ISFAbout the ISF
The International Spotto Federation (ISF) is home to the official rules of the travel game, Spotto!
The ISF was formed in 2019 when a fatigued parent finally got sick and tired of her children arguing about what the rules were, or how many points they got, or who the winner was etc. Thousands of fans of the game as well as hundreds of other beleaguered parents joined in the rallying cry and the ISF was born.
Since then, the ISF has grown from strength to strength with a huge cohort of loyal devotees. The app was created to make the game even more fun and bring it into the 21st Century. Gone are the days of paper-based cards, hastily written scoresheets crammed into the glovebox and forgotten. Now aficionados of the sport can keep track of their scores and even have multiple games going at the same time.
Other names for Spotto
Spotto is a time-honoured tradition in Australia and many other countries. Over the course of its history it has acquired a few different names:
A history of Spotto
Our cousins in the UK have put forward a fantastically imaginative history of the Yellow Car Game (as they call it). It's a great read.
In the 1940s, a card game called 'Spotto' by Cardtoy was used during the war as both a light distraction from the Blitz as well as a way to train patriotic Britons to identify enemy aircraft.
Learn 'Aircraft Recognition' while you play!
A Game for all ages and both sexes of instructional value to: Spotters, Observers, Home Guards, Scouts, A.R.P., Police, Soliers, Airmen, Etc.
The history of Spotto in Australia can be researched quite well thanks to marketing campaigns conducted by fuel companies going back to the late 1950s. Below are some gorgeous examples of the sheets you used to be able to pick up at the petrol station.
Photo courtesy of Kylie Willison 
Photo courtesy of Kylie Willison 
Photo courtesy of Bob Byrne 
Photo courtesy of Australian Kitsch 
Photo courtesy of BP Australia
As of 2020, the ISF is proud to be a small part of this great Australian tradition.
Dedication
Spotto is a game handed down from generation to generation. In that spirit, this site is dedicated to my father, Harry.
Thanks for being an awesome dad.
