Fisher-Price H0739 Instruction Sheet

The Game of ...

“ I t ’s not what you SAY, it’s what you HEAR!”

™

For 2 to 12 Playe r s in Te a m s

Co n t e n ts

Timer
Card flipper
300 cards with 1,200 Mad Gab®Puzzles
Card box
Score pad

Rules of Play

O b j e c t

Be the first team to reach 30 points. Points are scored
when a team solves a Mad Gab®puzzle. The puzzles
consist of a set of unrelated words that, when read
aloud, sound like familiar phrases, names, places, etc.
For example, “Europe Lace Sore Mind” sounds like “Your
Place Or Mine” once you say it out loud. Teams try to
solve three puzzles before the timer stops. If you solve
all three, you can score bonus points! Or if you don’t,
the “Stealing” team may then gain points by solving any
puzzles that the “Solving” team could not. Mad Gab®is
contagious and addictive! The more you play the better
you get!

S e t Up

• Mad Gab®is best played by two teams. Pick your teams;
it’s OK if they don’t have the same number of players.

• Mad Gab®cards are color-coded; the blue side is
easier, the orange is harder (at least we think so). Each
card has four puzzles. Players choose which side of the
cards to play. Puzzle clues are in the word bubbles in
big type. Their answers are on the opposite side of the
card in the upper right hand corner.

NOTE: There are four Mad Gab Puzzles
on each card. The cards should be
played through in the following order:
puzzle A blue side, puzzle B blue side,
puzzle A orange side, puzzle B orange
side. There are 1,200 puzzles in total!

• Determine which team will be the
“Solving” team first; this is Team 1. The
other team will be the “Stealing” team; they’re Team 2.

• COACH -Team 1 chooses one player to give the clues,
load the card flipper and coach the puzzle Guesser.
(More on coaching later!) That player “loads the card
flipper” by putting three cards in the flipper face down
with the chosen color facing out of the flipper.

• GUESSER(s) -Team 1 also decides if one or more
team members will be guessing and sounding out the
puzzles (i.e., you can all be silly mad gabbers all at
once or take turns, which we recommend).

• STEALER -Team 2 chooses one player to be the
Stealer; that person may not see the puzzle answers

and may get a chance to steal them if all three
puzzles are not solved by the solving team.

• SCOREKEEPER -Team 2 also chooses one player to

be the Scorekeeper. That player will wind up and start
the timer, keep track of any bonus points earned and
write them on the score pad.

• The Timer label is divided into three sections: 3, 2 or
1 bonus points. Points are earned depending on how
much time the Guesser takes to solve the Mad Gab

®

puzzles. You must solve all three puzzles in order

to earn bonus points!

So…a 4-player game should look like this:

Team 1-Solving Team

Player 1-The Coach – Loads, flips, coaches and judges
if the puzzles are solved.
Player 2-The Guesser (s) – Sounds out puzzles, guesses
answers.

Team 2-Stealing Team

Player 1-The Stealer – Listens to and looks at puzzles re a d
by opponent, with the possibility of stealing.
Player 2-The Scorekeeper – Operates the timer,
administers any bonus points.

Re a d y, set, Mad Gab®!

• Once the timer is wound, the
cards are loaded in the flipper
and it’s clear who’s doing
what, it’s time to play!

For Ages 10 to Ad u l t

Step 1

Step 2

• If a team has solved all three puzzles, you may get a
BONUS! Note where the arrow is pointing on the timer
and award points accordingly. If the timer is still in the
section of the timer with a 3, add on 3 extra bonus points
to your score. And so on for the sections indicating 2 and
1 points.

• The Scorekeeper records the score on the score pad
for one or both of the teams.

I t 's a Mad, Mad, Mad
g a m e

• Teams alternate turns, choosing a diff e rent Coach and

S t e a l e r , etc. on each turn. Play continues until a team
reaches 30 points.

In the event of a tie, teams choose one player from each
team to sit out. These players choose the final puzzle and
load that card into the flipper. It is then tilted up to face
both teams. The first team to solve it is the winner!

W i n n i n g !

The team that reaches 30 points first wins!

NOTE: if you’re mad about Mad Gab®, you can aim to go
for 40 or 50-point games. Or, if you want a milder game,
reduce the points needed to win. Knock yourself out!

Two and Three-Player Game

In the two-player game, there is no coaching (you
wouldn’t want to coach your opponent, now, would ya?).
There’s also no stealing (you’ll be looking at the answer,
so that would hardly be challenging). Players simply try
to figure out three puzzles on their own as their opponent
flips them up. Points are scored in the same way.

