How to play Happy Peeler
- A peeling blade sweeps up and down over the board. The dashed band around it shows exactly how much it will take.
- Tap, click, or press Space to shave that strip off in one rectangular piece.
- Clear every last pixel of skin within five peels. Four well-placed peels is a perfect run, so you get one spare.
- Leave any skin behind after your fifth peel and the round is lost. The bits you missed glow red so you can see them.
- Each time you open a category its items come in a new random order, and each one gets harder than the last. Items start still, then bob, sway, pulse, and finally do all three while the blade speeds up.
- The clock starts when the blade does. Your fastest time for each item is saved, and when you finish you see how your time ranks against everyone else's runs worldwide.
- In Shuffle mode you get a random item from any category. Every two wins make the next one move more, and one miss ends your streak.
32 things to peel
Fruit
- AvocadoHass, whose pebbly skin turns purple-black as it ripens.
- MandarinSatsuma, with zest called the flavedo and white pith called the albedo.
- BananaCavendish, strings and all.
- AppleHoneycrisp, known for its unusually large, juicy cells.
- KiwifruitHayward, under a fuzzy brown skin.
- LemonEureka, the everyday supermarket lemon.
- MangoTommy Atkins, the red-blushed mango.
- LycheeMauritius, a bumpy shell around a glossy aril.
- PineappleMD-2 Gold, a cluster of 100 to 200 fused fruitlets.
- Dragon fruitWhite pitaya, covered in green-tipped bracts.
Veggies
- PotatoRusset Burbank, the classic baking potato.
- CarrotNantes, blunt-tipped and nearly coreless.
- OnionYellow onion, with papery skin once used as a dye.
- CucumberEnglish cucumber, thin-skinned and nearly seedless.
- BeetrootDetroit Dark Red, colored by betalain pigments.
- EggplantGlobe eggplant, botanically a berry.
Wrapped
- Boiled eggA brown shell with thousands of tiny pores.
- Cheese roundMini gouda in its red wax coat.
- Chocolate barDark, 70% cacao, in paper and foil.
- Gift boxA birthday present with a bow on top.
Gadgets
- PhonePeel the screen protector film off a new phone.
- LaptopDisplay film over a screen full of code.
- TabletA matte film over a sunset wallpaper.
- SmartwatchA tiny curved film over the watch face.
Stickers
- SmileyThe classic yellow smiley face.
- HeartGlossy pink vinyl.
- StarGold vinyl under transfer tape.
- Lightning boltA holographic decal.
Space
- MoonPeel back a copper-red lunar eclipse.
- MarsClear a planet-wide dust storm.
- CometStrip the glowing coma off an icy nucleus.
- EarthPart the clouds over the Blue Marble.
Tips for a perfect peel
- Start at the very top edge, including stems and leaves, then work down one strip at a time.
- Tap when the band's top edge just overlaps the last cut. A tiny overlap is safer than a gap.
- On moving levels, wait for the item to pass through the middle of its swing before you tap.
- Listen for the tick when the blade turns around. It helps you time the next tap.
Questions
Is Happy Peeler free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with nothing to download or sign up for.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Tap the board to peel. It works in any recent version of Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Edge.
Why can't I hear the peeling sounds?
Browsers only start sound after your first tap. On an iPhone, check that the ring/silent switch isn't set to silent, since that mutes web audio too.
Are my best scores saved?
Your fewest peels for each item are saved in this browser on this device. Clearing your site data resets them.