Ruff's Bone is the fifth Living Books game released in February 7th, 1994. Written by Eli Noyes, it is the first in the series to be an original story rather than an old one adapted years later. The story is about a dog named Ruff, who fetches his bone that was thrown by his master.
When Ruff is ready to fetch his Sunday morning bone, his master accidentally throws it over the fence into their neighbor, Slim's, yard. Ruff goes to search for it, but when he finally notices it, it falls into a tree, which leads him underground and into a cave. The cave is full of bones and he isn't sure which one is his. When he finally does, it's too late and a caveman tosses it out of the cave, which leads Ruff into the clouds digging for it. It falls into a jungle, and then into a ship in the ocean. Ruff then sees a ladder that goes into space, and finally lands on a bone planet. He at last finds his bone, and an alien takes him back home in a UFO spaceship. Once he makes it back home, his master congratulates him, only to throw his bone yet again.
This is the first Living Books game (second if you count Mark Schlichting's adaption of The Tortoise and the Hare) to be an original story and not being based on any existing books.
But, the art style was sloppier and wasn't really the same as these other two games because it was actually created by Eli Noyes, who produced the 1964 short film Clay. This game was also produced by Colossal Pictures.
A preview for this game is featured on V1.1 of Just Grandma and Me and Arthur's Teacher Trouble, and both versions of The Tortoise and the Hare and The New Kid on the Block.
The running gag in this game is Ruff's actual bone, though it's not hiding on every page and is entirely absent on the ninth page where Ruff is climbing up the ladder.
Ruff only speaks by barking, even in the home page; instead of him speaking English, an off-screen character is heard talking.
