- Set-up
- About 2 min
- Reading
- Little
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Family get-togethers where grandparents, parents and children play together, since questions can be in any language
Think twice if You want depth or strategy: every round is the same guessing idea
How we rate it
Learning curve. Ask questions, guess, hand back chips. It is as light as UNO or Connect 4 on our scale; the only skill is asking good questions.
Luck & skill. Some cards are much easier to guess than others, and the timer adds pressure; sharp questioning helps but can't beat a tricky card.
Interaction. Everyone answers the guesser's questions, laughs at the picture on their head and waits for their own turn to be questioned.
Set-up. Hand out headbands and three chips each, shuffle the picture cards and have everyone clip one in without looking.
Reading. The guesser reads nothing and the others only need to recognise the picture; the sample question cards and rule sheet are in English.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Is Hedbanz right for you?
Great if
- Family get-togethers where grandparents, parents and children play together, since questions can be in any language
- Children from 7 who are learning to ask good questions and sort things into animals, food and objects
- Groups of four to six cousins who want a loud, silly game that takes two minutes to explain
- A warm-up before a longer game, as a round takes 10 to 20 minutes
Skip it if
- You want depth or strategy: every round is the same guessing idea
- You usually play as two: it works, but it's much livelier with four or more
- Someone in your group dislikes wearing a headband or being the centre of attention
How Hedbanz plays
Set-up: shuffle the 69 picture cards face down in the middle and keep the three sample question cards to one side. Everyone puts on a headband with the Hedbanz logo above their eyebrows, takes one picture card without looking at it, and slides it into the clip so everyone else can see the picture. Each player gets three scoring chips; the rest form the bank.
- Time to teach: about 2 minutes.
- Reading and language: The guesser never reads: they ask yes-or-no questions, which can be in Hindi, English or any language the table shares. The other players only need to recognise the picture on the card to answer. The rule sheet and sample question cards are in English.
Hedbanz | Assembly and How To Play · Spin Master Games · Official
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Wear
Slide a picture card into your headband without looking, so everyone else can see it.
- 2Ask
Flip the sand timer and ask yes-or-no questions, such as 'Am I food?', then guess with 'Am I a…?'
- 3Score
Guess right before time runs out to hand back a chip and take a new card; if you give up, take an extra chip.
- 4Win
The first player to get rid of all their chips wins.
The full explanation: how a game of Hedbanz goes
A turn: the youngest player starts and play passes to the left. Flip the sand timer and start asking the others yes-or-no questions about your card. Good openers are 'Am I an animal?', 'Am I food?' and 'Am I a thing?', and the sample question cards suggest what to ask next. You can't ask 'What am I?', but you can guess at any time by asking 'Am I a…?'
Scoring: guess your card before the timer runs out and you give one chip back to the bank, take a fresh card (no peeking) and keep asking until time is up. If the timer runs out first, your card stays in place for your next turn. If you're really stuck, you may give up and draw a new card, but you must take an extra chip from the bank.
Winning: the first player to give back all their chips wins. Major Fun's review suggests letting children as young as 5 join with a hint rule, and the timer and scoring can be dropped altogether for a gentler game with little ones.
What's in the box
- 6Headbands
adjustable, with a clip for the card and the Hedbanz logo at the front - 69Picture cards
animals, food and objects - 3Sample question cards
ideas for what to ask after 'Am I an animal, a food or a thing?' - 24Scoring chips
- 1Sand timer
- 1Instruction sheet
one page, in English
Box: 26.7 × 26.7 × 5.1 cm, 0.43 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.
From Funskool's 2024 rule sheet for item 6039874; the sand timer is named in the listing facts. The Amazon.in listing gives 74 cards rather than 72 (69 picture cards plus 3 sample question cards), and Funskool's product page lists only headbands, a timer, cards and tokens. Spin Master's newer editions abroad have themed headbands and 13 or 16 scoring badges instead of chips.
Where to buy
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Hedbanz works because it needs almost no explaining: put on a headband and start asking. Major Fun's 2011 review found it very easy to learn, silly and harder than it looks, and liked that it rewards good questions and reasoning and can be adjusted for younger children. Spin Master has kept it in print through several editions and spin-offs, and its 2017 advert describes the same classic chip rules as Funskool's box. The flip side is that every round is the same idea, so it shines as a short, noisy game for mixed ages rather than a whole evening's entertainment.
What people love
- Very easy to learn, so anyone can join within a minute
- Silly and full of laughs, but guessing your own card is harder than it looks
- Rewards good questioning and reasoning
- Easy to adjust: add hints for little ones, or drop the timer and scoring
Common complaints
- The same guessing idea every round, so it can wear thin after a few games
- Some cards are much harder to guess than others, which can frustrate younger players
Based on 4 reviews and discussions
- Review Hedbanz (Bernie DeKoven, July 2011) · Major Fun
- Video Hedbanz: Identity Crisis Game Review (Ryan Metzler, undated) · The Dice Tower
- Reference Hedbanz - Keep You Guessing (Spin Master, October 2017; description read) · YouTube - Spin Master
- Reference Hedbanz, Picture Guessing Game (Spin Master, read October 2026) · Spin Master
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Wear a mystery card and ask yes-or-no questions to guess it | A different fit Another yes-or-no question race for children from 6, guessing a hidden animal card in ten questions | A different fit The two-player classic of yes-or-no questions to unmask a mystery face | A different fit Another loud picture game for children from 6, about spotting things rather than asking |
| Players | 2–6 | 2–6 | 2 | 2–6 |
| Best with | 4-6 | 4-6, in two teams | 2 | 3-5 |
| Play time | 10–20 min | 20 min | 10–20 min | 20–30 min |
| Age | 7+ | 6+ | 6+ | 6+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Available | Available | Available | Available |
| On this page | Explore Guess in 10 | Explore Guess Who? | Explore Pictureka! |
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Questions people ask about Hedbanz
How do you play Hedbanz?
Everyone wears a headband holding a picture card they can't see. On your turn you flip the sand timer and ask the others yes-or-no questions, such as 'Am I an animal?', until you guess your card. Each correct guess lets you hand back a chip, and the first player to get rid of all their chips wins.
What age is Hedbanz suitable for?
Funskool rates its box for 7 and up, and the Amazon.in listing says 8 and up. Younger children can join if the others give hints or you drop the timer, and adults enjoy it at family gatherings too.
How many people can play Hedbanz?
From 2 to 6, since the box has six headbands. It is much more fun with four or more, because there are more people to ask and more pictures on foreheads to laugh at.
Is Hedbanz made in India?
The box sold through Funskool is. Funskool makes and packs Hedbanz in India for Spin Master: its product page gives India as the country of origin, and its rule sheet for this item says 'Made in India'.
What is the difference between Hedbanz editions?
Funskool's box is the classic edition: plain headbands with the Hedbanz logo, 24 chips, three chips each, and the first to give back all their chips wins. Spin Master's 2021 and 2023 boxes abroad have themed headbands, new artwork and scoring badges, and you win by guessing three cards. The questions-and-guessing play is the same in all of them.
Game facts
- Publisher
- Spin Master (Spin Master Games)
- In India
- Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai, which makes, packs and sells this Spin Master game in India
- Players
- 2–6
- Language
- Little reading – The guesser never reads: they ask yes-or-no questions, which can be in Hindi, English or any language the table shares. The other players only need to recognise the picture on the card to answer. The rule sheet and sample question cards are in English.
- Box size and weight
- 26.7 × 26.7 × 5.1 cm, 0.43 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.