Review: The Doodle Tarot

So life has been super busy – obviously, because I haven’t blogged in a few minutes – what with the Day Job, school, summer travel adventures, and all kinds of other stuff. However, back in July, I made my annual pilgrimage to Mystic South, which is always a blast – and one of the things I do love about this particular conference is the amazing vendor room space. It’s chock full of people who create magical, mystical things themselves – no drop-shipped mass-produced nonsense – and you get to meet the person who actually made the thing you’re purchasing. It’s delightful, and I scored a super cool broom from Blossoms and Broomsticks, a couple of nifty necklaces from Julia at Noctua Designs, and an adorable little felted witch from fiber artist Erika Perry.

One of the coolest things I scored, though, was The Doodle Tarot, created by Em Kay Holloway. I bought it because it’s unbelievably cute – and I’m a sucker for fun Tarot decks – but now that I’ve finally had a chance to take a deep dive into it, I thought I’d share my thoughts with you.

You guys, I love everything about this deck. Let me break it down:

The Artwork: Em Kay’s designs are simple and delightfully childlike; they manage to capture the essence of each card in a way that’s fun, friendly, and whimsical, while not glossing over or avoiding the shadow aspects of the meanings. Imagine allowing your inner child to be turned loose with colorful markers, drawing your perception of a Rider Waite Smith deck in your favorite comp notebook – and then expand it to an entire deck, and you’ll get the Doodle Tarot.

Additionally, a feature that’s not often seen but which is incredibly valuable for beginning readers: each card contains a selection of four keywords at the bottom for the upright interpretation. Flip it over, and there are another four for the reversed meaning. This makes it a really valuable tool for someone who’s just starting their studies.

The Study Booklet: How many times have you skimmed through the Little White Book that comes with a new Tarot deck and then ultimately tossed it away, because it didn’t tell you anything new? That won’t happen with the booklet for the Doodle Tarot. Em Kay has woven a cute and clever narrative, carrying us through the journey of the Fool and his loyal pup Spot through the Major Arcana. For the minor arcana cards, Em has done something I don’t recall seeing in a guidebook before: rather than enumerate all the cups, all the wands, all the swords, etc., instead they have presented us with the cards by number. So, first you’ll see all the Aces and their meanings, then all the Twos, and so on. This is a fantastic way for new readers – and admittedly, those of us who are veterans – to be reminded of not only the meanings of the individual cards, but also the core differences between the suits.

Also, the meanings are explained in a way that ties them all together – for instance, for the Fives, Em outlines the Five of Pents as “Strapped for cash… for now,” moves on to Wands (“Fight! Fight! Fight!”), into Cups (“Crying over spilled cups!”), and wrapping up with “The fight is over” in the suit of Swords. If you’re someone like me, who likes to look for patterns, this is a great delivery method.

The Quality: Okay, I’ll admit I’m basically a big five-year-old, and I was drawn to Em Kay’s booth at Mystic South by the boxes for this deck… they look like little black and white composition books. The box is super high quality with a magnetic closure flap, and the cards themselves are printed on heavy stock with a soft finish that’s almost comforting to feel in your hands.

The Inclusivity: When I met Em Kay, they introduced themselves with they/them pronouns, and the cards and guidebook reflect inclusivity to cover people anywhere on the gender spectrum. The Fool is referred to as they throughout the narrative, many of the character descriptions in the guide are mentioned as “this person,” and a good portion of the images are non gender-specific.

The Bottom Line: The Doodle Tarot is one of the most refreshing decks I’ve seen in ages, and it’s a great way to make Tarot fun, which is something often lacking. It’s beginner friendly, it’s gender inclusive, and it’s just adorable to look at. Go order a copy of your own from Em Kay, or catch them at a festival or magical event near you!