Cranium Family Edition

by Cranium

• Cranium Family Fun features a variety of hilarious activities that will have everyone laughing, high-fiving, and working and playing together!
• Players compete by building, flipping, sketching, sculpting, and guessing
• Object of the game: Be the first team to reach the finish line at the end of the twisting and turning path.
• With colorful Cranium Cubes and fun Flipper Frogs, The Family Fun Game delivers the ultimate game night!
• Perfect for Family Game Night

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.9 x 10.6 x 14.1 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000930CSS
• Item model number: 16513042
• Our recommended age: 8 years and up
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,430 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

The original highly successful Cranium game is a great way for adults and older children to face off in entertaining challenges. Later games using a similar model were greatly simplified and geared more toward younger players. But with this new family model, everyone can play together. It still employs the same four basic Cranium categories: Creative Cat, Data Head, Star Performer, and Word Worm but within those groupings there are numerous new challenges for players of all ages. Like the traditional game, there is squishable clay for sculpture challenges but now there are also stacking cubes and a set of plastic frogs that players are occasionally called upon to flip. The game board is scaled back a bit, offering a short length of the game. We found the questions and pacing to be brisk and while younger players (age 8 and over, kids younger than that would be fine playing with an older teammate) would be able to have fun, it’s one of those rare family games that adults can actually enjoy playing. --Charlie Williams

Product Description

Make the whole family just a little bit smarter with this fun grey matter game!

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

239 of 240 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Multiple Cranium Game Reviews: December 1, 2005

By David McCune VINE™ VOICE

We have several Cranium games at our house, and have played various
ones at various times, depending on the age and interest of our kids
(currently ages 12, 9, and 6). This is a review of the ones we have used.

So, in no particular order:

Hullabloo - great, silly fun and very kinetic. It works best when a
parent is willing to get down on the floor and be silly with their
kids. It holds their interest for a relatively short time (10-20
minutes), but it does burn up the energy and generate the laughs.

Cadoo - a fun, quick board game that taps into different part of you
brain - memory, analytical, creative, expressive, etc. - but keeps
things fun and fast-paced. We found it more approachable for our
younger kids than Cranium

Cranium - like Cadoo, it mixes in many different ways to use your
brain, this time in a longer board game format. This one is a bit
tougher on younger players. Also, both games do a fair job of
letting younger players be competitive, but they are still games
that can be a challenge to keep fair and interesting to all players
if the age range between them is too great.

Bumparena - In this one, players take turns adding bumpers and
rubber balls to a sloped game board, base on easy-to-understand game
cards (all pictures, no reading). When the balls are released, the
bumpers divert the balls to one of three player goals. Collect 6
balls and win. This game sets up and moves quickly, you could
probably complete one game within 15 minutes of opening the game
box. It is simple to learn, and it probably could be played by most
6 year olds with minimal adult help. While the concept is easy to
grasp, but there is some strategy involved, as well as some
appreciation of physics (angles, rebound, gravity, chance). This is
another good game for getting young and old siblings to the same
table.

Ziggity - Ziggity is a card game - think Uno with the added twist that, like other games, different parts of the brain are used. The cards have a number, a puzzle piece, a letter, and a shape, one in each corner. On each turn, the player is required to match shapes, add numbers, complete a puzzle or spell words in order to play the cards. There are also draw cards, skip cards, and wild cards. This is a fun game for kids old enough to spell and add, as well as for the rest of the family. The games are very quick, unlike the cranium board games. We will sometimes get in a quick few hands before bedtime when we want o play a family game but don't have much time. Finally, the plastic cards are very colorful and durable, a big plus when you have young `uns wanting to learn to shuffle.

Cranium Family Fun Game - Teamwork is probably the best aspect of the Family Fun Game, and it's seems like such a novel idea that you are left wondering why more board games don't use this approach. Unless you have twins, then having multiple kids in your family means wide variations in ability. That is okay for games of chance, but for games that require dexterity or creativity, it's very hard to find a game that kids who are 13, 10, and 7 can enjoy together. This game solves the problem by dividing into two teams. Teams then alternate between completing certain tasks. Examples include "find three items that start the letter S", answer a true/false question, or "build a tower with blocks and then knock it over using the frogs" (they hop like tidily winks). Like other Cranium games, the tasks use your whole brain. Also, the team concept lets at least half of the players come away winners and teaches cooperation, both rare in board games. Another winner from Cranium.

Overall - great family games that stimulate parts of the brain often
neglected by board games, yet keep it so fun that kids won't even
realize that they are educational.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars good game for family September 25, 2005

By S. Douglass

Durability: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Cranium The Family Fun Game is an engaging, interactive family game and unlike many board games works well for for families with kids who have a significant age range. Because many of the challenges on the cards are just as hard for an adult as a child (drawing with your eyes closed, using flipper frogs to knock down stacks of Cranium cubes) the playing field is more level than in some games. Also, because you work in teams, it is easy to pair kids and parents up to help each other.

The board and all the playing pieces are fun and colorful.

Another family friendly feature is that the game runs between 30 minutes and an hour so is a good choice if you have limited time.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Game Night Favorite October 25, 2005

By Cheryl Wells

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Our kids really love this game! They are 9 and 11 with completely opposite personalities and strengths, yet both like it. It has things that are challenging and fun for the parents too. There is such a great mixture of wackiness (jumping frogs) and teamwork activities that it really keeps everyone involved. The other nice thing is the kids haven't tired of it and it stays fresh and fun time after time.