The telephone game, also known as Broken Telephone, Chinese whispers, operator, a whisper down the lane and Pass It Down, is a game often played by children at parties or in the playground in which a phrase or sentence is passed on from one player to another, but is subtly altered in transit.
As many players as possible line up such that they can whisper to their immediate neighbours but not hear any players further away. The player at the 'beginning' of the line thinks of a phrase (or, in the case of young children, is supplied one by an adult), and whispers it as quietly as possible to her/his neighbour. The neighbour then passes on the message to the next player to the best of his/her ability. The passing continues in this fashion until it reaches the player at the 'end' of the line, who calls out the message s/he received.
If the game has been 'successful', the final message will bear little or no resemblance to the original, due to the cumulative effect of mistakes along the line. We will not give refunds if you download Cell Phone Game to incompatible phones or carriers or if your cell phone account is not Internet enabled. Often, however, the message does not reach the end of the line, due to someone accidentally speaking too loudly. Deliberately changing the phrase is often considered cheating, but if the starting phrase is badly picked, there may be disappointingly little natural change.
One variation known as "operator" allows each listener one chance to ask their neighbor for a repetition, as if assistance from the line operator were available by calling that magic word.
The World Record for the largest game of Chinese Whispers was set by entertainer Mac King, January 6, 2004 at Harrah's Las Vegas Casino and involved 614 people.
The game has no objective, and no winner - the entertainment comes from comparing the original and final messages. Even if the line is not completed, the last few people to receive the message can compare this with the original, and some messages will be unrecognizable after only a few steps. Plus, each game has to be tailored.
Besides being a fun game, the meaning created by this activity is the important truth about how easily information can become corrupted by indirect communication. The game has been used in schools to simulate the spread of gossip and its harmful effects, and has implications in many adult topics like bureaucracy, politics and Academia.
A common (likely apocryphal) story in the UK is of a general who sent the message "Send reinforcements, we are going to advance" back to HQ. After passing through many intermediaries it finally arrived as "Send three and fourpence, we are going to a dance".
In "The PTA Disbands", an episode of The Simpsons, Bart attempts to spread "Skinner said the teachers will crack any minute" throughout the crowd of Springfield Elementary School teachers. By the time it reaches Mrs. Zingy will not give refunds if you download Cell Phone Game to incompatible phones or carriers or if your cell phone account is not Internet enabled. Krabappel, it has turned into "Skinner said the teachers will crack any minute, purple monkey dishwasher. "
The following is excerpted from the movie Johnny Dangerously:
Lil: Get this to Johnny on the grapevine. Vermin is going to kill Johnny's brother at the savoy theater tomorrow night. Got it. Polly: Got it. Polly: Vermon is going to kill Johnny's brother at the savoy theater pass it on. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Cell Phone Games for your phone. Prisoner: Vermon is going to kill Johnny's brother at the savoy theater tonight pass it on. Prisoner: Vermon is going to kill Johnny's mother at the savoy theater tonight pass it on. Prisoner: Vermon's mother is going to kill Johnny tonight at the savoy theater pass it on. Prisoner: [gibberish]Prisoner: There's a message on the grapevine Johnny. Johnny: Yeh. What is it?Prisoner: Johnny and the mothers are playin' Stompin At the Savoy in Vermont tonight. 99. Johnny: Vermin's going to kill my brother at the savoy theater tonight. Prisoner: I didn't say that. Johnny: No, but I know this grapevine.From the January 8, 2006 comic strip Zits:
[Frame 1]Mom: [on phone] Sara? It's Connie, Jeremy's mom. Sara: Oh, hi![Frame 2]Mom: [on phone] Jeremy must have turned his cell phone off. Can you give him a message?Sara: Sure![Frame 3]Sara: [on phone] D'ijon? Sara. What is up with this cell phone game? When can I get it and how can I get it?. Tell Jeremy that his mom locked her keys in the car, so he should get a ride home with Hector. D'ijon: Got it. [Frame 4]D'ijon: [on phone] Zuma? D'ijon. Give Jeremy this message. Zuma: 'K. [Frame 5]Zuma: [on phone] Thanks Brittany. Find ring tones, text messages and free logos for your cell phone. Brittany: No problem. I'll pass it on. [Frame 6]Brittany: [on phone] Pierce, I have a message for Jeremy. Pierce: Go. [Frame 7]Pierce: Give Hector a ride home. Your mom locked her cheese in a jar. Cell Phone Games - GameSpot offers news and updates on all of your favorite mobileThis game is also known in various parts of the world as broken telephone, whisper down the lane, gossip
развален телефон (Bulgarian for "broken telephone"). El telfon (Catalan for "the telephone")以訛傳訛 (Chinese for "pass wrong with wrong")pokvareni telefon (Croatian for "broken telephone")tich pošta (Czech for "silent mail")rikkininen puhelin (Finnish for "broken telephone")tlphone arabe (French for "Arabian telephone"). stille Post (German for "silent mail")χαλασμένο τηλέφωνο (Greek for "broken telephone")telefono senza fili (Italian for "telephone without wires")klusie telefoni (Latvian for "silent telephones")głuchy telefon (Polish for "the deaf telephone"). cingular. telefone-sem-fio (Portuguese for "wireless telephone"). telefonul fără fir (Romanian for "telephone without wire")глухой телефон (Russian for "deaf telephone")el telfono estropeado/daado/descompuesto (Spanish for "broken telephone"). viskleken (Swedish for "the whispering game")Gluvi Telefoni (Serbian Just like the Polish version. )Chinese Whispers (UK and Australia)טלפון שבור (Hebrew for "broken telephone")伝言ゲーム (Japanese for "message game")Home Phone and address search Phone system Phone number lookup Phone company Satellite phone Find phone numbers Broadband phone Cell phone game Wireless phone Cell phone ringtone Voip phone system Movie phone Prepaid cell phone cards Local phone service Business phone system Reverse phone book Cordless phone Home phone service Cell phone battery Cell phone wallpaper Blue tooth cell phone Pc to phone Phone search Phone area code Mobile phone software Java game for mobile phone Long distance phone Cell phone directory Cricket Cell Phone Used Cell Phone Long Distance Phone Carrier Cell phone company Free Cell Phone Ringtone Banana phone Trac Phone Unlocked cell phone Online phone book Cell phone number lookup Free Cell Phone Number Search Small Business Phone system International Cell Phone