2.5" x 4"
Paper
S. Mamede Infesta

Litografia Maia has been producing playing cards since 1926. The oldest card producer in Portugal and one of the oldest in Europe, they use a special paper with a finish that is exceptionally smooth and produces sharp sounds while shuffling or messing around. You might be wondering "Why the Donkey?". A popular kids card game in Portugal is "Burro em Pé" or "Standing Donkey" the objective of the game is simple, get rid of your cards. "Donkey" in Portuguese also means "stupid", so essentially you are the stupid ass if you are the last one holding cards. However, as we show here, another game is to make a pile and carefully take card after card from the pile without collapsing the stack. I guess the object is to have the most cards in your hand at the end. Hmmm, so who is stupid, stupid? Please note! The cards are photographed on another really interesting game at a village feast, "Hammer a nail into a log". You should have seen the crowds surrounding that competition. When they cleared out and I swooped in to photograph the cards on the log the expression I got was "Donkey!", in Portuguese of course...