Daryl Hrdlicka, inventor of Hat Ball and friend of Strange Games, has brought to my attention the game of Blindfolded Musical Chairs as played on a recent episode of the Ellen Degeneres Show. The video below shows how a classic though over-familiar party game can be improved by the addition of a new element, a simple blindfold.
Of course one could go a step further and pair contestants up, bind their ankles together and play 3 Legged Blindman's Musical Chairs.
Human Rubberband
Most of the games and activities we cover at Strange Games require minimal equipment such as a ball or plastic bucket or, often, none at all. Human Rubberband™ is 
different in that to play you are going to have to buy one...but it allows you to play an amazing game.
Human Rubberband™ was founded in 2008 in Reese, Utah and what they are selling is a gigantic rubber band, a massively scaled up version of the common desk accessory. The Human Rubberband™ is 50 inches wide with a diameter of 15 feet!.
The game that you play with it is a cooperative game that requires four players. Each stands inside the band and position themselves so that they form the four corners of a square - the rubber band being at waist level. Now the action begins. One pair of opposing players run towards and past each other and then turn so that they back into the band. The resulting elasticity forces the other two players to perform a similar motion and so on....as long as you can keep it up you do it.
The embedded video should make it perfectly clear, it's a little like a continuous rope bounce that you often see in wrestling bouts although without the final blow of a forearm smash.
Visit the Human Rubberband website here for more information. And take note of one of their warnings:"Excessive speed and force while using this product can lead to serious injury or death"
different in that to play you are going to have to buy one...but it allows you to play an amazing game. Human Rubberband™ was founded in 2008 in Reese, Utah and what they are selling is a gigantic rubber band, a massively scaled up version of the common desk accessory. The Human Rubberband™ is 50 inches wide with a diameter of 15 feet!.
The game that you play with it is a cooperative game that requires four players. Each stands inside the band and position themselves so that they form the four corners of a square - the rubber band being at waist level. Now the action begins. One pair of opposing players run towards and past each other and then turn so that they back into the band. The resulting elasticity forces the other two players to perform a similar motion and so on....as long as you can keep it up you do it.
The embedded video should make it perfectly clear, it's a little like a continuous rope bounce that you often see in wrestling bouts although without the final blow of a forearm smash.
Visit the Human Rubberband website here for more information. And take note of one of their warnings:"Excessive speed and force while using this product can lead to serious injury or death"
Human Blongo Ball
My previous post about Blongo Ball / Hillbilly Golf got me thinking about whether an even better game could be
developed along similar lines. Although Blongo Ball is odd, requires skill and is obviously fun it lacks a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that makes a truly great strange game.
Strange Games is proud to present....Human Blongo Ball. To play you are going to have to make your own bolas. Because of the nature of the game these have to be on a larger scale than the ones used in the standard game. After some experimentation I have developed the perfect bolas. Get an old pair of ladies tights, place a power ball (supa-ball) down each leg and make knots so that the balls stay in the toe area of the tights. Now knot the tights so that the length of material between the two power balls is about 30 inches long. What you end up with is a large hosiery bolas with a power ball encased at each end. Make as many of these as you can.
Now the game....For two players, one has the bolas, the other stands a set distance away with their arms held horizontally out to the side of their body and their feet shoulder-width or more apart. The throwing player now throws his 'weapons' with the aim being to get them to wrap around the other player's arms and legs. 1 point for an arm, 2 for a leg. With a little practice it is possible to get quite skilled and as well as the fun of the game there is joy of watching the expression of the 'target' player....it's as close you will get to the feeling of being a knife thrower's assistant without the danger of being stabbed.
Simple and ever so slightly stupid. You might wish to wear some sort of head protection before playing the game.
developed along similar lines. Although Blongo Ball is odd, requires skill and is obviously fun it lacks a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that makes a truly great strange game.Strange Games is proud to present....Human Blongo Ball. To play you are going to have to make your own bolas. Because of the nature of the game these have to be on a larger scale than the ones used in the standard game. After some experimentation I have developed the perfect bolas. Get an old pair of ladies tights, place a power ball (supa-ball) down each leg and make knots so that the balls stay in the toe area of the tights. Now knot the tights so that the length of material between the two power balls is about 30 inches long. What you end up with is a large hosiery bolas with a power ball encased at each end. Make as many of these as you can.
Now the game....For two players, one has the bolas, the other stands a set distance away with their arms held horizontally out to the side of their body and their feet shoulder-width or more apart. The throwing player now throws his 'weapons' with the aim being to get them to wrap around the other player's arms and legs. 1 point for an arm, 2 for a leg. With a little practice it is possible to get quite skilled and as well as the fun of the game there is joy of watching the expression of the 'target' player....it's as close you will get to the feeling of being a knife thrower's assistant without the danger of being stabbed.
Simple and ever so slightly stupid. You might wish to wear some sort of head protection before playing the game.
Stuck in the Mud Tag & variations
Of the many varieties of tag one of the best is Stuck in the Mud. In case you don't know how to play it...One person is 
'on' and tries to tag the rest of the group. If anyone is caught they must remain standing at the place they were tagged with their legs shoulder width apart. And they remain like this for the rest of the game unless one of the un-tagged players can release them. To do this they must crawl between the immobile players legs whilst avoiding being tagged themselves. With the right number of players the game becomes a frenzied one of avoiding being tagged and trying to release team-mates.
Toilet Tag: I've written about Toilet Tag before but it is such a good variation that I make no apologies for highlighting it again. It is played exactly as Stuck in the Mud except that if you are tagged you have to remain immobile in the 'shape' of a toilet: crouched down, knees bent, with one arm held out to your side. Now to be released your team mates simply have to press down your 'flush arm'.
And from regular Strange Games contributor Daryl Hrdlicka comes a variation requiring only a small puppy! Daryl writes, "My daughter and friends have come up with the game of Puppy Tag. They have a small puppy who loves to run and chase people and jump on them, so the rules are you have to stay in motion as much as possible (no standing still for more than 5 seconds) unless the puppy touches you, in which case you freeze until someone touches you and says "Woof woof". When you run the puppy goes after you, but if you stand still he loses interest so it works out nicely. A good way for everyone to get a lot of exercise. I suppose grownups could play it with a larger dog as well, you just need to make sure it's a friendly one!"
'on' and tries to tag the rest of the group. If anyone is caught they must remain standing at the place they were tagged with their legs shoulder width apart. And they remain like this for the rest of the game unless one of the un-tagged players can release them. To do this they must crawl between the immobile players legs whilst avoiding being tagged themselves. With the right number of players the game becomes a frenzied one of avoiding being tagged and trying to release team-mates.Toilet Tag: I've written about Toilet Tag before but it is such a good variation that I make no apologies for highlighting it again. It is played exactly as Stuck in the Mud except that if you are tagged you have to remain immobile in the 'shape' of a toilet: crouched down, knees bent, with one arm held out to your side. Now to be released your team mates simply have to press down your 'flush arm'.
And from regular Strange Games contributor Daryl Hrdlicka comes a variation requiring only a small puppy! Daryl writes, "My daughter and friends have come up with the game of Puppy Tag. They have a small puppy who loves to run and chase people and jump on them, so the rules are you have to stay in motion as much as possible (no standing still for more than 5 seconds) unless the puppy touches you, in which case you freeze until someone touches you and says "Woof woof". When you run the puppy goes after you, but if you stand still he loses interest so it works out nicely. A good way for everyone to get a lot of exercise. I suppose grownups could play it with a larger dog as well, you just need to make sure it's a friendly one!"
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