Editorial Review

This game is sort of like Twister meets Simon Says. Lay the Hullabaloo pads around on the floor about two 'kid's feet' away from each other. The pads are different shapes and colors and have pictures and words on them. Turn on the game console and the cheerful music begins, a happy voice welcomes you to the game and then gives the simple directions you'll need to play. "Jump on a square shape," "Slide over to a red shape," "Hop to a shape with an animal on it" and so on. Then it might tell you to freeze, or to put a body part on one pad, and then a different body part on another. Then, it'll tell you that if you are on a particular pad at the end of that round, you are the winner. We found it to be fun, and easy to understand--though we did wonder how long it might hold a child's interest. --Megan Sullivan ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Non-Stop Fun
I bought this for my two year old's birthday. We played it with her 5,6,11,12,& 13 year old Uncles and cousins. The older kids played it all that night and all day the next day. My two year old thought it was fun to run around on the pads, but she was able to point at her nose when they said "nose" and point at her knee when they said "knee". Even some of the adults got in on the fun. Very fun game for all ages.

IGNORE any bad review! This is AWESOME!
My 3 year old daughter got this game as a gift and she LOVES to play! My 7 year old also LOVES this game! It is really cute and anytime they play - someone is giggling. (...). It is a good oppotrunity to teach children about being a good winner/loser no matter who wins. That said- this game is just plain fun! I've even played this one with my kids and we all have a good time. You can't go wrong with this!

"Winners"also means there are "losers"!
I bought this for my two 4 1/2 year-old grandchildren. They really liked it at first until one child "won" several times in a row and the other hadn't "won" at all. The idea is basically very good, but I don't like the "winners-losers" aspect at all. It's totally inappropriate for this age, and even for older children, there is nothing they can do to "win"- it's all random. In addition, I would have liked it to be a little slower paced for pre-schoolers (more time to "skip to the square" or do a dance between games, etc.). I wouldn't buy another one or advise others to do so.

We love this game!
My children, ages 6 and 3, got this for Christmas and are still playing it regularly. As a mom, I really love it, too, because it's one of very few games they can set up, play and put away all by themselves (great for them, and even better if I need to get something done!).

The battery-operated box was very easy for them to learn, and they get a kick out of the silly things it instructs them to do. Many, many thumbs up from our family! :-)

Very Fun Toy
My kids loved this toy. Even my 2 year old could play. It is a really great family game and changes everytime you play. Lots of fun! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Cadoo is the funky fusion of tic-tac-toe, general knowledge, sculptingskill, and scavenger hunt designed for kids by the brainiacs who brought us theleft side/right side frenzy of Cranium. Operating solo or in combo with others,players attempt to line up four of their jack-like tokens on the groovilycolored grid board by fulfilling a myriad of tasks in an array of categoriesfamiliar to Craniacs. Whether attempting to sculpt a taco out of the includedclay or guessing which of Milky Way, Butterfinger, or Twix is longer, cadetsfind that correct answers and successful missions--can you bring back bothsomething smaller than your big toe, and something bigger than your foot, inless than a minute?--put them one-quarter of the way closer to their Cadoo. Withits elements of strategy, its elegantly funny graphics, and some downrightserious silliness, there isn't a lot of Cadon't in Cadoo. --Tony Mason ... Read more

Reviews (56)

the perfect gift for kids
After exploring a variety of educational and fun games for my 11 year old sister's birthday, my mother decided on Cranium Cadoo. Not only did both my sistr and I love it, but my parents did, too. We enjoyed running about the house in order to satisfy the requests of the card and sculpting objects from clay. The game combines traditional "Charades" and "Pictionary" like activities with clay and trivia. One question asked, "Who is the youngest: A)Brandy, B)Christina Aguilara, or C)Britney Spears" (Don't be discouraged by this question. Most are not about teenaged singers). Although Cadoo is wonderful for kids and great for the whole family, teenagers and adults find the questions a little too easy. Highly suggested, more fun than the typical boring board game.

preteens try Conga!
i am in 5th grade and i am 11.i can't use the clay because it is messy. The questions are easy for me and my parents but i have found a game for 10-12 year olds. It's called Conga. My friends and i love that game. i would say Conga is for pre-teens that can't realy play real cranium yet. i tried to play but the questions are too hard. I am an only child but my friend has a little brother that we play Cadoo with. He enjoys the game.<br />

Turn off the tube! Take 30 minutes with your kids....
CC is not the most clever game ever invented, nor is it highly challenging or mentally taxing. I believe my 7 year old son would prefer tackling his dad in chess, but for a quick before-bed family half-hour that followed dessert, this fit the bill. The Brandy-Christina-Brittney question did come up! And Mom and Dad failed miserably -- much to the amusement of the kids. So, we had some fun, a few laughs. Hard to put a price on that.

