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Start
with a story full of blanks. Throw in Mad Libs to fill the spaces and
voila! You have game that will keep folks laughing. The game was
invented in the United States by Leonard Stern and Roger Price and
since the Mad Libs books were first printed in 1958, more than 110
million copies have been sold.
Stern
was head writer and comedy director for the old "Steve Allen
Show" on TV. The game's premise was used to introduce guests on the
show, with the audience filling in the blanks. After popular actor Bob
Hope was introduced as "our guest NOUN, Bob Hope," sales of the book
series skyrocketed. ''
Eventually,
the game ended in the hands of Penguin Random House, which continues to
publish the books, though the original partners have long since died.
Here's
how it works! Start with one of the stories, which in dotted
with blanks. For instance:
" (Blank )"
he said (blank) , as he jumped into his
convertible. and drove off with his (blank) wife.
Under
the blanks are directives such as noun, verb, adverb, adjective, etc.
that give the players clues as to what kind of word they
should supply, although they are at liberty within that definition to
pick just about anything. And they do. When the story is complete with
its random Mad Libs, you'll find yourselves rolling on the floor with
mirth.
More
than 30 books are available, with topics ranging from movies and TV
shows to holidays and animals, etc. etc. With story titles
such as "Excuses for Tardiness" to "Bull Fighting" to "Eat. Drink and
Be Sick" (There are dozens) you can imagine where
they will take a roomful of lively guests.
Try
it. You'll have the (blank) time of your life, guaranteed!
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