Happy 50th Mad Libs!

Who knew that Mad Libs haven't been around forever? If you read the brief history of the game, even the co-creator of the game admits that that's the story he tells! He says "I was asked by the driver of the car next to me if I had anything to do with the word game Mad Libs. I would say, “Yes, I co-created it.” And they’d challengingly respond, “No way.” Over time, it became increasingly apparent that no true Mad Libber believed that the game was of recent origin. I think in their heart of hearts they believed the game belonged to the past ... that it had been around forever — from time immemorial. Eventually, I gave in. I now state emphatically that Moses had Mad Libs with him to keep the kids amused when they were on the road to Egypt. My red-light friends drive away happy."

Anyway, despite the rumor he's started that Moses had Mad Libs, today the game is 50 years old! It's kind of sad that I don't see them around as much as I used to - although they seem to be making a come-back. Or maybe I'm just paying more attention... I saw them just today in the local AC Moore, and I've even seen some pretty unique Mad Libs - such as for bridal and baby showers, or bachelorette parties! - in a local chocolate/stationary shop. I grew up playing Mad Libs with my family. It was something we all enjoyed, and it helped us girls to learn our parts of speach.

If you're not familiar with the game, you're missing out. Basically, there's a story printed with blanks where key words have been left out. By the blank is the part of speech it is, and the person moderating the game goes from person to person getting different words from them all depending on what the blank calls for. When they're done, they read the story out loud, using the words provided by the others. The point of this is that no one is supposed to know how the story goes or what it's about so that the words you provided make the story really funny.

I was at a baby shower once where it seemed that no one got the concept that it was supposed to be funny. Since it was a baby shower, it was obvious that it was a story about having a baby, so they all gave reasonable words. My mom and I (both veterans of the game) gave crazy, outlandish words, and only a few of the sentences didn't actually make much sense (and therefore were funny) due to our contributions. We also tried it with another group at another friend's party, but once again the concept was lost on the group. (Maybe it was because it was a group of teenage girls who'd never heard of the game before...)

Anyway, in honor of the celebration, the Today Show's Leonard Stern wrote a special Mad Lib. Here's a list of the words needed as they come up in the story. Following the list is the story to plug them into. Have fun - and don't read the story until after you've got your words ready!! (Oh, and if you're having trouble remembering your grammar lessons, the Today site has provided a helpful list of what's what here. They also have the "brief history of Mad Libs" I was talking about that you can check out for yourself. I'd post it here, but it's the whole thing is a little long...)

PLURAL NOUN - ADJECTIVE - VERB ENDING IN “ING” - TYPE OF LIQUID - ADJECTIVE - ADVERB - ADJECTIVE - ADJECTIVE - ADJECTIVE - PLURAL NOUN - ADJECTIVE - NOUN - ADJECTIVE - ADJECTIVE - VERB - ADJECTIVE - PLURAL NOUN - NOUN - A PLACE

TODAY revolutionized television ___________ (PLURAL NOUN) when it first aired in 1952 on NBC — and 56 years later, this ___________ (ADJECTIVE) show just keeps on ___________ (VERB ENDING IN “ING”)! Americans love sipping ___________ (ADJECTIVE) their morning __________ (TYPE OF LIQUID) while watching TODAY with___________ (ADJECTIVE) co-anchors Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira. Ann Curry ___________ (ADVERB) delivers the day’s most __________ (ADJECTIVE) news. And thanks to the always-___________ (ADJECTIVE) Al Roker, finding out about the weather has never been more ___________ (ADJECTIVE). Last year, Tiki Barber, former running back for the New York ___________ (PLURAL NOUN), joined the show as a/an ___________ (ADJECTIVE) national correspondent. More recently, TODAY added a brand-new fourth __________ (NOUN) to the show. Ann Curry, Natalie Morales and Hoda Kotb co-anchor this ___________ (ADJECTIVE) hour along with Kathie Lee Gifford, best-known as the ___________ (ADJECTIVE) co-host of __________ (VERB) with Regis and Kathie Lee. With such a/an ___________ (ADJECTIVE) cast of friendly ___________ (PLURAL NOUN),no wonder TODAY is the most-watched morning news ___________ (NOUN) in the __________ (A PLACE)!

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Happy 50th Mad Libs!

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