What a Party Game! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charades

Charades can be played by adults or children, or even by mixed teams of various ages. The phrases to be acted out and guessed can be geared toward the age group of the players, both for ease of play and suitability. Various conventional signals are used to indicate the type of phrase or title being portrayed, for example holding the palms together then opening them to indicate a book title, or drawing a rectangle in the air to suggest a television show.

The winners are usually the team that solves the most charades in the quickest time.

Answer: Twister

The game "Twister" was introduced in 1966, and popularized when Johnny Carson and Eva Gabor played it on "The Tonight Show". First produced by Milton Bradley, the game came under the Hasbro umbrella when that company acquired the original company. The idea of the game is to avoid falling over, whilst placing your hands and feet on coloured circles, designated by random spins.

The circles are arranged in rows by colour and as the game progresses players must contort their bodies to reach the next target whilst maintaining contact with previous goals with their other three limbs.

At least two players are needed to have the most fun. With more than four things can become very complicated. The last player to fall over, or touch the mat with a knee or elbow, is the winner.

Answer: Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Pin the Tail on the Donkey is most popular at children's parties, though adults could play it if they wanted a return to childhood. The blindfolded player is spun around a few times, then pointed in the general direction of a drawing of a donkey that is missing its tail.

The player has said tail, and a pin, in their hand, and walks forward with hand outstretched until they find the target and affix the tail to it with the pin. The winner is the player who places the tail closest to the anatomically correct spot on the drawing.

Answer: London Bridge

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down..." is the beginning of the ditty that children sing as players pass under the arch. When the verse ends the arch falls and whoever is caught is out of the procession, and waits on one side while the process is repeated.

This is almost exclusively a game for children to play at their parties. The end game varies, sometimes resulting in a game of tag wherein the two players who were the bridge catch two "prisoners" who will form the bridge for the next round.

Another possible outcome is for the players caught to be divided into teams for a tug of war at the end. Determining an actual winner seems not to be all that important.

Answer: Pictionary

"Pictionary" was introduced in 1985 by Angel Games, though the rights later passed to Hasbro, and then on to Mattel. The recommended minimum age for the game, which is similar to charades, but with drawings, is eight. Cards that contain the words to be drawn are selected as teams move their markers around the game board, and players must take turns being the "artist" for their team.

The winner is the team to solve a drawing once they have reached the final space on the board.

Answer: Simon Says

The whole idea of this game is that unless Simon says to do something, you don't do it. If you do, you are out and the game continues without you. One player gets to be the person who tells the others what to do, or more precisely, what "Simon says" they are to do.

Although this is mostly a children's game, played in schoolyards as well as at parties, it could be quite amusing if played by slightly inebriated adults.

Answer: Piņata

Piņatas are hollow and filled with candy, toys or a combination of the two and take various shapes. Often associated with Mexico, they are made of some sort of easily breakable material, like papier mache or pottery. The idea is for the blindfolded player to flail about with their bat (or stick) until they make contact with the piņata.

After several good strikes, the piņata should break, releasing the treats inside for all the participants to gather and enjoy. Though not strictly a 'game', the result is that everyone wins something (if they are quick enough).

Answer: Who Am I?

The scraps of paper have names written on them, usually of famous people. Each person has to guess whose name is on their own forehead, by asking questions of other people at the party. Answers may be only "yes" or "no", and a numerical limit, say 20, is usually set on the questions. If a winner needs to be declared, the person who guesses who they are in the fewest questions would be a good way of determining who that is.

This would be more suitable for adults than for children, though an adaptation could be made using characters from nursery rhymes or children's stories, as long as players are old enough to read the names.

Answer: Limbo

Although sometimes regarded as a form of dance, limbo contests were all the rage at parties in my youth. A major reason for this was Chubby Checker's hit song "Limbo Rock" that came out in 1962, which brought the Trinidadian custom to a much wider audience.

The line "How low can you go?" from the song sums up the object of the contest: shimmy under the limbo bar, face up, without knocking it off. Do so at ever lower heights successfully, winning when you are the only person able to limbo under the bar.

Answer: What's in Your Purse?

This game is normally played at baby showers, where the guests are most likely to be women, most of whom have purses with them. A list of items is read out and players receive a point for each one they have in their purse. Some items are very common (like keys), while others are less so (a fork, perhaps?).

The winner is the person with the most points. Although most will have a purse, I once did quite well at this game, as a purseless teenager, having been allowed to use the items in my jeans pockets and wallet!