Crazy Hats Game - Perfect for School Carnivals!

Hats Need the Water Jugs to Prevent Tipping.

Small Hula Hoops Work Best for this Game.

CRAZY HATS GAME - SETUP & DIRECTIONS

Short Carnival Savers video/gif shows felt stovepipe hats placed in a row with a young girl tossing plastic hoops over them.

Supplies for this Indoor / Outdoor Game:

4 Assorted Felt Pipe Hats (see below)
1 Gallon Water (or Milk Jugs) with lids - filled with water
4 (or more) Large Plastic Rings
Stand Behind Lines - (we used plastic cones) Sidewalk chalk also works on concrete - or painter tape works well if set up indoors
Assorted Prizes*
4 Prize Buckets or baskets to hold each prize

* Typically 4 different prizes are chosen - 2 consolation type, 1 medium and 1 top prize. Each prize corresponds to a different hat. (see examples below)

Game Setup Before the Carnival:

Preparation for this game is simple.

First, you place your water jugs about 2 and 1/2 - 3 feet apart in a straight line behind your designated "stand behind" line area. Next, add the StovePipe Hats on top of each jug of water and your "stand behind" lines and your game is ready to roll!

As far as the prizes, each prize coordinates to how many hats are "looped". So mark your prize buckets with "Green/White Striped Hat Prize", "Red/White Striped Hat Prize", "Blue/White Striped Hat Prize", Rainbow Striped Hap Prize".

Like all games, we recommend that you have some different "stand behind" lines if you anticipate children of all different ages playing your game.

For example, is is ideal to allow preschool children to stand a little closer and/or for older children (like 4th and 5th graders and up) to have a line a few feet back.

Of course, if this game is for a group of teenagers one line would be fine.

How to Play the Crazy Hats Carnival Game:

The goal of this game is to loop all 4 colorful hats, in order, with the 4 small Hula Hoops.

Each player is given 4 hula hoops with the opportunity to "hoop" each hat in order. Carnival players use their first hula hoop to toss it over the hat to win the first prize. Note: If they did not hoop the first hat, they can try with the second hoop to ring the first hat.
Next, they use their next hula hoop to try to loop the next hat until they are out of hula hoops.

When each carnival player is done, they receive prizes for each hat that was hooped!

Additional Hints & Tips:

Kids of all ages LOVE this game! We have found they are so tempted to inch forward to try to win this game - so you may need to remind them to stay behind the line!

Of course, your top prize will be won by looping the hat that is furthest away from the players. Don't be surprised if children use all 4 hula hoops to try to win the top prize in this game!