed on top of it?

Plus and Minus is a visual game that turns transparent images into an open-ended world of creativity, composition, and storytelling. By layering the cards, children can combine simple elements to create increasingly complex scenes — and transform them again with every new card.

The game contains 72 square cards, including 48 cards with transparent backgrounds designed to be superimposed. A few trees can become a forest; add rain, the sun, the moon, a flight of birds, or a passing dog, and the scene changes completely. Every new combination creates a different image, encouraging children to experiment, imagine, and discover what happens when elements are added or removed.

There are no predetermined stories or fixed rules. Children can freely build scenes, invent characters and settings, create their own stories, or play together and develop a narrative as a group. The result is a game that can be played again and again, with countless possible combinations and new stories waiting to be discovered.

Through open-ended play, Plus and Minus encourages visual thinking, observation, imagination, creative expression, and storytelling, while introducing children to the principles of layering and visual composition.

Originally conceived in 1970 by Bruno Munari and Giovanni Belgrano, the game explores Munari's fascination with transparency and the creative possibilities of seeing through layers. The concept follows his earlier experiments in The Circus in the Mist, published in 1968, where translucent images were used to transform the way illustrations are revealed.

Features:

• 72 square cards, including 48 with transparent backgrounds;
  
• Cards can be superimposed and combined to create new images;
  
• Open-ended play with countless possible combinations;
  
• Designed by Bruno Munari and Giovanni Belgrano in 1970;
  
• Can be played individually or in groups;
  
• Suitable for children aged 3 to 8 years;
• Box dimensions: 15.5 × 15.5 cm.