Capital Times -Madison
Mike Ivey
October, 2003
USA

Madison-based Out of the Box Publishing has quietly turned into one of the fastest-growing board game companies in the nation.

Now the company is hoping to cash in on the popularity of Michael Feldman's "Whad'Ya Know?" with a new board game based on the public radio quiz show. The show airs on more than 315 stations and is heard by some1.5 million listeners weekly.  

The game was launched this week and sells for $20, including a Feldman bobblehead doll. It should be available soon in some 2,000 retail outlets, including Barnes & Noble.  

Designed for four to 10 players, the Whad'Ya Know? game has everybody playing some role from the show at every turn, with the roles rotating. One person is the host, others are contestants, the rest audience.  

"The content of the game is all culled from the show," said Mark Osterhaus, president of Out of the Box Publishing. The questions, for example, include, "What percentage of American women do not own a pair of blue jeans?" And, "How long will a car engine run without any oil?" "It's not so much about having knowledge of trivia as being able to reason through the questions," said Osterhaus, 48.  

Feldman, who is in St. Louis for a live broadcast today, is expected to give the game a big plug on an upcoming show. A giveaway of Feldman bobblehead dolls will also be a part of the kickoff. The game may also be offered as a premium during public radio fund-raisers.  

While Feldman's show is the hook, the mechanics of the game were crafted by John Kovalic, artistic director for Out of the Box. There's a link there because Kovalic's wife, Judith Heise Kovalic, is the radio show's marketing director.  It's also the first game produced by the company under license. Whad'Ya Know? and NOTMUCH.COM are exclusive trademarks of Feldman, who will receive royalty payments from game sales.  

If the game approaches the popularity of Apples to Apples, it could bring some decent money. That card game was chosen Party Game of the Year by Games magazine in 1999.  

Out of the Box now offers close to 30 board and card games, with products available in Europe and Japan. Osterhaus said the company's philosophy is that games should be fun and easy to play, hence the name. "Games provide delightful diversions to our lives but, most importantly, games bring us together -- for real entertainment with real people," he said.  

And, by the way, Osterhaus said about 25 percent of American women do not own a pair of blue jeans. Imagine that.

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