The Basic Scoop
Cranium Hullabaloo is a quick-to-play fun game for kids. My almost-4-year-old likes it a lot. I recommend it to any parent of a 3-5 year old. I bet older kids will like it too but I don't have empirical proof. Although there's no strategy in the game it's still fun for grown-ups to play with kids.

It takes less than 5 minutes to play an entire game. So you can play several in a row and in a short while almost every player will have won once.

How To Play

The game comes with a set of dinner-plate-sized vinyl mats. Each one has a picture of a food, animal or musical instrument on it.



Set up is fast. Just toss the shapes on the floor, however you like, then press the start button on the Hullabaloo machine. It starts by telling the players to all stand on a purple Hullabaloo shape. Then it repeatedly tells the players to move to a different mat. For example "Float to an animal," or "Spin to a red." Unlike the game Musical Chairs players can share a mat so there's never a shortage.

The game ends after a few minutes of everyone moving to different mats when it says "Freeze!" It plays a sound that matches the winning mat. If the winning mat has a trumpet on it the players will hear a trumpet sound. It's a nice touch because all the players hear the sound and look again to see what mat they're standing on. If the winning mat is a trumpet it says something like "Whoever is standing on the trumpet, you're the winner! Do a funky dance!"

Should I Buy It?
There's no strategy, but it's fun for kids, fun for adults to play with said kids, gets everyone moving around, and someone wins every 5 minutes and gets to do a funky dance. If you have kids or need to buy a present for kids then this is a great choice. I highly recommend it.