Messy Games
There are a number of sites on the web listing ideas for
messy games. My intention is that this page should supplement those resources
where either the game is not described elsewhere, or has a difference to that
described. I do not make any claim that any of these games are original, and
thank those people whose ideas I have adapted over the years.
I will organise this list into games I have run and ideas
yet to try. If you wish to help supplement this page by suggesting other ideas
These will be gratefully received. Please therefore feel free to email me via
the address on the homepage, and I will incorporate them into this page
(properly credited of course).
In most cases the games are designed to work with two teams
and run as relay- they can therefore be easily adapted to suit the number of
participants. Generally they will work with all ages above approx 8 years old
without modification. The names can obviously be modified to suit any theme of
the event or to suit available props/ costumes etc.
For information on making the mess to use in these games,
please refer to the Gunge page and foam page.
Alphabetti Spaghetti
Participants take turns to jump into paddling pool with
gunge in which foam letters are hidden in amongst ‘spaghetti’ (foam strips or
lengths of hose). The first team to make up the chosen word wins.
Make a word
As alphabetti spaghetti, but hide the letters in a paddling
pool full of foam (from a suitable foam machine).
Alien Eggs
One of my favourites! Using a largish tank that is stable
(not easily tipped over), such as a rigid garden pond or central heating header
tank, fill it with coloured gunge. Into this tank tip a number of golf balls- I
usually use approx 100. Most of the balls should be white, but ensure approx
10% are a different colour. Team members take it in turns to come to the tank
and fish out a ball. Once they have hold of it they can’t change their mind,
and return to their team. If the ball is white they get to keep the ball, if it
is coloured all of the team’s balls are
tipped back into the tank. The team with the most balls at the end of a preset
time is the winner.
Nuclear Tubes
Participants take turns to travel round an obstacle course
holding a plastic tube (a length of drainpipe approx 400mm long) filled with
either gunge, coloured water or something dry such as pop corn or packing
wotsits. At the end of the course they pour their goo into a bucket. The
winning team is the one with the most goo in a set time.
Elephant eggs
Participants take it in turn to retrieve elephant eggs-
gunge filled balloons from a bouncy castle filled with foam and take them back
to their team. They pop them by sitting on them on a mesh grille over a barrel.
The team with the most gunge in a set time wins.
Dressing up race
Old clothes are arranged on a washing line. In turn
participants come up, select an item, dip it in a tub of gunge, put the clothes
on and return to their team. The team with the most clothes in a set time is
the winner. This could also be run with one person being dressed up. Instead of
a clothes line they could be hidden in gunge or hidden in a darkened tent.
Sheep
In turns participants wipe Vaseline on their nose and stick on a cotton wool ball. They then go round a short obstacle course. The winning team is the first to have a full set of noses.