Creative Whack Pack [Cards]

Roger von Oech (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1992

An illustrated deck of 64 creative thinking strategies that will whack you out of habitual thought patterns and enable you to look at your life and actions in a fresh way. Use the cards alone or with others to seek innovative solutions to issues. Created by best-selling author von Oech, the cards have been used by many organizations, including NASA, in strategy development and problem solving. Complete with detailed instructions.

Product Details

• Cards: 64 pages
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880793589
• ISBN-13: 978-0880793582
• Product Dimensions: 3 x 1 x 4.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Self-Help > Creativity
  • #68 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games

More About the Author

Roger von Oech is the founder and president of Creative Think, a California-based consulting firm that specializes in stimulating creativity and innovation. He has given seminars and presentations to corporations worldwide, including Coca-Cola, GE, Disney, Intel, MTV, Microsoft, NASA, Apple, Citigroup, and the United States Olympic Committee. He is the author of two previous creative-thinking books, A Whack on the Side of the Head and A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, as well as the popular Creative Whack Pack card deck. He lives with his wife and children in Atherton, California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 156 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Break your habitual thought patterns to create new ideas ! December 15, 2000

By Darren Burton

Format:Cards

The Creative Wack Pack consists of 64 cards each focusing on a different creativity principle. The 64 cards are divided into four sixteen card suits: Explorer, Artist, Judge, and Warrior. These represent the four roles or types of thinking of the creative process.

The Explorer is your role for discovering the resources you'll use to create new ideas. The cards in the Explorer suit highlight places and ways to find new information.

The Artist is your role for transforming your resources into new ideas. The cards in the Artist suit provide you with idea-generating techniques.

The Judge is your role for evaluating an idea and deciding what to do with it. The cards in the Judge suit lend decision making advice.

The Warrior is your role for implementing your idea. The cards in the Warrior suit give you the "kick" you need to get your ideas into action.

There are several ways the cards can be used. One of the best is the "Creative Licencing at Meetings". At the beginning of a meeting, deal out five cards to each participant. The cards give each person permission to make a point related to that card as you work though the meeting agenda. A participant may play a card at any time if he or she feels thtat its message will help the meeting.

Some examples of cards:

Card #27 - CHANGE ITS NAME - If a architect looks at an opening between two rooms and thinks "door" that's what she will design. But if she thinks "passageway", she may design something much different like a "hallway", "air curtain", "tunnel", or perhaps a "courtyard". Different words bring in different assumptions and lead your thinking in different directions.... What else can you call your idea?

Card #9 - USE A RANDOM IDEA - Open your mind up to things that have nothing to do with the idea you're developing. Pick out the third word on p.134 of your dictionary - "broom". How does it relate to what you are doing? What similiarities does it have with your idea? Can you use it as a metaphor? Look out your window and find the first thing that has blue in it - "mailbox". How does it shed light on your idea? What random idea can you use to stimulate your thinking? Read more ›

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have book in your Creativity & Innovation Library, & must-have card desk on your desktop! May 29, 2006

By Lee Say Keng

Format:Cards

I am a raving fan of Roger von Oech's creative work as embodied in his books & card decks, namely:

Books:

- A Whack on the Side of the Head;
- A Kick in the Seat of the Pants;
- Expect the Unexpected;

Card Decks:

- Creative Whack Pack;
- Innovative Whack Pack;
- Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus;

I have used all his creativity stuff ever since I started my own strategy consulting (& book store) business in late 1991.

From my personal & professional experience, I would like to say that the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creative work has been designed to serve three strategic purposes:

- understanding - & removing - your mental blocks;
- breaking your habitual patterns;
- shifting your focus & changing your paradigms;

As a matter of fact, once you appreciate & commit to these three strategic purposes in your life, you will soon realise that there is nothing in this world to stop you from getting rid of old ideas & getting new & fresh ideas.

Allow me to quote Edward de Bono: "...the mind is habitually uncreative - it is usually preoccupied with organising masses of incoming data into convenient patterns. Once this pattern is established, then the mind tends to rely upon that pattern in future situations, in order to facilitate decision making & action in an otherwise complex world..." (The Use of Lateral Thinking).

Breaking old habitual patterns is definitely the first & foremost priority in your journey to creativity!

Once your shift your focus, you begin to change your paradigms or the way you look at the world around you. Always remember this: Your brain follows the direction of your dominant thought.... Once you focus on something, that thing becomes the foreground. Everything else around it will fall into the background. Most opportunties are unfortunately hidden in the background. The moment you begin to shift your focus, you are pushing the 'foreground' into the 'background', & pulling the 'background' into the 'foreground'. Get it?

'A Whack on the Side of the Head' will help you to break through your mental blocks. They will open up your mind for innovation. This book is filled with provocative puzzles, exercises, stories & helpful tips.

'A Kick in the Seat of the Pants' takes you on a guided tour through the four stereotype roles of the creative process - Explorer, Artist, Judge & Warrior. Understanding - & applying - these roles will fire up your personal & professional creativity. Tactically, they will change your mental focus as you change to play each of the four roles. I would like to add one more role from what I have learned from the Japanese creativity experts: Antique Dealer. This singular role will allow you to combine all the four roles into one.

'Expect the Unexpected' uses thirty of Heraclitus' (the world's first creativity master) epigrams as creative springboards. It has intriguing questions designed to topple old habits of thought & fire up your imagination.

All the three card decks are basically extensions of the three books, to allow convenient usage during brainstorming sessions.

From my strategy consulting experience, these three card decks have proven to be inexhaustible sources of inspirations.

In fact, the 'Innovative Whack Pack' combines the creative power of both the 'Creative Whacks' & 'Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus'.

I strongly urge readers to seriously consider having the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creative work added to your Creativity & Innovation Library, & all the three card decks placed permanently on your desk top at all times. Read more ›

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't live without them!!!! May 15, 2003

By E. A. Bujak

Format:Cards

I have had these cards for about 8 years now and they have never failed to help me or my team out of a bind. Anytime you are at a loss for an idea, need a solution for a problem or just plain brainstorming, pull these out. At first your colleagues will look at you as though you have 3 heads (cards???), but they will soon come to realize that your end results would not have been nearly as productive or successful without them.
Nearly everyone in my office has a deck now!!!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tool break out of "rut" thinking October 31, 1997

By [e-mail]

Format:Cards

I acquired a copy of this product two+ years ago. It encouraged me to be an "explorer" in my thinking. The first card I picked was the card to "Drop Assumptions". Applying this principle in the course of the next hour--I shaved two to three days off my project schedule! It payed for itself many-many times over. Excellent product - BUY.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Wild December 9, 2003

By "scalby5"

Format:Cards

I'm hesitant to say that it's going to change your life; you would certainly be better off meeting a wonderful teacher who can show you wonderful things about the world (and if you haven't emt one yet then you need to get cracking), but Roger Von Oech's Whack Packs are so very fun to play around with ;)

Predictably, all of the cards are just critical enough to be applicable to everything in the universe, just like depressing movies will never fail to get you thinking about the things you might want to change in yourself... But it's incredibly enjoyable to share with friends and have some fun with.

I'm particularly partial to the art style (it reminds me of Terry Gilliam) and the vignettes are fantabulous.