What DOES impress me is the box. Dad, who still hasn't mastered round pegs/square holes, was tasked with pickup. Everything packs neatly away! And best of all, a fold over flap magnetically seals the handled box. (OK, perhaps it doesn't take much to impress me.)

Bottom line: A good game for the 6-10 year old set when you only have half an hour.

Cadoo + Cranium = fun!
I love this game!! I am 7 years old and just got Cadoo for Christmas. One problem is that it is too easy for my parents. To make it more fair, my parents use the dice and cards from the Cranium game while I use the ones from the Cadoo game. My parents use everything else from the Cadoo game. We have tons of fun this way!

A great therapy tool
I am a Marriage Family Therapist and am always looking for a good came to use with my clients. I have used this game with the children individually and with their families. It is one of the games I am consistantly asked to play. After a year I had to purchase the booster pack the children had played the game so much. This year many of my parents asked where to purchase this game because they wanted to start a game night at home. This is a game that gets people to relax and have fun. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Spell a word backwards, hum a tune, answer a multiple-choicequestion, draw with your eyes closed, and more when you play Cranium.Unlike games that focus on only a few skills, Cranium offers 14talent-tapping activities designed to bring out the best in you and yourfriends. Cards from four decks, color-coded to match each of the crazycharacters--Star Performer, Creative Cat, Data Head, and WordWorm--describe activities that teams must complete in order to advance aroundthe board. If you choose a Sculptorades card from the Creative Catdeck, for example, you might be asked to sculpt a hamburger fromlemon-scented Cranium Clay while your teammates try to guess what you'recreating.

To win the game, teams have to make it to Cranium Central--the largepurple brain in the center of the board--and then successfully completeone activity from each of the four decks. The result is that the teamwith the best combination of abilities comes out on top. With itswonderfully diverse set of activities and top-notch design (artwork byillustrator GaryBaseman decorates the colorful board and decks of cards), Craniumoffers the best of all board game experiences--and it's a whole lot offun, too! (For 4 or more players) ... Read more

Reviews (477)

Hilarious way for teens and adults to spend time together
I bought this game based on the other reviews, hoping it would be a fun way for my visiting sister and brother-in-law to get reacquainted with 2 nephews and 2 nieces (ages 14-19). We spent an entire evening playing, and have never laughed so hard! My sister and I had tears running down our faces, and the "kids" kept begging to play again. We have a true mix of left- and right-brainers in our family, and this was the first game we've ever played that EVERYONE liked equally (and we have tried them all!). After a few questions, the brainiacs wanted to try the artsy stuff, and vice versa, because the game is so low-pressure and FUN. Forget the comments about difficult set-up, hard-to-follow instructions -- nothing could be further from the truth. It took no time at all to figure out how to play, and -- DUH! -- you don't have to keep rereading the same instructions over and over just because they are printed on each card (of the same category)! And the people who want "harder" questions are missing the point...with Cranium, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game -- and how much fun you have playing it!

Anyone can play
I purchased this game after hearing about it from a friend. We took it home for the holidays and played non-stop for hours with the entire family. Then we brought it over to a friend's house.

There are four basic categories, each of which bring out a certain skill set. There is the green catagory where you have to act like a famous person, play charades, or hum a song.

The blue category challenges your art skills - either drawing like pictionary, or with your eyes shut, or sculpting something out of clay.

The red catagory is very similar to a trivia game and the yellow category is for everyone who aced English class in high school! It involves spelling words both forward and backwards and choosing the correct definition for a word.

This game brings out the hidden talents in all of us. I especially like the clay (it comes included). No other game I've come across lets you sculpt the answer in clay. We fight over who gets to do the sculpting every time!

