Halloween/Alice in Wonderland Party Game - Icebreaker

The ultimate goal of a party for me is to mix groups of people together. If this were chemistry, the goal would be to make the non-polar people mix with the polar people.... not a very good comparison since this practically never happens in chemistry... but whatevs! You get the idea. Anyway, we all know how people sort of coalesce into their own cliques and then those who aren't part of a group are very self-conscious. Self-conscious people do not have fun at parties, so let's eliminate this!

One good way to break apart the group dynamics is to throw everyone out of their element. You can embarrass everyone. Last year I had them eat a doughnut....that was hanging from a rope....and they couldn't use their hands.... Boy, were the pictures great for that game! This year, I'm going to have this game!

The point of the game is to figure out who you are supposed to be. Everyone gets a placard with their person/thing to hang around their neck. The sign rests on their back so that they cannot read it, but everyone else can. In order to figure out what their plaque says, they must talk with other people. Those who can read the person's plaque must speak to the person wearing it as if they were that person. If you've ever watched "Whose Line is It Anyway?" you might be a bit more familiar with the concept of this game. Here's an example though if you need it:

Example

Person #1 [wearing plaque that says "The Headless Horseman"]: Hi!

Person #2: Oh, hey! How's it going! You're head feeling any better? Oh... sorry. Forgot...sore subject *cough cough*

What I like best about this game is this: people don't have to be themselves! When other people interact with them, they are speaking to character. Hopefully this gets rid of some of the awkward tension that may pass when you are being introduced to someone new because you'll feel more comfortable interacting with a familiar character. (Does that make sense? I hope it does.)

Once the person wearing the plaque starts figuring out what they are, they can start talking as if they were that person! When the time's up, everyone gets to make a gander at who they are. If you get it right, they get a prize! And hopefully they also made some friends. Like all icebreakers, this can backfire, but it's up to you as the host to get everyone talking and try to mix the groups up a bit.

What I did to make these placards is cut some cardboard, painted them black, and with a silver Sharpie, wrote out all the names. Then I cut some soft yarn (since these are going around people's necks, I want them to be comfortable) and hot glued them to the backs. That's it! It's a cinch.


Weeeee! This is going to be so much fun! :D More party stuff coming up in a bit!