Sponge Ball Tic Tac Toe Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 4 sponge balls for 50 ¢

Goal: Land 3 balls in a diagonal, vertical or horizontal line

Win:

Diagonal, vertical or horizontal line = Large prize No line = Consolation prize

Player is given 4 sponge balls to throw in the box. To be a winner, 3 balls must land in either a diagonal, vertical or horizontal line. Adjust distance from the target according to the age level of the player.

Cut a 12" x 12" x 12" cardboard box down to 4" in height. Keep extra cardboard. Cut four strips of cardboard 11 3/4" x 3". These will be used to make the squares for the balls to land in. Interlock the four strips of cardboard and place inside box as shown in the picture.

Using the extra cardboard, cut three 12" x 8" pieces and slide each piece down into the box along each side, leaving the front side open. Bend each panel. Cut triangular pieces to fit into the corners between the panels and tape them to the panels. This will keep the balls inside the box and will also hold the top pieces in place at an angle. Using a marker or crayon, label the game as shown in the picture and have fun!

Supplies:
3" Sponge Balls. Safe and fun for indoor activities.  Assorted colors in a netted bag.

Baseball Throw Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 3 throws for 1 ticket

Goal: Throw 3 rubber baseballs through the target

Win: 3 balls through = Large prize 2 balls through = Medium prize 1 ball through = Small prize 0 balls through = Consolation prize

This can be a great class project. Have your class paint a clown face on a 3' x 4' piece of plywood or heavy corrugated cardboard. Cut a 7" hole for the mouth. Place the board approximately 7' from where the player will throw. Each player receives 3 throws. The prize awarded corresponds to the number of rubber baseballs thrown through the target. Have plenty of balls available and close to the area to keep the game moving quickly. Have a backstop of some type to control loose balls.

Ring Toss Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 3 rings for 50 ¢

Goal: Hook 3 rings on the animals nose.

Win:
3 rings - Large Prize
2 rings - Medium Prize
1 ring - Small Prize
0 ring - Consolation Prize

Supplies:
22" Inflate dolphin ring toss game. Includes one dolphin inflate and four 6" plastic rings.

Raffle Booth

Adults enjoy raffles and you will enjoy the profits! You can run raffles at various times throughout the day, offering a wide variety of prizes to keep everyone playing. This is a great opportunity for one of your carnival clowns to get the attention he/she really deserves! If possible, have some type of public announcement system set up in your booth and have your clown be the announcer.

Let the crowd know what you are going to raffle and how much time is left before the next drawing. Have several booth workers walk the carnival grounds selling raffle tickets for each drawing. Items such as dolls, light-up roses, large plush animals and food such as hams, salami and cakes are all popular prizes for this booth.

Look through the Oriental Trading Company catalogs for a wide variety of larger raffle prizes. This can be a real moneymaker, so have lots of booth workers signed up, psyched and ready to go!

Milk Bottle Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 3 throws for 50 ¢

Goal: Knock all 3 bottles down

Win:
3 bottles with 1 throw = Large prize
3 bottles with 2 throws = Medium prize
3 bottles with 3 throws = Small prize
1 - 2 bottles with 3 throws = Consolation prize

Player stands 5' - 8' from counter and has 3 throws to knock down all three milk bottles. If player succeeds on one throw, they are awarded a Large prize. If not, player gets 2 more throws to knock down remaining bottles and wins prize value according to how many throws it took.

Variation

Usual Charge:1 throws for 50 ¢
Goal: Knock down all 3 bottles with one throw
Win:
Medium, Large or Jumbo prize

Player stands 5' - 8' from counter. Player gets one throw to knock down all 3 bottles. By knocking down all 3 on the first throw player wins a Medium prize or the option to trade up the prize and play round 2 for another 50 ¢. In round 2, if the player knocks down all three bottles on one throw, the player wins a Large prize and advances to round 3 for one free throw. If the player wins round 3, the player trades up the Large prize for a Jumbo prize. If the player loses in round 1, they receive a Consolation prize. If the player loses in round 2 or 3, they keep the previous prize already won.

Suggested Poster:
Round 1 for 50 ¢ - Wins! -
Medium prize Round 2 for 50 ¢ - Wins!
Trade up for a Large prize and A FREE ROUND
Round 3 free throw - Wins! - Trade up for a JUMBO PRIZE!

Supplies:
4" Vinyl foam-filled footballs. Assorted neon colors. (1 dozen per display box)

Hat Booth

Hats are a carnival favorite. Sun hats, cowboy and western hats, sombreros, stovepipe hats and visors are just a few of the popular hats found at carnivals.

Look at the selection of hats we have at OTC and check out the prices! You'll be sure to make a profit on each hat. Have different hats than those being used as prizes at other booths.

