Ear Tug of War

Strange Games recently received an e-mail from a reader calling herself Kimberley Clarke - in it she describes a marvellous game that needs just a couple of people and a rubber band. The game is called Ear Tug of War.
Kimberley writes, "Ear Tug of War is extremely simple to play as well as nerve wracking and often painful. For two players. Each stands facing the other as close as possible then a large rubber band is placed over one ear of each player (obviously if the two are facing then the band will be over one person's left ear and the other person's right ear). The players need to stand so that the band is taut at the beginning of the game and once the band is in position the game begins.
The objective is for one player to move their heads so that the band slips from their opponents ears OR causes it to break. No use of the hands is allowed and no contact is allowed- victory must be achieved through head and body motion only."

"Obviously the enjoyment/pain in the game comes from seeing how far you dare move from the other person, trying to get the band off, avoiding it flicking into you or cutting too much into your ear. Often, if a nice strong band is used, both players pull back hard only for the elasticity to cause their heads to hurtle back towards one another."

Mattress Jousting

Pillow Fighting isn't particularly deserving of being classified as a strange game unless you can get people to play it en-masse as in last Saturday's Global Pillow Fight Day
Created by the Urban Playground movement the idea was to hold mass pillow fighting events in as many countries as possible.
The king of strange games using bedroom soft furnishings however has got to be Mattress Jousting. The game is just like it medieval predecessor, only with mattresses. To play get two players, holding their single mattresses in front of their bodies, at either end of a corridor (this is not strictly necessary but it adds to the fun for observers as in the narrow confines of a corridor it is impossible for a strike not to be made). Players can choose to hold the mattress in a shield-like fashion or for the more daring player in a lance type way.
They then run at each other as fast as they can. The player who remains standing, or less bloodied, is declared the winner.