Carnival Game Idea - DIY Lollipop Tree!

Sturdy Base for a Handmade Wooden Lollipop Tree.

The Tree Above is Made from Pegboard in a Pyramid Shape.

DIY LOLLIPOP TREE GAME - SETUP & DIRECTIONS

(Short Carnival Savers video/gif shows a girl picking a lollipop from a lollipop tree game.)

Supplies for Lollipop Tree Game:

Peg Board (#EarnsCommissions) or Large Piece of Plywood
Nails and/or Screws
Drill with Drill Bits (if you use plywood)
Jig Saw and other woodworking tools
2 x 4 Wood Boards (for a stand for some designs)
Acrylic Paint - assorted colors
One lollipop for each carnival player
1 or 2 other medium/top carnival prizes
Permanent colored markers (stamp pad or food coloring in a small dish) to mark the bottom of the lollipop sticks

Make This Game:

There are many ways to make a homemade lollipop tree and they can come in many different shapes and sizes too!

For the top image above, a volunteer skilled in woodworking would design a tree shape and cut the shape with woodworking tools out of the piece of plywood.
Next, the volunteer would design a stand that would enable the tree to stand upright (with a slight lean) and be stable as to not fall over with a gust of wind.
Then, the holes for the lollipops will need to be drilled (you want them large enough to accommodate the stick of the lollipop without being so large that the pops slide out.
Finally, the tree is decorated with paint and allowed to completely dry before being used for the carnival.

If using a Peg Board, we have seen triangular pieces of pegboard being attached in a pyramid shape and painted to be a small tabletop lollipop tree.
You can also cut it into a shape and set it up as frame as above, just keep in mind that pegboard is a little flimsy so the size of the tree is typically smaller or needs a very sturdy frame for the edges if you use pegboard.

Game Setup:

Before the carnival, count the number of top or medium prizes you have chosen for this booth.

Mark the end of the stick of a lollipop for each medium or top prize - of course, you will choose two different colors to distinguish between the medium prize or the top prize

For example, let us say you chose to give away 48 Ice Cream Cone Shooters as the medium prize and 24 Stuffed Animal Long Armed Apes as the Top Prize.

You mark the end of 48 lollipop sticks with red coloring and mark the end of 24 of the lollipops with a blue color.

Make sure the marked lollipops are evenly mixed in with the unmarked pops.

(Top carnival prize winners should be about 10% - 20% of all players).

How to Play the Lollipop Tree Carnival Game:

Each player chooses a lollipop from the lollipop tree. Every player gets to keep the lollipop they choose!

But, (in keeping with the example above), if the lollipop has a red mark on the end of the stick, then the player gets to keep the lollipop they picked AND an Ice Cream Cone Shooter.

If a player chooses a lollipop from the tree and it has a blue mark on the bottom of the stick, then the player gets to keep the lollipop and they will also be awarded a Long Armed Ape as they won the top prize!

This is one of those carnival booths we have seen folks really goof up! If you have a "just for fun" carnival, and you are not taking tickets for this booth, be sure to tell kids that they are allowed to choose one lollipop only!

In our experience, if this game is run without tickets, the kids will pull lollipops until they find a winning color at the end of the stick unless they understand that they are allowed one lollipop per turn.

Additional Hints & Tips:

Note: It is a fantastic idea to hold some of the marked lollipops for later in your carnival so all of the winning suckers are not chosen before your event is over!

Safety Note: This booth is popular for small children - you may wish to have individual bags of animal crackers on hand. If a toddler wins, let the parents decide if the little one receives the top prize or a bag of animal crackers (in addition to the lollipop they choose from the tree).