Football Throw Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 3 throws for 50 ¢

Goal:  Throw all 3 footballs through the tire

Win:

3 balls through = Large prize
2 balls through = Medium prize
1 ball through = Small prize
0 balls through = Consolation prize

Hang a tire shoulder height about 8' - 12' from where the player will stand. Each player receives 3 throws. The prize awarded corresponds to the number of footballs thrown through the tire. Be sure to have plenty of footballs available and close to the throwing area to keep the game moving quickly. Have a back stop of some type to control loose balls. For older players, gently spin the tire for added difficulty.

Carnival Food Sales

This is a sure way to make a profit. For a small fee you can keep everyone happy while serving up some great treats. Find that volunteer who loves to cook. Hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on an outside grill will fill the air with that great barbeque aroma. You'll have 'em coming back for more. Popcorn, nachos, and pizza are also very popular food items.

Desserts and sweets like cotton candy, homemade cookies, candied apples and candy are always a hit. Be sure to have plenty of beverages to last the day. Soda pop and bottled water are a must, especially on hot summer days. An ethnic food table is another way to get everyone in your organization involved. Let everyone be a chef and show off their specialties!

Helpful Hints: When serving food and beverages, have plenty of napkins handy. If possible, use paper cups, paper plates and plastic utensils. Locate trash containers close to all food and beverage booths. This will make clean-up quick and easy. Make popcorn ahead of time and have it bagged before the carnival begins. Staple the bags shut.

Fish Pond Carnival Game

This is a great game for young children. Requires very little skill and the player is always a winner!

Usual Charge: 1 ticket

Goal: catch a prize

Win: one prize every time

Place a decorated board approximately 4'- 5' high at the front of the booth. Divide the board into a boys and girls side. Make a fishing pole and attach about 3' of string to one end. Attach a clothespin to the end of the string. Have one worker take the ticket from the player in front of the board and give them the pole. A second worker behind the board attaches the prize. Have several fishing poles available so more than one person may play at a time.

Dart Throw Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 3 darts for 50 ¢

Goal: Land darts on target

Win:

Black ring = Large prize
Red ring = Medium prize
Blue ring = Small prize
No rings = Consolation prize

On a large cardboard box, draw an 18" circle as your target. Divide the circle into three 6" rings. Color bull's-eye, or inside ring black, middle ring red and outer ring blue. Place the box on a table and weight it down so it does not tip over. Player stands 5' from target. Move older players farther back. Player gets 3 tries to land a dart on the target. Prize awarded corresponds to color ring hit. If more than one color ring is hit, award highest prize. It is a good idea to make 2 or 3 extra box targets for the duration of the carnival. Use darts only under adult supervision.

Variation: Award a Jumbo prize for 3 bull's-eyes.

Supplies: 5 1/8 " Plastic darts. Each with metal tips. (36 pcs. per unit).

Cake Walk Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 50¢ per play

Game Set-up: There are two different ways to set up this game. Set chairs in a circle, or if chairs are not available, use masking tape and mark a large area of the floor with squares in a large circle format. Number each chair or square with a different number. Put the same numbers on pieces of paper and put them in a box.

Players walk around the circle to music. When the music is stopped, players sit in the chair or stand on the square closest to them. A number is drawn from a box. The person sitting in the chair or standing in the square with the same number wins.

The winner is awarded a pastry or prize. Not all numbers need to be played to start the game. If no one is sitting or standing on the number drawn, there is no winner for that game. To start a new game, clear the game area and collect tickets each time.

All cakes and pastries should be donated for this game. Pure profit every time!

Or if you want to give out prizes, plush toys and dolls are very popular.

Bowling Carnival Game

An excellent game for indoor carnivals.

Usual Charge: 2 rolls for 50 ¢

Goal: Knock down as many pins as possible

Win:

9 - 10 pins down = Large prize
7 - 8 pins down = Medium prize
5 - 6 pins down = Small prize
None - 4 pins down = Consolation prize

Set up pins in a normal bowling manner. Make a line with tape for the player to stand behind. Player gets 2 rolls to knock down as many pins as possible. Prize awarded corresponds to number of pins knocked down. Length of your alley depends upon how much room you have. Move younger players closer to the pins.

Variation:  Offer a Jumbo prize for a strike on first roll.

Supplies: Plastic Giant Bowling Set. Includes ten 8 1/2 " pins and two 4" balls. Each set in a poly bag with header.

Bean Bag Toss Carnival Game

Usual Charge: 3 throws for 1 ticket

Goal: Throw 3 beanbags through target

Win: 3 balls through = Large prize
2 balls through = Medium prize
1 ball through = Small prize
0 balls through = Consolation prize

Brightly paint a 2' x 4' sheet of plywood and cut 3 holes. Smaller players stand 3' - 5' from game and try to toss each bean bag through a hole. Move older player farther back accordingly.

