Cranium Hullabaloo is the surprise-filled, high-energy game that turns bouncing off the walls into bouncing across the room! Players move from one colorful shape to another and use their bodies to perform the many Hullabaloo moves -- touch your nose to a circle, spin to a red, put your elbow on a musical instrument. When Hullabaloo says, "Freeze!" the player on the lucky pad wins! Every few minutes there's a new winner who gets to take a bow, make a victory jump, or do a funky monkey dance. Faster than a scavenger hunt, more creative than Simon Says, and able to make imaginative leaps past musical chairs, Hullabaloo provides hours of fun for any occasion -- birthday parties, play dates, even a rainy day. Ready to play? High-energy game loved by kids of all ages Jump, dance, wiggle, and giggle! Encourages listening and problem solving Thousands of variations for endless fun Easy to play -- just turn it on and go. Includes: A Hullabaloo talking audio console and 16 colorful play pads.
Hullabaloo will get the whole family moving. As kids ages four and up bounce, spin, and jump between the colorful pads, they'll learn new shapes, colors, and words. They'll also hone their listening skills --especially when they "freeze" and wait to see if they're a winner at the end. Though it's geared towards kids ages four and up, even two-year olds will want to play along. Though younger kids might not "get" everything, they'll still have a great time -- especially dancing to the "funky" music at the beginning and end of each quick-moving round. Though kids can play Hullaballoo among themselves, parents will enjoy the silliness and the exercise!
Kids will have a great time playing and learning about shapes and sounds. View larger.
With large, bright buttons, even little ones will find the controls easily to navigate. View larger.
What We Think
Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Catchy music, clever concept, easy to learn and play. The Bad: Console might not be loud enough if your surroundings are noisy. In a Nutshell: Hours of goofy yet educational fun.
At a Glance
Ages: 4 and up Requires: Three AA batteries, Phillips screwdriver
Easy to Learn; Fun to Play The Hullaballo console is made of sturdy plastic with brightly-colored buttons that are easy for little fingers to find. Batteries aren't included and parents will need to put those in with the help of a screwdriver before play can start. The easy-to-read, illustrated instructions tell you how to play the game, which is a snap to learn. The console also clearly announces the rules of the game each time you turn it on. (It also plays a bouncy song at the beginning of each round that will stick in your head long after the game is over.)
Do a Funky Dance! The talking musical console adds an element of excitement and unpredicability to the game. You never know what it will tell you to do next! The catchy music and the instructions to "do a funky dance!" at the end of the rounds especially appeal to kids. (Later, when you're not even playing the game, you can say, "Do a funky dance!" and they'll start dancing excitedly all over again.) The pleasing pallette of colors in Hullabaloo are appealing to the eye, from the purple, green, and red console to the multicolored play pads with their slightly retro images. These brightly-colored, sizeable play pads are hard to lose.Yet they are also easy to put away when the game is over.
Get Your Goof On We especially enjoyed doing the funky dance at the end. We would even do a funky dance at the beginning of each round too-- the music is so catchy you just can't help it! At times, we wished the maximum volume of the console was higher. We also would have appreciated being able to put the batteries in without using a screwdriver. But overall, we found this game to be fun and energizing, with just the right amount of goofiness thrown in. It proceeds at a good pace -- slow enough so that kids have time to process the console's spoken directions, but fast enough to keep things exciting. The rounds are short so you don't get bored. And there are thousands of combinations of moves so you'll probably never play the same round again, not matter how many times you play!
What's in the Box Talking musical console that directs play, 16 play pads, instructions.
This game is sort of like Twister meets Simon Says. Lay the Hullabaloo pads around on the floor about two 'kid's feet' away from each other. The pads are different shapes and colors and have pictures and words on them. Turn on the game console and the cheerful music begins, a happy voice welcomes you to the game and then gives the simple directions you'll need to play. "Jump on a square shape," "Slide over to a red shape," "Hop to a shape with an animal on it" and so on. Then it might tell you to freeze, or to put a body part on one pad, and then a different body part on another. Then, it'll tell you that if you are on a particular pad at the end of that round, you are the winner. We found it to be fun, and easy to understand--though we did wonder how long it might hold a child's interest. --Megan Sullivan
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Fun:
I can see where children would become a little bored with this, but it's really fun the first few times.
Wonderful fun on a rainy day!!:
My son got this game for his 4th birthday, he is now 5.5 and plays with it all the time. It's great for a rainy day, because it gets the kids active and moving in a small space. It's also great to take on a trip because it doesn't take up much space and can be played anywhere. The directions are always different, we are still hearing new directions that we've never heard before. The only complaint I have, like many other reviewers is that it does not get loud enough, often we miss the directions if we are... more info
My girls love this game.:
I have 3 girls very different in age (10,9, & 3). They all love this game. It is one they can play by themselves or with others. Ususally the older ones don't want to play the "little kid games" but this one they don't mind because it is fun for them. The game helps reinforce colors and shapes, but is mostly silly, and she loves that. I don't recommend many games, but this one I do.
Excellent Rainy Day Game!:
My kids got this game for Christmas of last year and they still use it an average of once every 2 weeks. Sometimes more. I've only had to change the batteries once. My kids are ages 4, 6, and 8 and they each equally enjoy playing. I always describe it to others as a "Twister sort of game". The kids always end up giggling and it teaches my preschooler shapes and colors. It also gets them moving. I always end up out of breath when I play with them. The game is played by turning it on and starting on a purple... more info
