Cranium Whoonu (Tin)
by Cranium
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Toys and Games Reviews of Cranium Whoonu (Tin)
Customer Review: Not Bad--But Not As Fun As I Thought It Would Be
Summary: 3 Stars
I was out shopping last night, and was debating between several Cranium games. I finally decided on Whoonu, because it seemed like a game that anyone can play, including my 8 year old son.
Based on the packaging, I figured it was a "guess how well you know the other person" type game. You pick two cards and ask someone "What do you like better--roller coasters or building snowmen?"
Well, it's a little more complicated than that.
One person--who's birthday is coming up the soonest--becomes the first Whoozit. Everyone EXCEPT the Whoozit is given four cards and, out of the four cards, you have to guess which two would be the Whoozit's favorite. Each person puts their two selected card in the Whoonu envelope and gives the envelope to the Whoozit. (This is for 3-4 players. Games with 5 or 6 players require only ONE card to be selected.)
The Whoozit then takes out the cards and puts them in order of least favorite to most favorite. Depending on how many people are playing, there are stacks of chips ranging from 1 point to 6 points--the least favorite being worth 1 point with the most favorite earning the highest point. (For example, if you're playing with 3-4 players, the highest chip would be 4 points.)
The other two players get chips that correspond to the placement (favorites) of the Whoozit. For example, if I chose Bugs and Black Licorice for the Whoozit's favorites and he places Bugs as most favorite, then I get a 4 point chip. If he chooses Black Licorice as his LEAST favorite, I get the 1 point chip.
Here's the tricky (and not so fun) part: the NEXT Whoozit (the person on the left of the previous Whoozit) gets the DISCARDED cards from the other players PLUS 2 or 3 new cards (depending on how many people are playing). Not only can this get confusing, but it can get FRUSTRATING. If a card that NO ONE likes is in play (say, Watching Race Car Driving), then that card stays in play.
My family and I played last night, but we had to help our son with some parts. He grew tired after ONE game, so my husband and I decided to play. We realized that AT LEAST 3 players are required for gameplay, so we made up our own rules.
It's not a bad game, but not as fun as I thought it would be. I can't see how people think this would be a good game for strangers--or for team building and ice breaking. I mean, guessing the favorites of a total stranger is NOT fun (for me, anyway). Who CARES what the favorites are of a complete stranger?! It's much more fun to learn more about people you actually KNOW--friends, family, and romantic partners.
If the premise sounds appealing to you, you'll likely enjoy this game. There are 3 packs of cards--300 in all--so there's plenty for playing according to rules without much repeats...or for playing according to your own rules.
Customer Review: Another Winner
Summary: 4 Stars
Those in my family have become big fans of the Cranium games, and Whoonu is another winner. It's simple enough to be learned in minutes, yet engaging enough to keep the interest of our 12- and 14-year old daughters.
The basic concept: after receiving a hand of cards that spell out different activities or subjects (example, "skydiving," "ice cream," "little dogs,"), you choose those that would be the favorite of the person featured for that hand. You score more points for guessing most accurately. There are always laughs, and a few half-hearted arguments--"but you told me you loved olives!" If you play with strangers, you'll find out more about them. If you play with close companions, you'll still find nuances to their interests that you never knew before. Whoonu!
The main drawback to the game is its lack of 2-person rules. My wife and I created our own. We both draw four cards, then place them facedown in the order we think fits the other best. The ones that are in the right order earn point chips.
The bottom line with this game is fun, interaction, and connection. These are the same elements that have drawn us to the Cranium line in the first place, and we were not disappointed.
Customer Review: Whoo nu a simple game could be so fun?
Summary: 5 Stars
My family really likes Cranium Whoonu, as do their friends who come to our home. We bring the game out 2-3 times a week and play a few quick rounds.
As others have noted, you are given cards, one person is the "whoozit", and then you select cards from your hand that you think will be the whoozit's favorite thing.
The whoozit then places the cards in order of preference next to point tokens - his favorite thing will be next to the highest point token, his next favorite thing next to the next highest point token, and so on. This ranking is actually a very nice feature of the game, EVERYONE ends up with a token so you don't have one child who ends up empty handed every time (as has happened to us with Apples to Apples, for instance).
We are always amused and surprised by how the whoozit actually ranks his cards - who knew my oldest son hated zoos because of all the hills he has to walk? Who knew my daughter preferred remote controls to fairs?
This game requires reading, but otherwise, there is no reason to wait for a child to be eight before playing
Customer Review: The Big Hit at the Teacher's Workshop
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a teacher and, on occasion, I teach other teachers. I recently ran a workshop called "Game Kids Play" and one of the assignments was for each teacher to bring in a game that they either have used in the classroom or that they think would be good to use in the classroom. Each teacher would give us a mini lesson on how to play the game and then we would get in groups and spend X amount of time at each game. Some of the great games included Blokus, Rumis, Catchphrase, Spy Alley, and Blink. However, Whoonu stole the show!
We ended up playing this game far longer than any of the others. Most of the teachers ended up buying it soon after. The person who brought it in is a middle school teacher and she said she liked to use it with her special needs students throughout the year.
I highly recommend it!
Customer Review: GREAT get-to-know-you game
Summary: 5 Stars
This game is really really easy to play with very short instructions and minimal rules. The concept is simple: guess (or know) from the cards in your hands, what the next person's most favorite things might be. Your choices are captive to the cards that you are holding in your hand. Cards are mostly one word items suchs as: daydreaming, butterflies, onion, crowds, motorcycle, pepperoni, etc, for a total of ~300 cards or so.
This is a great icebreaker or get-to-know-you-even-better game. I especially like to play it with my brothers and sisters in law. Even though there are point chips, this is not really a competitive game (unlike Monopoly or Risk). It makes for lots of laughs that adults and kids can enjoy together. Great game, especially for family get-togethers!