Name The Game

The publicity chairman should provide leadership in creating a theme for your event.
Examples are : Harvest Festival, Mini-Mardis Gras, June Jamboree, and so on.
The identity will help the committee create a setting and environment that matches the spirit of the carnival.
Each booth should be clearly identified.
The name of the game can be descriptive of what actually takes place at that booth.

Below are some ideas for games. The usual number for an average event are 15-20 Games.

Wet Sponge Toss
Hang an ordinary sheet across the back of a booth, Cut a hole in the sheet large enough, and at the proper height, for a persons' head to go through. The volunteer can be made up as a clown, or any other character.
The wet sponges are tossed by each player. A direct hits wins.

Big Game Hunt
Five lighted candles are placed securely on a flat, metal pan atop a table.
Space the candles 2 to 3 in. apart. The players try to put out the candles with a squirt gun,
shooting until empty. You'll need a supply of candles and a good squirt gun.

Treasure Chest
The child puts one hand into a large chest filled with sawdust. An assortment of prizes
is concealed in the chest. The player gets the prize pulled out.
Use a trunk or decorate a large corrugated box. Use enough sawdust to hide the prizes.

Pie Toss
Hang a bike tire about shoulder height. The object is to sail a paper plate through the hoop
from a distance of 6 feet. 2 wins in 3 tries takes a prize.

Baseball Throw
Place 3 slightly weighted plastic bottles on a flat surface at the back of the booth.
Space them 2-3 inches apart. Players get three throws for on ticket.
One knock-down gets a prize. If all the bottles are downed, give an extra bonus ticket.
Use small, empty plastic juice bottles and small hard balls.

Saucer Lagoon
Float a plastic saucer in a tub of water,grease the top of the saucer with petroleum
jelly. Players pitch 3 pennies at the saucer from a distance of 4 feet. If a penny stays
in the saucer, it takes a prize. Give bonus tickets, for perfect scores.

Dart Toss
Attach balloons to the front of a large corkboard. Players get 3 darts per ticket.
Two busted balloons take a prize.
( Booth workers should stand a safe distance away )

Pound The Nail
Insert a spike or large nail in a heavy board or log. The player gets 5 hammer strokes
to drive it into the wood. Give 1 prize ticket to winners.
Have a supply of wood, nails and a good hammer.

Gold Panning
Fill a long trough with fine sand. Bury 1-red, 2 -blue and 10-white poker chips.
The player takes one pass through the sand with a small sifter.
A white chip gets a consolation prize, blue gets 1 prize ticket and red wins 2.
Give additional free ties if the player misses completely.

Doll Walk
A large circle is drawn on the ground and divided, pie-like, into several numbered
sections. each player "pays" 1 ticket to occupy a section. When the circle is filled
with waiting players,the booth worker starts a record or radio and the players
march around the circle. After a short time, the music is suddenly ended and the
players stop in position.  The booth worker draws a slip from the box. the slops are marked
with numbers that correspond to the sections. The drawn slip wins a doll for
the child in that section. The prize doll should be on permanent display.
Be sure to give consolation prizes to the losers.

Buried Treasure
Fill a 12 " square container with fine sand or sawdust.
The player inserts a hand and locates one of three poker chips:
red, white or blue. Any color chips wins corresponding prize displayed in the booth.

Rifle Range
Place home-made cardboard targets atop a row of upside-down Styrofoam cups.
Get a safe, fairly accurate dart gun and give each player 3 shots.
1 hit wins a prize and 3 hits get bonus tickets.

Goldfish Bowl
Arrange a group of fish bowls 4-feet away. The player gets 3 ping pong ball tosses.
One direct hit wins a prize.

Pot Ball
3 large flower pots are lined up front to rear.
The player bounces a tennis ball into a pot from 3 to 4 feet away.
3 balls for 1 ticket. Two bulls eyes takes a prize.

Putting Green
Set-up a 12 foot long strip of indoor- outdoor carpet. Place various obstacles
along the strip. The cup can be a small empty tin can lying on it's side and fastened
to the carpet. A hole-in-one wins 3 prize tickets, a deuce gets 1.
Give a consolation prize for 3 or more strokes.

Tin Target
Nail several tin cans, open-end-up to a board. Players try to pitch bottle caps into the cups
from 4 feet away (could use checkers) Give 3 tries per ticket.
Two out of Three hits win a prize.

Fishing Game
A large tub is filled with water.
1-red, 2-blue, 10-white metal fish are placed in the tub.
The player uses a fishing pole with line holding a magnet. Catch a red fish
and bag 3 prize tickets. Blue gets 2 and white a consolation prize.

Tic Tac Toe
Cement wood or cardboard strips into a shallow box to make 9 sections of
equal size, resembling a tic-tac-toe game. The player tosses 3 balls and must fill
3 sections running in a straight line to win.

Fish Pond
Build a simple 3 walled plywood enclosure 6-feet high and 8-feet across. Decorate it with an
ocean theme: fish, mermaids, seaweed, etc. Cut 2 holes in the long wall at a height of 5-feet,
spaced about 5-feet apart. Mark one hole "girls" the other "boys".
Children get a fishing pole with line and a hook made from a coat hanger.
The kids push the pole through the hole and the booth worker, concealed on the other
side, attaches a prize to the hook.

Basketball
Mount a hoop on a board and set it up at the back of the booth.
You can give 3 throws a ticket. At least 1 basket must be made to win. Give a bonus
for perfect scores.

Marble Shoot
Players try to shoot marbles into a tin can lying on it's side.
3 out 5 into the can wins a prize. Shoot from 4 to 5 feet away.

Add Up Cans
From a distance of 5-feet, toss 5 tennis balls into large cans having point values.
For example : 3,4,5,6 and 7. High score cans should be in back. A total of 12 points or
over wins a prize, 25 or over gets a big bonus.
2 tickets buys 5 balls.

Ping Pong Toss
Line-up 6 egg cartons atop a low table or bench. Paint each carton a different color.
The player tosses 3 ping-pong-balls from a distance of 2-3 feet. Three balls
in the same carton wins.

Fortune Telling
The booth worker wears the gayest, brightest possible clothing complete with
a bandana and large earrings. Use an inverted glass globe for the crystal ball,
preferably translucent. A deck of cards may also be used.
All players get a happy reading and a prize.

Clown Toss
Draw a life-size clown on a sturdy board and cut out the area of his mouth.
Bean bags are thrown from 4 to 5 feet away. One bag through his mouth gets a prize.
Another version is ring toss. Fasten a hook or a peg to the clowns nose and the
player tosses plastic rings.

Bell Ringer
Throw a baseball-size rubber ball through an 18-inch diameter ring mounted like a basketball
hoop, but not quite as high. A bell is attached to the top of the ring. In 3 tries, the player
must get the ball through the hoop once without  ringing the bell.
 

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