How Cranium Works

Cranium took the game world by storm in the late '90s and early 2000s, and it wasn't just due to everyone's enthusiasm for impersonating Clint Eastwood characters, or a strong unspoken desire to draw a greenhouse with eyes closed.

Several groups have noted that Cranium (and some of its offshoots explored in the sidebar) is a terrific tool for autistic children. Notably, they cite board games that teach social skills and language in a collective context [source: NAR]. With an emphasis on team building and "shining moments" for all players regardless of who "wins," Cranium could be a good fit for older children who need a little help with socialization, following rules and competition.

The founders of Cranium weren't just looking for pure fun when they dreamed up the game; they've cited the writings of psychologist Howard Gardner as a source of their theory behind the game [source: Dojc]. The Harvard professor wrote the book "The Theory of Multiple Intelligences," which stated that there are nine areas of intelligence (like spatial, linguistic or kinesthetic intelligence) in which every person can excel or lag. "The essence of it [the theory] is that humans have multiple talents and skills that aren't recognized in today's academic environment, which is largely based on numbers and letters," Cranium founder Richard Tait said in an interview with Mike Dojc of Newsvine.com.

Speaking of psychology, Cranium was famous for its fun and casual office mindset when it first took off in Seattle. Cranium adopted the acronym CHIFF (Clever, High Quality, Innovative, Friendly and Fun) as its motto for how to succeed in business. Taking it to heart, Cranium's office was known for its perks: 10 games a month to employees (and five to be donated to charities of their choice), all corner offices set up as communal spaces, afternoons off for a company-wide movie party and an office space designed like the Cranium game. In the spirit of their employers, anyone could make up his or her own job title (as long as it applied to the job -- no "Princess of Power" on any business cards) [source: Horowitz].

But Cranium's popularity also proved to be the independent, small-minded company's undoing. In 2008, the game company was a hot commodity, and Tait and Alexander agreed to sell it to Hasbro for a tidy $77.5 million [source: Martinez]. Shortly after the sale, the Seattle office was closed down, and all Cranium operations were run from other Hasbro offices.

But Cranium is still going strong and has a cult of devoted followers. If you're one of them, check out lots more information about Cranium and its board game competition o the next page.

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