What a Blast!
This game is awesome! My husband and I aren't real big on board games, so when my Brother brought this game over on my Husbands B-day we both were thinking.."ugh" lol.. But we ended up playing 3 times! (Would have played more but it was late) My husband loved it! His favorite part was getting to sculpt things out of clay..(a little harder than it seems)try sculpting "jail" lol.or drawing ransom with your eyes closed! It was so much fun! It's not boring since the game mixes up the fun.. you never get 2 cards alike!... My husband had to act out Madonna! He could use words and gestures...but no names... It was the funniest thing I have ever seen! & something fun I will remember forever! We had so much fun, that we can't wait for them to come over again so we can play! I also just came across Cranium Conga.. This is a version for ages 8-88. We played it last night with our 2 kids ages 8 & 10 & had a blast! It is an excellent game that allows you to have some fun family time together! I recommened both games, and will be picking up the other 2 versions soon.. Will post my thoughts on those as well..

too predictable
I have played this game several times with a family of friends, and the same people always win. The skills necessary to keep playing are not different enough, and there is not enough chance involved. It is a relief when the game is over, which, as another reviewer has indicated, is a Bad Sign. "Wise and Otherwise" is much more entertaining.

Fun for everyone!
This is one of the most fun games I have ever played. It has a little of something for everyone, so everyone can enjoy it. People who enjoy art will love sculpting with the clay and drawing, hams will love playing charades and humming tunes, technical people will like answering mind bending trivia questions, and the word problems might stump even the most seasoned language lovers. This game is most fun when you have a lot of people to play with, making it a great pick for a party or holiday get together. It's definitely worth the price and you're guaranteed to have hours of fun with it! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Taking a step away from trivia questions and clay sculpting, the makers of Cranium have instead created a game for teaching wee ones a few colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. (And, if you know 3- to 6-year-olds that won't lose all the included cards and balls, they may also learn sharing, cooperation, and imaginative play.) The bottom of the box houses the game itself, with three chutes along the top that the balls are dropped into and three rows of flip-up panels that are decorated with various colored objects. Players draw cards, match them to a panel, flip up the panel, and hope there is a ball underneath it. Once all six balls are recovered a treasure chest pops open and gameplay can begin anew. --Pam Lauer ... Read more

Reviews (85)

Well-Loved by all my kids
We received Cariboo as a Christmas present about 2 years ago and it's been loved ever since. My son (5 at the time) played often with his little sisters, and when my youngest reached 18 months old, she would play along, too (with guidance). (The balls are choking hazards for really little ones.)

While the doors can come off, they are easy to put back on, and I recommend storing the balls inside the gameboard, ready for the next game, rather than in the little area provided, as the balls don't stay there very well, but I have to say this is one of my favorite games, especially as my son still enjoys playing it, and as it is more of a co-operation game rather than a competition game.

Also, we gave one to my son's kindergarden class that same year, and it quickly became the favorite game for all the students, so much so, that the teacher had to create a schedule for when each table could play it!

Cariboo is a fantastic game!

Great learning tool for young children
This game is a wonderful learning tool for young children learning their letters, numbers, and colors. I was extremely impressed by the game. My 2 1/2 year old absolutely loved playing this gamw!

Recommended, and adaptable!
I was unsure when I ordered this toy, due to the varying reviews. However, now that we have it in hand, I can say that I definately recommend it. Both my three y.o. boy and six y.o. girl love it. It's a good challenge for him, and way too easy for her, but the mechanism fascinates both equally. And, even though the previous reviewers were correct in saying that the "academic" content is quite limited (ABC, 123, red-green-yellow-blue), it will be a simple matter to make it more complex by creating my own cards and door covers and substituting them for the factory ones. Soon we can branch out to DEF, etc., and I can even see putting addition facts on the top of it for my daughter. I'm surprised Cranium doesn't provide supplemental card and door sets. In sum, the toy is somewhat limited in what it can teach, but with a little parental creativity this can be a great teaching/playing tool for a while to come.