Variation: Cut three holes in a large box and give each hole a point value of 5, 10, and 15 points. Player tosses all three bean bags and adds total points. Total of 35 - 45 points wins a Large prize, 20 - 30 points wins a Medium prize, 10 - 15 points wins a Small prize, 5 points or less wins a Consolation prize.

Variation: Nail or screw different-sized buckets or cans onto a piece of plywood. Paint them different colors. Award prizes according to the color of bucket the bags land inside.

Basketball Carnival Game

A great game for all ages but especially good for teens and adults.

Usual Charge: 3 tosses for 50 ¢

Goal: Make a basket on all three tosses

Win: Three baskets = Large prize
Two baskets = Medium prize
One basket = Small prize
No baskets = Consolation prize

Adjust the distance to the hoop according to the skill and age level of each player. Each player receives 3 tosses. The prize awarded corresponds to the number of baskets made. Be sure to have plenty of basketballs available and close off the throwing area with pennants to keep the game moving quickly. Have a back stop of some type to control loose balls.

Balloon Tag Carnival Game

A great game for young children. Requires very little skill and everyone is a winner.

Usual Charge: 50 ¢

Goal: Throw dart until 1 balloon is broken

Win: Consolation, Small, Medium, and Large prizes

On a 4' x 4' piece of plywood, draw horizontal and vertical lines 6" square. At each intersection of lines, (49 total) insert cup hooks. Prepare 150 tags. Mark 80 tags with a C (for consolation prize), 45 tags with S (for small prize), 15 tags with M (for medium prize) and 10 tags with L (for large prize). On the hooks, randomly place 3 L tags, 5 M tags, 15 S tags and 27 C tags facing toward the board so the letters cannot be seen. Keep the remaining tags in a box.

Place an inflated 4" balloon on each hook. Place the board upright approximately 5' from the front of the booth where the player will throw from. The player throws a dart until a balloon is broken. The letter on the hook of the broken balloon determines what level of prize the player wins.

Replace the tag with one from the box and replace the broken balloon. The profit of this game can be controlled by manipulating the number of corresponding tags. For example, higher percentage of S tags means higher profit.

Lollipop Carnival Game

A great game for young children. Requires very little skill and everyone is a winner.

Usual Charge: 1 ticket for 25 ¢

Goal: Pull one lollipop from the tree

Win: Blue stem = Large prize
Red stem = Medium prize
Green stem = Small prize
Unmarked stem = Consolation prize

From cardboard, construct a 4-sided box, each side 30" high and 20" wide. On each side of the box punch 10 rows of small holes, 5 holes in each row (50 holes per side). Stagger the holes so the box looks full when the suckers are added. Using a colored marker, mark the stems of each lollipop as follows: 10 stems blue, 30 stems red, 60 stems green and leave 100 stems unmarked.

Randomly place the lollipops in the slots of the box. The player receives the lollipop pulled and the prize that corresponds with the color of the stem. Refill the slots with a lollipop having the same color stem as pulled. Variation: Color 1 out of every 100 lollipops black and award a Jumbo prize when that color is pulled.

Helpful Hints for a Successful Carnival

Through many years of helping organizations plan their carnivals, we have found that the secret to success is planning and organization. Here are ideas and important things to consider when getting ready for your carnival.

1. Consolation prizes: Every booth should give a consolation prize, especially when children are playing. Let everybody feel like a winner. The more fun they have, the more they will continue to play.
2. Location: Avoid dirt areas, which can be dusty or muddy. Grass fields, athletic tracks and parking lots make good outdoor locations.
3. Preparation: Before the carnival, test your games to be sure they are being operated properly. Booth workers should be adults, or responsible teenagers. If possible, let volunteers play the games in advance. Make sure they fully understand the responsibilities of their jobs.
4. Tickets: When setting prices for your tickets, take your community's economic environment into consideration. If you offer tickets in more than one denomination (25 cents and 50 cents for example) use different ticket colors for the denominations to reduce confusion.
5. Profit or Non-profit: Decide what your objective is - do you want to run your carnival with plans of breaking even, or as a means of raising money for your organization?
6. Organization: Before the carnival, meet with booth volunteers and review the following: Location of booth, Work schedule, date & time, Rules of the game, Charge per play, Consolation, small, medium, large & jumbo prizes.
7. Keep prizes secure: Place them in a box under a table within the booth. Restock booths running short of prizes. Do not take prizes from other booths. When the carnival closes, gather and count all left over prizes.
8. Order Early: Place your carnival order three or four weeks before the event. Once delivered, organize and sort prizes and supplies by booth.