Taboo is a word, guessing, and party game published by Parker Brothers in 1989 (subsequently purchased by Hasbro). The objective of the game is for a player to have their partners guess the word on the player's card without using the word itself or five additional words listed on the card.
The game is similar to Catch Phrase, also from Hasbro, in which a player tries to get their teammates to guess words using verbal clues.
From 2003, a TV game show adaptation ran on TNN, hosted by Chris Wylde.
Contents
Equipment
A large number of double sided cards. Early Taboo editions had pink lettering one side, and blue the other side. Later editions used a variety of colors for the cards on either side, such as pink, blue, green, purple, yellow, orange and red. The guess word is at the top of the card and five taboo words below. These words are not to be spoken by the clue-giver.
Box to keep the cards in (1989 to 2000).
Tray for holding cards.
Timer (in the form of a one-minute hourglass).
Buzzer or round squeaker. The 1989 edition has a turquoise electronic buzzer. The 1990, 1993 and 1994 editions have a pink squeaker. The 1999 and 2000 editions have a purple squeaker or electronic buzzer. 2003 edition has a red squeaker. The 2011 edition has a yellow and white electronic buzzer. 2013 edition has a purple squeaker. The 2016 edition has a purple buzzer. The 2023 edition has a yellow squeaker.