Taboo

by Hasbro

• Get your teammates to say the phrase on the card without using any of the Taboo words
• You earn a point each time your team guesses correctly
• But watch what you say! If your opponents hear a Taboo word, you get buzzed and they will get the point
• Taboo is the adult party game of unspeakable fun and perfect for Family Game Night
• Four or more players, Ages 12 - Adult.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 8 x 10.7 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Origin: Made in USA and Imported
• ASIN: B00005UKIZ
• Item model number: 4015
• Manufacturer recommended age: 12 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,102 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

It sounds so simple: get your team to name common words without voicing a few choice descriptors. But could you describe a wristwatch without mentioning time, wrist, or clock? Taboo rewards those who think--and speak--fast. The team that correctly identifies as many words as possible in a minute (measured with an hourglass timer) wins. If a member of the opposing team, armed with the blaring buzzer, catches the clue giver using any of the taboo words, a point is deducted from the group's score. It's a good idea to separate people who know each other well, because their familiarity can be too great an advantage. If the clue is spinach, prompting with "Mom made this every Monday" just doesn't seem fair, though it is permissible according to the rules. Playing Taboo requires an AA battery and a sense of humor--you'll need them both! The timer is included. Taboo is for four or more players. --Leah Ball

Product Description

The game of unspeakable fun, Taboo 2001 lets you get as creative as you want. Think fast and talk fast to get your team to guess the secret word in 60 seconds or less. But choose your clues carefully, because if you utter any of the 5 Taboo words, you'll be buzzed and lose your turn. This 10th anniversary edition features more than 1,000 new words to guess. For 4 or more players. Made in USA.

See all Product Description

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Taboo expansion deck! March 22, 2004

By Sardan

Durability: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 2.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I'm not a "game person". But one night my family convinced me to try Taboo, and I got hooked. It's involving, yet not so difficult that there's a lot of pressure. Taboo is rightly considered a classic.

Long time Taboo owners who have fruitlessly searched for a "taboo expansion deck" should know that this is it! This 10th Anniversary Edition has ALL NEW words. If you know someone who is already a Taboo fan, this would make a great gift. That makes this an unusual item: wonderful for both people who don't own Taboo and those who do!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Taboo, the greatest party game July 23, 2003

By Don Gunn

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

Years ago I was convinced that Pictionary was teh greatest party game. Then I played Taboo. Not everyone is into drawing, and they get frustrated, Taboo gets around that.
It is a great ice breaker, people get into the game and forget about what they're saying which is super funny. You get to know the people you play with pretty well. Everyone has a bunch of laughs and a great time.
I travel a lot, and I keep the cards in my bag with a BBQ timer [better than an hourglass--no waiting]. It is a blast.
It is true that, you get right into the game and rifle through the cards before you know it. So after playing the Canadian version, I bought the American version when I was on a bike trip in Arizona. The game is new again.
They recently came out with a celebrity Taboo, I haven't gotten my hands on it yet--but it's sure to be great as well.

One word of warning, the electronic Taboo isn't all that great. The words database is pretty small, and the unit is cumbersome compared to the cards. [some people find the readout hard to see as well]

So top points for Taboo, it's an all round good time.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game, but a little disappointing. September 28, 2002

By Amy

Durability: 2.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

The premise: Get your team to say the word at the top of the card without saying any of the other words on the card. Think you can do it? It's harder than it seems.

This game is a lot of fun because you will suddenly find it challenging -- and funny! -- to express a very simple word, phrase, or person that everyone knows. Everyone will laugh as you take turns grasping for alternate and creative ways to say the words that are "taboo." This game should be a classic "party" game because it engages all players (you take turns guessing, reading cards, and making sure the opposing team doesn't say words they're not supposed to!) and even though people may not think it's their kind of thing beforehand, everyone always ends up having fun.

The bad news: the cards go by very quickly. The rules suggest you go around in a circle so that everyone gets to read cards once, and then the game is over. But the game is so much fun that it never ends there. In one sitting, you can end up going through a quarter of the words -- that means potentially, you could finish the entire game just by playing it four times! This is disappointing, especially if you play through the whole thing right after buying it. My suggestion is if you like the game that much, make up your own cards with your friends. I would still buy a copy of the original game though, to play through the original cards, and of course, for the endlessly entertaining buzzer. :)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Family Fun October 22, 2006

By Mara

We played this game when several grandchildren, neices and nephews were visiting my son in Virginia. We had eight players, aged 7 to 60. It was great, rollicking fun for all. We gave some extra help for the younger players who did not always know that the clue word was (for example: Yoko Ono). We played for 2 full days, and then again a few weeks later when everyone was able to be together again. My only complaint about this game is that I can not find any other cards for it. We easily exhausted the clues, and now really don't play because some of know a lot of the answers. How about refill cards?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great game, other recommendations September 25, 2008

By Heather Hamby

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

The basic idea is to get your team to say a certain word, but without saying certain strategic other words in your clues. For example, you might have to get your teammates to say "kangaroo" without using the words "pouch," "Australia," or "Captain." Be careful, you can't say any part or form of any of the words, such as "AustraliAN," and you can't make hand gestures, either.

Taboo was a classic when it first hit the party scene, right up there with Pictionary. It is a riot! And for years I would have said the best "verbal-charades" type game out there. Now I have to recommend Electronic Catchphrase as an alternative. It's a little different, with no "taboo" words, but otherwise very similar, and the advantage is that it is all contained in a little electronic disc that gives words/phrases and keeps score for you. Electronic Guesstures is another self-contained game that will elicit great fun and laughter from you and your friends. If you don't really like those little electronic gadgets, I'd say Taboo is still the way to go.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Always a Pleasure November 13, 2009

By J

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

I've had Taboo for many years now and still can't get enough. It is a great game for a large or small group. I've played this game with as many as 25 people, it was uneven but still awesome! There is a hard and easy side. The word on top in the colored box is the word you want your teammate to say. The catch is you have to get them to say the word without saying any of the words listed below the word. This is when it gets fun, cause you know when someone tells you not to think about "this" you do what think about "this". So they take out the most obvious clues to get you to think quickly and creatively. With this quick thinking you have someone on the opposing team looking over your shoulder with a buzzer in their hand (with my friends that buzzer is usually in your ear) ready to go off if any of the Taboo words are said. You have a time limit of 60 seconds to get your teammate to say as many words as possible, without using any gestures, "sounds like", "begins with", or humming. It is a great game for young teens +.