My 3 year old loved it-- we added a fun ending of our own
I read reviews before I bought this game, and I took into consideration that my 3 year old might get bored since he already knows his colors, shapes, and numbers for well over a year. However, he had so much fun with this game! He played over and over. I also remember reading that reviewers felt their children weren't excited about the treasure chest opening after the first few times the game was played. Well, to keep the game going I wrote a message on a little piece of paper and put it in the treasure chest without my kids knowing, at first it was an easy note that said "look in your sock drawer for a surprise" and while they played I put a fruit roll up in their sock drawer. The next note said "Look in your toybox in the dump truck" and I put stickers. Then I would make it more of a treasure hunt (to go with the theme of the treasure) "look in your suess book" then the note in the suess book would say "look in your cereal bowl" etc. until they were searching around the house. It was fun!

Twins delight!
I bought this game for my twin three year old boys, and they love it. They want to play it over and over again -- every single day! Yes, it's not the most educational game, but being three is about more than learning all the time. It is more of a stealth learning game, and they do love it. The balls are of a size that are easily replaced if lost, you can substitute for the key, and new cards can be made. If my twins haven't broken it yet, that says alot. We have definitely gotten our money's worth. Not a game for kids to play alone. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great Fun & Family Time With Your Kids
My Husband & I Played Cranium The regular version for the 1st time about 2 weeks ago, and it was a blast!(recommended also) So when I saw this version I thought perfect! Since we have 3 kids, 2 of playing age.. I decided to get it. We played last night, The rules are simple and easy for the kids to understand. The kids were great & enjoyed playing as much as we did. It got my husband involved(& he actually enjoyed it)LOL... & it meant a lot to the kids, that they can spend time & have FUN with their parents! :o) I'd say it's an A+ game for family fun!

CONGA MAINIA
Ths game is one of the funnest family games I've played. It's better with more players. you basicly should have to know how to write to play this game by yourself, but you could also play on teams, I guess.
This game is very simple to understand and the directions are very good.
I would definatly recomend this game!!!

awesome game
great game. cranium games are all really good, very well made and always a good time, and def. worth the money!!!!!! so my advice is, if u dont have, go get it!!!!

Fun for everyone!
We received this game from a friend at Christmas time. The kids had two weeks off - what to do?!! What a blast and funny too! Everyone gets involved even when it's not your turn. Winning doesn't seem to be as important as it is getting the other players to guess your answer. Our youngest one who can't read really well just yet enjoyed the lively game as much as our oldest two. And we, as the parents, thought our friends would like it too!

Conga is Bouncy Fun!!!
From the fun music to the guess box this game ROCKS!!!! There is never a dull moment. Although the game is rated for kids 8 and up, younger kids even some 5 year olds, would enjoy it with just a little help with reading. Passing around the guess box with the music going is great fun- kind of like playing hot potato. Like some of the other great games by CRANIUM the clay adds a fun dimension and encourages creativity. This game would be good for HOURS of fun for the whole family!! Take it from a mother of 4. This game is great and a different change of pace from the others out there. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Best Game!
This game is the best game i ever played! Me and my friend played it for hours! I really recomend this game because you will have a blast acting sculpting and drawing! Get CADOO! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Booster Box 2 is "Primo"!
Cranium's Booster Box 2 is chock-full of more zany Cranium cards and contains four tubs of the modelling clay instead of just one. In fact, BB2 has the same content as the new "Cranium Primo" [money] but without the embossed, 'collectible' game tin and clay tins. If you've exhausted your original Cranium cards and the first Booster Box, you'll want to consider either the new Cranium Primo set with the complete game in 'upscale' packaging, or the Booster Box 2 which is just the cards & clay. In both Primo and BB2 (the cards are the same, remember) there are four tubs of clay to allow enough for all 4 teams to compete simultaneously in the new "Sculptorades." True Craniacs may insist on the fancy Cranium Primo package, but we're happy to add the two Booster Boxes to our original Cranium set. For [money] we have "Cranium Primo" just without the bells & whistles! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

OMG! The Best Game Ever!!!
i played this game for the first time with friends...after that i was begging my fiance to get it finally she caved and we cant put it down! great with friends!

Great Game. Something for Everyone.
We played this at Christmas with family and then had to go out and buy our own set. It is a perfect blend of game themes/styles. We have played it with people as young as 8 years old and they had fun as well. It is played with teams so everyone gets to feel included. :) A great buy.

