Cranium Hullabaloo
Cranium Hullabaloo
Cranium Hullabaloo Reviews
I got this game based on reviews after coming across it on a store shelf. My boys (3&4) LOVE it! It is best described as a combo of simon says and twister. The announcer and music is very upbeat and my kids get really excited and “into” the whole play process. Each round of the game is only about a minute long which gives many chances to be a winner. The game requires listening skills, follow the direction, and knowledge of shapes, colors, and identification and classification of foods, instruments, and animals. There is a good and interesting variety in the directions (walk, spin, crawl, swim, stomp, hop, fly ect. to a “food”, an “instrument”, color, shape, or animal; as well as additional instructions to “sit on”, touch your knee, elbow, nose, hand, shake hands with other players, or high five other players. Sometimes the instructions go on for several turns, sometimes just once, and sometimes the game director will instruct players to do step 1, “AND”, step 2, “AND”, step 3, ect. Thus, you get the twister like game play. At the end of each round players are instructed to “freeze” on the mat they are currently standing on and the announcer then designates one particular mat as the winner! That person(s-throughout all play there may be more than one player on each mat) is then told to take a bow, do a victory jump, or do a funny dance. My kids absolutely delight in listening, following the directions, then eagerly “freeze” and hope that the mat they’ve finished on is the winning one. They get so excited about the whole game that they have yet to get bummed if they don’t win that round because the game announcer just dives right into another round of play. This game is perfect for parties, playdates, or when your kids need to let off alot or a little crazy energy!
My kids have so much fun with this one. A great choice when you have kids of different ages. If they know their colors and shapes they are old enough to play, but still a lot of fun for older kids because they will have a better grasp of what they are doing. I would guess even a 2 yo would wander among the pads and get caught up in the fun, even if not understanding the point of the game. My 3 and 6 year old enjoy playing this together when usually the older runs out of patience with the younger on other games. After several rounds of hop to …, stomp to …, touch your knee to … , …one of the categories of pads (blue, musical instrument, triangle, etc), the electronic caller names a winning pad. The winner gets to do something fun like a funky dance or take a bow, then it quickly starts again. The winner gets some attention, but no one seems to mind that they didn’t win as it is fun to watch the winner and then they are quickly started back to a new game without dwelling on who won. Its a rare game that can allow a winner without having young losers get upset. We have not played with the volume, so the only downside I could think of is that in a large group there could be too much noise for everyone to hear the caller and he does not repeat. The pads are made of a rubber or vinyl and seem to be pretty durable, don’t slide on the carpet, and they all store back in the box. If your kids spend too much time sitting around, this is an excellent one for getting them up and moving without things getting too rowdy, although you do need space on the floor to place pads – I would think the area in front of a sofa/loveseat combo is minimal, but I’m sure they could circle round a coffee table. If they are too close together they will feel like the caller is a little slow though.
I bought this game for my son’s 5th birthday and he and his 7 year-old brother play endlessly. It includes some education for young players (ID shapes, colors and themes). The game gives verbal instructions which makes it a blast for early or pre-readers. There are no tiny game pieces for younger siblings to eat or lose. Also, it lets the kids move around and be silly without driving me crazy. It is one of the few games that I own that will keep my boys (and half the neighborhood) entertained with almost no involvement on my part. If the kids get too loud or crazy, they can’t hear the next instruction – which generally keeps them focused. My only suggestion would be a volume control for the player to allow for a quiet 2-person game or a loud group, but overall this game is as good as it gets in my book.
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