Talk:Mad Libs

Links
Are all the links commercials sources for the books? Wetman 02:55, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC) --76.83.228.14 (talk) 00:27, 14 January 2009 (UTC)erika rules--76.83.228.14 (talk) 00:27, 14 January 2009 (UTC)Bold text

The first two (history and list of titles) are links to the (current) publisher of the books. The two online game links are completely independent, and technically violations of the former's trademark/copyright. Niteowlneils 16:01, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Insularity
This is a very poor article. In particular it gives no idea of which part or parts of the world “Mad Libs” are found in and makes many references to related topics that are probably unknown outside of the country of origin. Someone who knows where these things come from should rewrite the article to make it comprehensible to an international audience. Current insularity rating 100%.

Revelations of my Friends
I just now heard on the radio, on National Public Radio, perhaps rebroadcasting a show from some other station...

...a story about a precursor to Mad Libs, Revelations of my Friends which was an old book with cut-outs and perforated pages, and a place for one to draw a self-portrait. After filling in words in the cut out holes, the page beneath would be torn out, revealing 'a story about oneself', ie, a revelation about a friend, as in the title.

I don't know how to reference this as I was half asleep while listening to it, and didn't catch the name of the researcher. I feel that this is definitely relevant re this article, but not yet ready to be inserted.

I thought I'd add it here on the discuss page for further examination and research.

I was litening to a show called Weekend Edition, about 9:45 - 9:55 am PST 2007 Feb 24, at 89.3 or so on the dial in the San Fernando Valley, if someone can track this down further.

Also it was said that Mad Libs originated in 1955 when the 2 writers were looking for synonyms to use in scripts while writing for The Honeymooners.

Hope some of this is helpful, and that some other resourceful editor can remove this from the realm of original research. User:Pedant 18:00, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Link to French
The French have a smilar game called Cadavre Exquis (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadavre_exquis), which means Exquisite Cadaver. Wikipedia should add a link to the french article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.37.101.206 (talk) 14:33, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

No, I don't think it should, there is already an English article called Exquisite Corpse that is linked to Cadavre Exquis Johnred32 20:17, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

"Verb" is a noun
I blew people's minds with that one when I was 7. -- 12.116.162.162 (talk) 21:03, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

Based on 19th century games
In 1885, "Peter Coddles Trip to New York" was created.

This game, from what I understand, represents the true origin of 'Mad Libs'. The game consisted of a story where short phrases were left as blanks. One person read the story out loud, while players drew cards with phrases printed on them. Each player took turns reading their phrases in order until the story was complete.

This was a highly popular game printed many times in many different versions.

In the early 20th century, many other stories were developed using this approach to create games such as "O'reily's Goat", or "Wee Willy's Wedding"

At the point the first 'Mad Lib' book was published, this style of humorous substitution for fun had been played for 70yrs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.202.128.19 (talk) 03:12, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

Banned by schools
I have no source for it, but I remember these being banned by the (Texas public) school administration when I was growing up. Kids will be kids, and I guess we were a little too creative with our choices of verbs, nouns and adjectives. - Ageekgal (talk) 18:07, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Cultural references section - too much? (or at least, not enough?)
Would I be justified in zapping the final bit referencing Drawn Together on the grounds of it being a touch unneccessary and definitely rather crude considering this is an article about a kids' game? Or is that not encyclopaedic thinking? (Besides the whole concept of these sections being officially discouraged anyway).

Plus there are plenty other references in pop culture to Mad Libs that wouldn't involve inserting a puerile line about "penising a vagina". Ahem.

If that passes muster (DT isn't the most popular show in the world, to be frank), can I include Dan Shive's recent use of the game to come up with a subject for bonus art on his online comic's website (which does involve a female character having her assets enhanced, but in a far cleaner manner)? Or probably the scores of times it's come up on e.g. Whose Line Is It Anyway and other shows? 193.63.174.11 (talk) 11:37, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

The example given
For example, a Mad Lib sentence might initially look like this:

"One day, a ________________ went to ________ and _________________ a ______." name of animal          place        past-tense verb     noun

After completion, the sentence might read:

"One day, a Smurf went to Exercise and smashed a whale."

... is not that good, namely the noun "exercise" is hardly a place. Furthermore, the only way 'exercise' can be interpreted here with the sentence remaining grammatical is if it's a verb (and verbs can't be 'places'). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.118.177.203 (talk) 03:34, 13 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes, strange to give this as an example. I don't consider a smurf to fit the usual concept of animal either. --Lambiam 06:23, 14 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Looking through the page history, the completion has had wild variations and has been subject to vandalism. The current version was created in this edit, replacing "One day, an octopus went to Exeter and drank a tea pot." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lambiam (talk • contribs) 07:31, 14 April 2011
 * It seems natural enough that if we're presenting "here is a funny example an editor thought of once", other editors feel that their own version will be just as valid, and change it. I'll dig out an actual example from a Mad Libs book, so that we can source it and hopefully stabilise it. --McGeddon (talk) 06:52, 14 April 2011 (UTC)

Just a note to record that the example I took from Sooper Dooper Mad Libs is "Ouch! he said stupidly as he jumped into his convertible cat and drove off with his brave wife." - I notice it's been "corrected" to read "convertible car with his beautiful wife" since then, but the whole point of the original example is that the words don't quite fit. --McGeddon (talk) 18:22, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

Size
"Price Stern Sloan became one of the largest publishing houses on the West Coast of the United States during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s."

This is sourced to Larry Sloan's obit, (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/obituaries/article/54394-obituary-larry-sloan-89.html) which actually says "The company grew into the largest publisher on the West Coast at the time" without specifying "the time".

All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 17:02, 5 April 2015 (UTC).