The Rush Playing Cards by Squiddle Ink

The Rush Playing Cards by Squiddle Ink is a fully illustrated deck inspired by the drama, ambition, and chaos of the California Gold Rush, bringing the frontier era to life through detailed artwork and historical storytelling. 

Set against the rugged landscapes of the Sierra Nevada and the boomtowns stretching toward San Francisco, the deck captures the spirit of a time when fortunes were chased... and often lost in the pursuit of gold.

At the center of the narrative is James W. Marshall, whose 1848 discovery at Sutter’s Sawmill ignited the mass migration of prospectors known as the 49ers. The court cards expand on this history by portraying real figures from the era, from industrialists like Levi Strauss and Leland Stanford, to frontier personalities such as gambler Eleanor Dumont and entertainer Lotta Crabtree. 

Each suit reflects a different facet of Gold Rush life, from enterprise and infrastructure to saloon culture and survival. Visually, the deck leans into a rustic, frontier aesthetic. The card backs depict a skeletal prospector riding through a ghost town, reinforcing the theme of fleeting fortune and abandoned dreams. 

The deck’s design is steeped in symbolism, incorporating imagery like pickaxes, wagon wheels, train tracks, and wheat, subtle reminders of the industries and livelihoods overshadowed by the lure of gold. Even the aces and number cards carry narrative weight, referencing mining culture, profiteering, and the transformation of California’s economy during the rush.

The tuck box features a soft-touch matte finish with a sepia-toned interior pattern inspired by steam train wheels, while gold gilded edges give the cards a warm shimmer... echoing the moment a prospector glimpses gold in a pan.

Printed by Legends Playing Card Co with a classic finish. Pledge starts at $16 on Kickstarter.

STEEPED Playing Cards by Squiddle Ink

STEEPED (Teas of India) Playing Cards, is the latest release from Squiddle Ink that enters the world of the Indian Chai Wallah. Designed using the Indian maximalist style, bold and vibrant but also reminiscent of an elegant box of tea leaves. Neon colours contrast with the traditional style of engraved silverware to make this deck pop.

Inside the box, a mustard diamond pattern contrasts with the flash of pink from the shimmering, foil gilt cards. The card back depicts elegant hands holding tea leaves with traditional Alta red-dyed fingertips. A small elephant sits in the corner of each card, adding a fun detail when the deck is fanned.

The court cards of each suit are represented with a different regional tea blend. The Spades tea house serves Nilgiri, the Hearts serve Darjeeling, Clubs serve an Assam blend, and the Diamonds tea house serves a Kangra tea. The royals of each teahouse have matching ceremonial robes and are adorned with ornate teapots, spoons, coiled snakes and steaming cups of chai.

The Ace of Spades features a bold, ornate central design with a subtle background motif celebrating the collaboration between Squiddle Ink and Legends PCC. The Joker cards feature a decorative Indian elephant, wielding an oversized teaspoon in its trunk. The pip cards feature a detailed background motif that celebrates the chaiwalla of each tea house. 

The tuck back features a detailed teacup filled with freshly brewed, finest-quality, loose-leaf tea. It will be printed on beautiful shimmering pearlescent paper stock and features embossed elements to give a luxurious finish. 

The cards will be printed by Legends Playing Card Co. using the smooth but resilient Viper finish. Pledge starts at $12 on Kickstarter.

High Flyers Playing Cards, Less Than 48 hours Remaining!

High Flyers is the new deck of playing cards from Squiddle Ink that celebrates the featheriest of achievements. The deck is filled with beautiful illustrations of the most impressive birds that fly the highest and the fastest. The designer Stacey Jay Kelly wanted to create a deck that belongs in the gift shop of a fictional aviation society, owned by birds. 

Inside, the eye-catching mirrored card backs served as the initial inspiration for this deck. When the cards are spread or fanned, the feather along the edge of each card spreads out like a bird's wing opening. The pastel blue falcon design has intricate feather detail, that sits perfectly alongside the leaf detail. 

The flight feathers have a bright pop of yellow and cream so that when the cards are fanned the bird's wing is immediately apparent against the background. The wing fan adds a dynamic effect to card flourishes.

The court cards depict incredible birds such as the Peregrine Falcon, the Anna's Hummingbird and the Alpine Chough wearing vintage aviator outfits, leather jackets, goggles and helmets. Each card is unique and champions the most incredible bird species and their achievements. The vintage-style pip cards are embellished with traditional airmail stamp designs.

All the stamps on the face cards are custom-made and feature important dates in aviation history, along with fictional airlines such as Royal Albatross Airways and Swift Aviation Group.

The Ace of Spades card features the owl’s watchful eyes, peering through special die-cut lens holes on the tuck box. On the Joker card, there is an ornate Falcon hood with a feathered plume and Stacey reserved the second Joker card to create a classic airmail postcard design.

The tuck has pearlescent shimmering paper stock, teal foil elements and embossed areas to give a luxurious texture. All this is combined with highly detailed leaf illustrations to frame the birds in the design. 

Printed by Legends Playing Card Company using Viper finish. Pledge starts at $14 on Kickstarter.

First Look: Sardines Playing Cards by Squiddle Ink

Here’s the first look at Sardines Playing Cards designed by Stacey Jay Kelly at Squiddle Ink. With this deck, Stacey wanted to walk the line between clean, modern art and vintage detailing to create a deck that could be mistaken for an artisanal product packaged in a Spanish sardines canning factory.

The tuck box will have a nautical theme using anchors, rope, and marine vegetation with the back of the tuck being reminiscent of traditional sailor’s tattoos. The deck will include a custom seal on the flap of the tuck box. The tuck stock is a pearlescent card stock which will really give this deck a nice shimmer. The details on the Tuck will be embossed to really elevate the level of texture and beauty. The tuck box interior will be printed with a yellow background and a wave pattern to give a nice pop of color when opening the deck.

This is where the theme really comes into play. The card back is a two-way design depicting a sardines tin with the lid being peeled back to reveal four little sardines inside. The area where the tin is peeled back will be hot foil stamped as though revealing the silvery metallic qualities on the inside of the tin lid. The placement of the Sardines is perfect for the fish to peep out of the card fans. Stacey is excited to see what Cardists can do with this fan and believes this detail will bring some joy to a flourish.

The Kings celebrate the hard-working sea fishermen with waves crashing around their boats. The Queens are a collection of every fisherman’s favorite, open-water-mirage… mermaids. They are wearing roped robes and marine crowns and their tails can be seen amid the waves. The Jacks are a collection of young skippers-in-training accompanied by seabirds such as pelicans and seagulls.

The custom pip features nautical elements such as Sailor’s knots, seaweed, shells and anchors. Meanwhile, Ace of Spades is embellished with nautical details and, of course, features a sardine tail. The Jokers feature one of the most endearing mammalian ocean predators… the gentleman sea otter. They will be holding ace cards in their paws.

The deck will be printed by Legends Playing Card Company on the durable Viper Finish. This is a hard-wearing card stock that can withstand high levels of humidity, making it the perfect sea-fishing travel deck.

Sardines playing cards will be available to back on Kickstarter from the 10th of November 2022 18:00 PM GMT. Don’t miss out!