Review for Cranium
My husband and I received 'Cranium' as a wedding present from a friend. One evening we had some friends over and we opened up the game and started playing... we LOVED it! It's a perfect mixture of Pictionary, Balderdash, Charades, Trival Pursuit and many others! My personal favorite is "Humdinger." It's the part of the game where a team member needs to hum or whistle a song that's on the card. The game is very entertaining and is guarenteed to get you laughing!

What Fun!
This game combines numerous party games and retains your interest for many hours. We especially loved the "blind drawing" and the charades. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Cranium Zigity
This is a great card game!My 5 year old and I love to play it.It helps him count, match, and spell.What more can you ask?And it is one of the few games we can play together that is not boring for me.Highly recommended.

This game is pure fun
We purchased the game after seeing it a few times at Starbucks.Our whole famiy loves to play this game.Even our 3 year old thinks it's fun to play (he needs a bit of help). THe game usually goes pretty quick and isn't so involved that you can't carry on a conversation while you play.Great purchase if you love board and card games.

OKAY, BUT NOT GREAT
I had great expectations for this game, but was disappointed. First of all, the cards ARE slippery as another reviewer stated so be prepared for them to be slipping all over the place.Secondly, my 5 year old, who loves cadoo,had no interest in this game.And lastly, the game is really very simple with no challenge.It can be played in 5 minutes.However, for such an easy game there are a lot of rules.We had to play it many times before we didn't have to look back at the directions anymore for guidance.Cadoo is much better.The directions are very straight forward and it encourages creative brain development.For zigity you just have to be able to add simple numbers or form simple words.It's just not there for my family.But, your's may like it.

Top Notch Game !
I got the free promotional copy of Zigity when I bought Balloon Lagoon (another great game). The box didn't look very impressive, so I didn't open it right away. What an oversight! Both my 4 1/2 YO son & my 13 YO daughter love it.

Zigity appears to be an educational cross between Uno and Rummy. The first player to fun out of cards wins. You get cards out of your hand by making "Sets" which can be words, numbers that add up to 11, matching instruments or a completed "puzzle". Making words is still a bit challenging for my 4 1/2 YO, but he can overcome that by making sets in other ways. And it didn't take that long for him to figure out how to add to 11.

The deck also contains action cards that allow you to force your opponents to draw cards, reverse the order of play or avoid drawing cards yourself.

The deck is well put together so that none of the cards dominate. The addition of the 3 piece "puzzle" and instrument matching option allow younger children to compete with parents and older siblings.

The only thing I didn't like about this game was the make of the cards. They are clear. Yes that's cool. And they are very durable which is nice. But the cards are slippery which makes them difficult to shuffle and hold on to.

This game still rates 5 stars. It is simple to learn, fun to play and requires both luck and strategy to win.

Genuine fun for the whole family
We got a promotional copy of Zigity (without the storage tin) free when we bought another Cranium game for our 4 1/2-year-old. We didn't expect to play it much as it's recommended for ages 8 and up. However, this has become a family favorite, although our daughter needs help to play.

Zigity cards are used to build four different types of sets. Each set card has one symbol in each corner: a letter, a number, a puzzle piece, and a musical instrument. You build a set by combining cards to create a word, add up to 11, complete the puzzle, or group identical instruments. A free card can be used like a wild card to complete any type of set. When you play your set, the picture in the center of the top card determines what kind of set the next player has to build. You can also play an action card, forcing the next player to draw cards, allowing you to skip your turn, or reversing the order of play. The first player to play all his or her cards wins.

The cards are clear, which makes them cool to look at and allows you to easily see all four corners of the cards. This does have two disadvantages, though. The cards are very slippery and occasionally go flying out of your hand when you're holding the desk. (Especially if you're four years old.) Second, it allows you to tell which puzzle piece is on the card on top of the draw pile or see that the card is either an action or free card (altough you can't tell which). The puzzle piece is in a bottom corner, though, so it's easily hidden once the card is in your hand.

Zigity is entertaining for adults, with lots of opportunities for strategy and the ability to use action cards to create sudden changes in momentum. For kids, its fun and educational. While it would probably require a 7- or 8-year-old to fully appreciate this game, even a younger child working on spelling and addition skills can enjoy Zigity with the help of an adult. I highly recommend this game, especially for families stuck in the Old Maid/Go Fish/Crazy Eights rut. ... Read more