Customer Reviews

Cranium Hullabaloo

5 star:		(198)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I received this game as a gift, and I would recommend it highly to anyone with young children. My 3.5-year-old daughter had no trouble figuring out the game within minutes, as the instructions are clear and spoken aloud in a fun voice. The game gets you on your feet and dancing around to bouncy music. The only problem is that my daughter wants to play it ALL the time (even first thing in the morning), so I have temporarily hidden it on a high shelf.

After playing this game with my grand-daughter, who received it as a gift, I have decided to send it to my other grandchildren. She loved the music and the pace of the game. I loved the fact that it involves physical activity while being playable indoors. I don't like to see young children parked in front of a television. This game will encourage them to get up and move. It's exciting without involving the kind of competition that can cause fights. I was also very impressed by the durability of the plastic player. This is not a toy that will be played with and broken within a few days. Most of all, I love the fact that a three year old could play it with a grandmother and both could be entertained. I'm sure my other grandchildren will love it as well.

I purchased this item as my daughter was having a sleepover party with 7 and 8 year olds. I was happy with the quality of the items, the 16 vinyl pads you spread out on the floor seem quite durable. They are much thicker and "sort of" stick to carpets, unlike the mat that comes with the Twister game which gets all wrinkled up in no time. The speaking unit is nice too. Has a volume control, but I wish it had a speed control too. Sometimes it seemed to me that the voice giving out the directions was too slow. I thought if you could speed it up it might be funner at times, but then sometimes the girls were so loud during their moves that they would miss the next set of directions. I must admit the quality of the voice is very clear and not garbled at all. Overall, the 5 girls that played it seemed to like it as there was laughter and screaming. I did worry at times because there would be only 3 red pads to step on, but there were 5 girls playing. Usually they would all race to the pads and run into eachother getting to them. They would play about 5 rounds of the game and then move onto another activity.
But my 3 year old keeps dragging it out and playing it by herself, so it will serve its purpose for a few more years. Still, its price is not justified, it should be no more than twenty dollars in my opinion.

I bought this game for a family gathering, and the six kids (ages 2.5 through 6.5) could not get enough of it. They all were stomping and twirling and laughing in another room (by themselves!) for hours. No grownups required - but we couldn't help ourselves. The kids were having so much fun, we occasionally joined in also.

Each round lasts only a minute or so, and every time there is a potential "winner". Everyone has equal chance to win each round, though, and I found that the kids were rooting for each other to win rather than trying to win every time themselves. The game then starts again, and changes every time to stay interesting. The game turns itself off if the kids stop playing - but that just won't happen for quite a while.

Big fun, exercise, good sportsmanship, a variety of ages cooperating, and a neglected TV - what more could you want from a game?

I purchased this game for my three boys to play together; Ages 7, 5 & 3. They all love it and friends that come over always want to get it off the game shelf. It doesn't seem to go through batteries either (bonus). The games are quick and easy for the littlest players and they usually have enough time for everyone to win at least once before the youngest players start loosing interest & finding new things to entertain themselves. The only trouble that I see with it is, the volume is a little quiet for playing with so many young ones.

I purchased this game for my children last yr. C-mas. 3yrs and 6 yrs. They have steadily pulled this game out first throughout the entire year. And they both play together without much arguement. I have even found them playing it alone in their respective rooms. I love the fact that it requires physical activity. I definately recommend this as a gift for anytime of year.

This was a present for my 5 year old son. He and my 3 1/2 year old daughter have lots of fun with this. It is great for apartment living because it doesn't take space to store and helps the kids burn off energy in a controlled way on a rainy day. We love the crazy dances when you're a winner. It is a fun playdate toy too.