Cranium Hullabaloo
by Hasbro
|
Our Price: $47.50 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $11.70 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
|---|
Toys and Games Reviews of Cranium Hullabaloo
Customer Review: Excellent activity game!
Summary: 5 Stars
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!Customer Review: Great fun for kids of different ages
Summary: 5 Stars
I had this game on my Amazon wish list, and a good friend purchased it as a "big brother" gift for my two eldest when their baby brother was born. Since they had lots of toys already, I kept it hidden in my closet for the right day... when the baby would be awake, the downstairs neighbors would be gone, etc.
Well, I pulled it out today, popped the batteries in, and voila! Like magic, my normally squabbling 3 1/2 and 6 1/2 year olds were giggling, bouncing, and leaping all over the place. The great thing is that it's an active game, but they have to listen to the game's instructions, so they don't get overly wild. This is a terrific game for a small birthday party (though you can order spare game pads from Cranium and use it for bigger groups or classes), or just to bring out when the kids are bored and can't go burn off energy outside.
The game is really simple; it comes with the battery-operated pod and 16 pads that you scatter on the floor. They vary in shapes, colors, and emblems (things like animals, instruments, and food). The players have to listen to the pod's instructions (ie "spin over to a circle! Touch your nose to an animal!"), and after a certain number of instructions, the game will tell the players to freeze, and announce that if anyone is standing on a certain pad, they're the winner, and should take a bow or do a funky dance.
I was thrilled to have a game that's active and something that both my kids could play together -- since it's essentially a listening-to-instructions game of luck, one wouldn't necessarily beat the other.
This is a terrific example of how well-thought-out the Cranium games are. I'm sure we'll get lots of use out of this!
Customer Review: Great fun for multiple kids, multiple ages, any gender, any season!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this game for my two children (girl age 5 and boy age 8) after reading the customer reviews on Amazon -- I actually returned a game that was twice as expensive and bought this because it was rated so much better. I'm so glad I did!
Hullabaloo is fun and fast-paced to keep even kids with short attention spans entertained. It is easy to set up, easy to pack up, and easy for young kids to operate. When the kids need to stay inside all day, it's perfect to pull out (even for a quick 15-20 minutes) to help them "shake their sillies out" when they start going stir-crazy, and it gets them active instead of vegging out in front of the television. The winner is simply whoever is standing on the "winning pad" the automated voice calls out -- the frog, the guitar, etc. -- so there is no skill level separating older players from younger ones, making the odds fair for all. Both of my kids can play together, which is a rare and wonderful thing. :)
Two things that I would mention to potential buyers are that it is more fun (although not totally necessary) for the kids when grownups join in; my kids like nothing better than to see me acting silly alongside them, but it's easy to join for a few minute-long sessions and then step out. Also, you do need a certain amount of open floor space to play in order to spread out all of the mats. If your rooms are crowded you might want to think twice. Otherwise, I would recommend this highly for boys or girls between 3-10, especially for families with multiple age children!
Customer Review: Great for young kids, too!
Summary: 5 Stars
My kids and I have so much fun playing with this game. The recommended age is 4 and up, but my 2 1/2 yr. old loves to play this game, too. We first got this game when my kids were 1 1/2 and 4. It was just about the only game my 4 yr. old and I could play with my 1 1/2 yr. old that let him do things at his ability while we could still play the game. My little one could run around, move around randomly on the pads, rearrange all the pads and "play" the game with us, and it did not take away from our enjoyment at all. Anyone with 2 or more kids knows how frustrated the older kids get when the little ones take apart, knockover games, etc. so it is so great that this game is truly great for all ages to play together. Over the past year my little one has picked up on the game and now at 2 1/2, he plays along by all the rules. Wonderful for households with a few kids! No fighting or frustration... just fun!
This game is so easy to set up and play for a few minutes for a little active play (but practicing listening at the same time). Reinforces basic shapes, oolors, picture recognition, and is wonderful for teaching listening skills and following directions. Wonderful teaching tool for kids to realize they need to be quiet to hear the instructions. They get silly while playing, but are learning they need to quiet down to hear the next instruction. It's fun for grown ups to get silly, too! We all look forward to doing our funky chicken dances!
Customer Review: The Best Game for Toddlers AND Up!
Summary: 5 Stars
Hullabaloo is the BEST game around. It has so many great attributes! It's best feature is the flexibility it has. It is great for younger and older children to play at the same time! At first my sons were just interested in getting to the correct "pad". Now that they are older, they are getting to the pads by creeping, crawling, or flying depending on the directions. One can play alone or can bring many friends along. No need for isolating the boys from the girls either!
It is an awesome activity for learning attributes by shape, color and catagory ~ bye-bye flash cards! Listening skills are developed too!
It is also a game that they can play independently. A great activity for rainy days or for when dinner is being cooked. It is so easy to set up and put away that I don't mind if they play for only a few minutes.
We have taken it on trips to "get the wigglies out" in a hotel room ~ it does have a volume control. It packs easily in a ziptop bag, no little parts to lose. I even took it to a remote lobby in a hotel and we had an impromtu game with other little ones.
I love that the prize for winning is having the winner take a bow, or doing a jump or dancing. Not everything deserves a trophy! The games are so brief that everyone will have a chance to win in a short amount of time.
I have bought this game for friends and family. I HIGHLY recommend Hullabaloo!