BLURT SILLINESS

I don't advocate the cussin', but laughter is good medicine and high art. Check out the YouTube masterpiece Blurt Fun and the soon to be classic, Jason's Comeback.

Birthday Blurt!

One of the joys of inventing a game is seeing someone enjoy it with friends or family. In the early days of testing Blurt, I got to see that a lot. Thanks You Tube and 'theloftyllama" for reminding me why I got into the toy business!

Read these lips!

Check out the new 10 second TV spot for Blurt!

BLURT FAQ

Where can I buy a copy of Blurt!?
Online you can find it at Etoys, KBToys, or Toys 'R' Us.
To literally hold a copy and feel it's substantial funness, go to your local Toys 'R' Us store. Call first though, because they sell out quickly.

Bible Blurt! is available at Living Word, Talicor, Biffey's, and Educational Learning Games.

What versions of Blurt! are available?
Currently, there are three versions available, Blurt!, Bible Blurt!, and the Bible Blurt! card game.

When is a new version of Blurt! coming out?
Sty tuned! More info is on the way!

I lost my Blurt! rules. Do you have a downloadable version available?
Yes. Right click on the version of Blurt! you have below and download a text file of the rules you need.

Blurt! Rules
Bible Blurt! Rules

Blurt for Literacy

So I was talking to Miss America… Now there’s a phrase you don't get to say too often. Of course, this was back in 1997 when I attended Literacy Volunteers of America’s National Convention. The new Miss America at the time was Tara Holland, who decided to use her new-found fame and power to help eradicate illiteracy. I was there as the inventor of Blurt to announce a partnership between the game and Literacy Volunteers of America. To date, the game has helped raise over $50,000 to fight illiteracy and LVA has merged with the esteemed organization Laubach Literacy International to create ProLiteracy.

Now Mattel and Keys Publishing are beginning to brainstorm ways to do even more to promote literacy through the game Blurt, by working with Save the Children. I’ll post more details when Mattel’s version of the game comes out this fall. In the meantime, do you know of a local literacy program that could use a free Blurt game? If so, let me know!

So I was talking to Miss America and she said that literacy programs are poorly funded because people like you and I are more readily willing to give money to charities that save lives through medical advancements. The problem was (and still is) the perception that "no one is dying from illiteracy." Yet over 50% of unemployed people in the US are functionally illiterate. Because if you can't read, you have a hard time finding a job, and if you can't find a job, you can't earn money, and if you can't earn money, you can't afford food, and if you can't afford food...

If you can read this, thank a teacher.

Inventing the Blurt board game

In 1990, I was dating a teacher and volunteered to help out with her second grade class. My job was to quietly entertain a few kids in the corner of her classroom while she worked with the rest of her students on year-end projects. I was looking through some books with this small group of seven-year-olds, when I picked up a children's dictionary. I opened it and read aloud, "The nut of an oak tree." I wasn't looking for a response because I hadn't asked a question. I was just reading to myself. But a kid next to me mumbled, "Oaknut."

"What?" I asked.

"Oaknut," he repeated, looking at me straight-faced. "The nut of an oak tree is an oaknut, right?"

"No, it's an ACORN," I said smiling. "But that's FUNNY."

I opend the dictionary to a random page and read aloud, "The last car on a freight train."

"Caboose!" The same kid yelled out, just before another student, who had scooted closer to hear.

I tried another random page and read slowly, "The hair on a man's upper lip."

"Wiskers!" Someone shouted, followed by, "Mustache! Mustache!"

I kept reading definitions and those 5 or 6 kids had a blast trying to beat each other to the answer. They were laughing and learning and... the lightbulb went off. I asked my girlfriend if I could borrow the children's dictionary. She agreed and over the next few weeks, I created the prototype for DeFUNitions: The Webster's Game of Word Racing.

At some point (thankfully), it became evident to me that the name DeFUNitions was lame. Wanting a more action-oriented name, I asked myself what it was that players do in the game? That lead to the name change and eventually the creation of the prototype for Blurt! The Webster's Game of Word Racing.

I licensed the game to Patch Products in 1992, and over the next 10 years, helped promote the game to platinum status -- over 1 million copies sold.

This year Mattel has updated the game with new rules and new fun. Look for the new version of Blurt! The Family Game of Word Racing, coming this Fall!

The best part of the story? That teacher is now my wife. :)