Cranium Debuts Three New Games at Toy Fair 2004

Cranium, Inc., has announced three new games to be released in 2004: Cranium Turbo Edition, Cranium Zigity, and Cranium Balloon Lagoon.

According to a company press release, Cranium Turbo Edition "cranks up the outrageous fun of the original smash-hit Cranium with more of everything -- more laughter, more activities, and more outrageously fun moments to shine," while Cranium Zigity is a "cool new family card game full of crazy twists and turns" and Cranium Balloon Lagoon is a "4-in-1 carnival game that lets kids show off their talents while keeping them giggling for hours."

"When we first set out to make Cranium, we knew in our hearts that we wanted to create something much bigger than just a board game. We wanted to give people the chance to celebrate connections and give everyone the chance to shine," said Richard Tait, Cranium, Inc. co-founder and Grand Poo Bah, in a press release. "Now, five years later, we're doing just that. We've got a family of amazing games for every age and a passionate following of more than 5 million Craniacs worldwide. With these new games, we're giving our Craniacs three more ways to transform ordinary moments into extraordinary fun; and three more reasons to laugh and connect with family and friends."

The following game descriptions were provided by Cranium, Inc.:

Cranium Turbo Edition

Packed with something for everyone, Cranium Turbo Edition, the brand-new, deluxe-version of the wildly popular board game Cranium, cranks up the fun by rallying players to sculpt, draw, hum, and spell backwards at an all new super-charged pace, providing outrageous new opportunities for everyone to shine.

Cranium Turbo Edition sizzles with 1,000 all-new cards; 16 activities, including six new individual activities and six new collaborative crowd pleasers that gets players working together like never before. Adding to the popular activities from the original game, players will now find themselves making puppets of their friends, reading each others minds, noodling over uncommon facts, and gazing at zoomed-in images while racing against the clock.

An exciting new electronic timer with music and lights energizes the game, adding a sense of urgency during Turbo Rally Rounds when teams are tasked with answering three questions in only 60 seconds. Culminating in a crazy crescendo, the new Finale Rally makes teams go for the proverbial gusto by working together to answer fast-paced Rally questions from each deck, ensuring that everyone has a chance to shine.

Cranium Turbo Edition will be available at leading retailers for $34.95 late this summer.

Cranium Zigity

Cranium makes cards clearly cool with Cranium Zigity, the outrageously fun new family card game with crazy twists and four ways to shine. Cranium Zigity gets players matching, adding, spelling and finding missing puzzle pieces as they scramble to be the first to get rid of their cards. Perfect for pockets, purses and on-the-go fun, Cranium Zigity is just the thing for any family to take on a trip or pull out when they have a little extra time together.

To play the game, players use the cool see-through cards they are dealt, plus the top card on the discard pile to: add to 11 using numbers 1 through 6; spell words like "zest," "hum," and "quick;" complete the three-piece Creative Cat puzzle; and create sets by matching musical instruments. With a little strategy and a lot of twists, players can turn the tide of the game using free cards in a pinch to complete a set or by laying down action cards that add an element of surprise to the game and keep other players on their toes. You never know who's about to win!

Cranium Zigity will be available exclusively at Starbucks for $12.95 this Spring.

Cranium Balloon Lagoon

Cranium Balloon Lagoon is the new 4-in-1 carnival game that gets kids showing off their talents by thinking, matching, flipping and fishing in a carnival-like environment with imaginative illustrations, a lively musical merry-go-round and colorful, three-dimensional activities. More fun than a ride on the tilt-a-whirl, Balloon Lagoon takes kids on an enchanting adventure to complete four fun activities while the merry-go-round music plays.

Whether it's reeling in letters to complete fun words like "cake," "corn" and "nose" in Letter Lake; rolling blocks to match four special treats such as popcorn, lemonade, pretzels, or cotton candy or other carnival munchies at the Snack Hut; making a big splash flipping frogs from the lily pad back into their pond at the Frog Pond; or completing colorful picture puzzles of a mermaid, scuba diver, lobster and other marine marvels at Tumble Tides, kids will be laughing and giggling together, rain or shine. With each success kids collect more balloons and move a step closer to victory. First one to collect 15 balloons is the winner.

Cranium Balloon Lagoon will be available at leading retailers for $19.95 late this summer.