Cranium (1998)

Cranium

Cranium is a party game created by Whit Alexander and Richard Tait in 1998. The game was initially sold through Amazon.com and the Starbucks coffee chain, then-novel methods of distribution. After selling 44 million copies of Cranium and its sister titles, the game’s manufacturer Cranium, Inc. was bought by Hasbro, Inc. for $77.5 million in 2008. Cranium is a party board game based on Ludo and is billed as “The Game for Your Whole Brain”. Unlike many other party games, Cranium includes a wide variety of activities. Giorgio Davanzo created the packaging and brand identity for the game, and Gary Baseman, co-creator of the animated series Teacher’s Pet, did the art.

Why is Cranium Popular?

Cranium is significant because it broke out in the late 1990s and changed the way board games looked and how they were played, using multiple parts of the brain and encouraging players to share their diverse talents. The game has won multiple awards, including the Toy Industry Association’s game of the year award in 2001. Cranium is also popular because it is a party game that can be played by people of all ages and skill levels.

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