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NO DARTS NEEDED - BOO-LOON POP GAME - SETUP & DIRECTIONS
The video below shows a young boy tossing a bean bag at a ghost game board to pop attached white balloons.
Supplies for Halloween Balloon Pop
 Large Piece of 1/2 inch thick Plywood
White and Black Acrylic Paint
12 or more Bean Bags
50 Medium Sized Clothespins
50 - 1 inch, thin nails for attaching the Clothespins
25 - 50 Tacks (roughed up with sandpaper)
Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue Sticks (for adults to use)
250 or more White Balloons
50 or more Black Balloons
2 or more Large Garbage Sacks (for holding inflated balloons)
Stand Behind Lines or Traffic Cones
Bungee Cords for Securing Board - necessary if used outside
Ticket Box and Game Sign
Consolation Prizes - Halloween Prizes are Great FUN and Top Prizes for the winners
If your game is at dusk or at night, white lights in a string for Ghost outline can be really fun - optional
Instructions for this DIY Halloween Game:
Many days (or weeks) before your carnival draw out the shape of a ghost on your plywood and paint your plywood with black and white paint.
After the paint drys, have an adult attach the medium-sized clothespins to the board.
Note: each clothespin needs to be attached using the thin nail and attached on its side (see image below) about 8 inches apart.
Note: Our first try was using hooks for the balloons, but the wind blew them off the board. Next, we tried hot glue and clothespins - but sometimes, when players tossed bean bags, they hit a clothespin, and a balloon flew off! By attaching the clothespins on their side using a nail it eliminates the problem!
For the balloons to pop when kids throw a bean bag, you must have a hot tack glued to the board. The best placement we found was to put the tacks about 4 - 5 inches below the bottom of each clothespin using hot glue. If the tack is "dead center" under the balloon, the balloons may be too easy to pop! You can also make some of the tacks "off center" by about 2 - 3 inches to make this game a little bit more challenging!
Game Setup:
A few days before your event, have some volunteers blow up balloons and store in oversized garbage sacks.
Before your carnival, decide where you will set up your game and secure it using bungee cords if placed outside leaning on a tree (see photo above)
Set up your different "stand behind" lines for different-age children.
How to Play the BOO-Loon Pop Carnival Game:
Players are given 3 Bean Bags for a chance to throw a beanbag and pop a balloon (or more) to win a top prize.
0 balloons popped = a consolation prize
1 balloon popped = a medium prize
2 or more balloons popped = a top prize
Please test this game with a few dozen throws to ensure it is not too easy or hard! Generally, you want 1 in 10 kids to win a top prize. So... when giving three chances for each player, that is 30 bean bag tosses to pop a balloon! If the game is too easy, require that they pop two balloons instead of just 1 to win a top prize!
Kids line up in droves to play this fun, alternative dart balloon game!
Additional Hints & Tips:
Note: For younger children, give them four bean bags or let them stand 2 - 3 feet closer to the board so they have a chance to win at this game, too!
Let's Keep All Children Safe! Follow the guidelines of the Consumer Product Safety Commission with regard to balloons and young children. Click here to download this child balloon safety pdf.
Allergy Information: People who have severe latex allergies can react to bursting balloons. For schools or churches, it may be wise to talk with administrators to verify all child allergies first. Also, consider changing this game to the "Ghost Bean Bag Toss." Cut holes out for the eyes and mouth for the tossing bean bags instead of popping balloons!
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