Lollipop Tree - Carnival Game Idea!

Every Child Wins a Pop - Some Win a Top Prize Too!

Lollipops Lean Down... BUT Work Fine for the Game!

LOLLIPOP GAME TO BUY - SETUP & DIRECTIONS

Short Carnival Savers video/gif shows a young girl picking a lollipop from a lollipop tree and celebrating her choice.

Supplies for Lollipop Tree Game:

Cardboard Lollipop Tree - Shucks... these have been discontinued - CLICK HERE to see a DIY Lollipop Tree
Small Lollipops - one for each player 
A way to mark the ends of some of the lollipop sticks (marker, ink pad, or food coloring)
Table, Tablecloth, Ticket Box, and Game Sign
Clear packing tape (optional - but recommended for a breezy day)
1 or 2 other top carnival prizes - typically a large colorful lollipop or other top carnival prize

Game Setup:

Before the carnival, count the number of grand prizes.

Mark the end of the stick of one lollipop for each grand prize. Make sure the marked lollipops are evenly mixed in with the unmarked pops.

Place pops on the tree after you set your table up and you are ready for your carnival. (Do not add lollipops to the tree and then try to transport the tree as the weight of the pops on the cardboard tree makes transferring difficult and pops seem to fall out!

Tip: If setting up outside on a breezy day, use your clear packing tape to tape over the bottom 1 inch or so of the tree directly on the table or tablecloth to prevent your tree from blowing over. (this worked great for us when we set up outdoors on a gusty day)

Note: At a school carnival we assisted with, we had 48 stuffed animals as a top prize for our lollipop tree. Our carnival lasted 4 hours so we put 12 winning lollipops in the lollipop tree at the beginning of each hour - to make sure our top prizes did not disappear before the end of the carnival!

How to Play the Lollipop Tree Game:

Each player chooses one lollipop from the lollipop tree. Each player gets to keep the lollipop they choose. 
But, if the lollipop has a colored mark on the end of the stick, then the player gets to keep the lollipop they picked AND a top prize!

*Top carnival prize winners should be about 10% - 20% of all players if this game is set up for a fundraising carnival.

Additional Hints & Tips:

If you are planning a carnival for the first time, this is an inexpensive and easy-to-set-up game! We love that the winners are predictable, and the cost of the tree is very reasonable for almost any church, school, or fundraising carnival!

For example, if you only have enough in your budget to purchase 24 top prizes, you know you will not run out as you will only mark 24 lollipops with coloring on the bottom of the stick and just add the winning pops to the tree throughout the carnival.

Do you want to make a large homemade lollipop tree? Check out our DIY Lollipop Tree page for pictures of handmade trees typically made of wood or pegboard.

If this is for a winter carnival or Christmas Carnival, see our brand new Holiday Christmas Lollipop Tree!

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).