“Fruity Pebbles or Raisin Bran?”
From the “Unpublished Draft” file (2008):
We regularly and consciously violate the “intended use” for one of our family board games. “Guess Who” retains permanent resident status under one of the family room sofas despite its intended six to eight-year old appeal -because “twisted” is timeless…
The game teaches logic skills as each player eliminates, through “yes” or “no” questions, all but one of the faces on his game board: the face that will hopefully match the card secretly selected by the opposing player. Normal questions might include, “Does your person wear a hat?” or “Is your person a female?”
Obviously, the game in its original form presents no challenge for its sixteen-year old owner, my son Zach. So, we came up with our own variations last year to make it a new family favorite all over again. We played our version last night.
“Would your person be more likely to steal candy bars or ladies’ undergarments?” “Does your guy appear concerned about the possible presence of germs in his vicinity?” “In high school, was your person a more likely sports star or Level 47 Dungeon Master?” “If your guy were arrested…felony or misdemeanor?” “ “Fruity Pebbles or Raisin Bran?” Much more fun!
“Wins” are occasional at best, but Zach did pinpoint “Tom” last night, my organ-playing Dungeon Master, who cared deeply about personal hygiene and would not be comfortable operating heavy machinery.
“Are there empty soda cans under the back seat of your guy’s car?” “On-line bill paying or check writer?” “Bungee-jumping or cooking school?” “Pet dog or pet alligator?” Get the idea? Once you get the hang of it, it’s so-o-o much better than anything on TV.
Of course, we had to defend some of our assertions. Zach declared me wrong in stating that “Paul” would skinny-dip. My stance was that “Paul” would in fact do so… provided there was no moonlight and that he could neatly fold his clothing first. I let “Paul” explain. “Look. Water. Let’s swim.” The “Paul” card tipped happily from side to side as he talked. “Creepy, mom,” was Zach’s response.
“Wanna play again?!”
I highly recommend our version of the game. “Unofficially”, of course.
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