In the three-player game, determine how many turns you
will all get. Player 1 draws the cards and handles the
flipper as the Coach, Player 2 is the Guesser of the puzzles,
and Player 3 is the Stealer. Players rotate turns. Whoever
has the highest number of points after every player has
had the same number of predetermined turns, wins.

Have a great gab fest and remember…

“ I t 's not what you SAY,

i t 's what you HEAR!”

™

©2005 Mattel,I n c . 333 Continental Blvd.,El Segundo, CA 90245 U. S . A . All Rights Reserve d .

Mad Gab puzzles and the trademark, It’s Not What You SAY, It’s What You HEAR! are
used under exclusive license from TW2, Ltd. Mattel U.K. Ltd., Vanwall Business Park,
Maidenhead SL6 4UB. Helpline 01628500303. Mattel Australia Pty., Ltd., Richmond,
Victoria. 3121.Consumer Advisory Service - 1300 135 312. Mattel East Asia Ltd., Room
1106, South Tower, World Finance Centre, Harbour City, Tsimshatsui, HK, China.
Diimport & Diedarkan Oleh: Mattel SEA Ptd Ltd.(993532-P) Lot 13.5, 13th Floor,
Menara Lien Hoe,Persiaran Tropicana Golf Country Resort, 47410 PJ.Tel:[phone],
Fax:[phone]. Consumer Affairs 1 (800) 524-TOYS.

Retain this address for future reference.
Mattel U.K. Ltd.,Vanwall Business Park, Maidenhead SL6 4UB.
Helpline 01628500303

Mattel Australia Pty Ltd., Richmond,Victoria. 3121.
Mattel East Asia Ltd, Room 1106, South Tower,
World Finance Centre, Harbour City,Tsimshatsui, HK, China.

• The Coach on the Solving team flips up the flipper
facing his Guesser(s). The Coach can see the answer
to the puzzle in the upper right hand corner of the
card. The Guesser starts saying OUT LOUD the clues.
Come on, don’t be shy! Coach: feel free to laugh out

loud as you’ll know what the Guesser is trying to say
while he will not!

• The Scorekeeper on the Stealing Team starts the Timer
just as the card flipper is flipped.

The Solvers have until the timer runs out to solve all
three puzzles and score points. The faster you gab,
the more you score! Each Mad Gab®Puzzle is worth
1 point.

Co a c h i n g

The Coach is (surprise!) able to coach the Guesser by
directing him how to say the puzzle. The Coach cannot

look at the puzzle clue but may give clues on which
words to emphasize in order to get the answer. Tell
your Guesser to emphasize certain syllables, or say
the puzzle faster or slower. Example: “Blend the first

and second word together!” The Coach may NOT give
hints as to the topic or answer of the puzzle such as “It’s
an actor.” The Coach’s most important role is to get the
Guesser to continue to say the Mad Gab®puzzles out
loud so they can hear the answer!

Once a puzzle is solved, the Coach pulls that card from
the flipper and places it down, revealing the next card in
the flipper.

Pa s s i n g

The solving team can pass on a puzzle if it is too hard or
if you’re just plain tired of sounding out the clues. The
Coach should pull the passed card out of the flipper and
put the card face down to the side. That card is now “dead”
to the Solving team; they may not go back to it, even if
time re m a i n s . And remember: you cannot score bonus
points unless you solve all three puzzles on your turn .

Play continues in this fashion until the timer stops, or
until all three puzzles have been solved or passed on.
The Scorekeeper stops the timer once all three puzzles
have been solved or passed.

St e a l i n g

If the Solving team has not guessed all three puzzles
once the timer stops, the Stealing team now has its
chance! The Stealer from Team 2 may now try to steal
the puzzles that have been passed on or are visible in
the flipper (i.e., only cards that the other team has tried
to guess). However, he may not look at the passed
card; he must try to steal it from memory. You have
about 10 seconds for this-no stalling, you big Stealer!

S c o r i n g

• Each Mad Gab®Puzzle is worth 1 point.

• Teams score 1 point for every Mad Gab®puzzle they
have solved and pulled from the flipper once the time
expires.

• The opposing team scores 1 point
for each puzzle solved by the
Stealer that was missed by the
Solving team.

• If a team has passed on
any puzzle or not solved
all three, they do not get
any bonus points.

G6850-0921

SAFETY - TESTED. CONFORMS TO ASTM F963. CUMPLE
CON TODAS LAS NORMAS DE SEGURIDAD.