I’m not one for party games (or as I often refer to them, “Forced Fun”).  Not that I am not opposed to having a few fun things planned for guests who WANT to participate.  I just find that people are more likely to join in the fun if it’s not forced upon them.  Guests like to warm up to the idea, and jump in when (and if) they’re ready. 

Take a Baby Shower, for example.  As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, unless you are going for a Retro 1950s feel, just as women have come a long way, so have Baby Showers.  Not only have Couple’s Showers become mainstream, but so have non-traditional themes, colors and foods for the party itself.  Serving alcohol is perfectly acceptable (the Mom-to-be often says, “Just because I can’t drink doesn’t mean my friends should have to abstain, too!”), as are sushi bars, DJs and dancing, and poker tables (for the guys, at least!). 

One game that we offer our Baby Shower clients that has proven to be a HUGE hit over the years, is the Celebrity Baby Game.  We frame a collection of photos of babies as celebs, and provide a stack of answer sheets for guests to fill out at their leisure.  Every celebrity’s name is listed on the answer sheet, so guests have to match the face to the name.  We have found this game works because:

1. It is eye catching without being distracting (it’s cute enough to stand alone and double as decor)
2. Everyone thinks they know all the answers
3. The more people observe others playing it, the more they want to join in
4. The photos are pretty hilarious

We like to mix it up by including photos of the Mom- and Dad-to-be in the collage.  Guests make their guesses, put their name at the top and drop their answer sheet in a bowl.  Depending on the size of the budget, the guest with the most correct answers at the end of the evening wins a prize (usually a gift card to iTunes/Starbucks/Barnes & Noble).  The truth is, bragging rights is often just as satisfying as winning a prize. 

This kind of game is great for a Couple’s Shower because the guys totally get into it, being the competitive creatures that they are.  If you want to be sure the guys will play, offer up a prize for the top Guy and top Girl (we find a gift card to Home Depot is great incentive for the men to join in!).  We have yet to use this at a shower and NOT have it be a complete success. 

We’ve done this game in many sizes, but the one featured above is the version we used at a recent Baby Shower.  It has a lot of photos, but it was a big party with lots of guests, so it worked perfectly.  Another fun variation is to use photos of children of celebs who have become “famous” in their own right (Shiloh, Suri, Romeo, etc).

*If you use this idea at your next baby shower, don’t forget to have a bunch of pens/pencils available and your answer sheet printed up ahead of time for easy “grading”!

UPDATE:  This game is no longer available.  Apologies for any inconvenience. 

UPDATE:  Due to the amount of requests for this game, we have made it available to you in an awesome kit.  The Celebrity Baby Shower Game can be ordered for $10 plus S&H.  The main piece measures 22.5″x34″ and can either be mounted to a piece of foam core or displayed in a basic poster frame.  You may also customize it to include baby photos of the Mom and Dad-to-be for an additional fee of $5.  An answer key and twenty answer sheets for the shower guests to complete are also included.  To obtain your own copy of the Celebrity Baby Shower Game please email me at robyn@mixmingleglow.com.

Tags: baby shower, baby shower game, celebrities as babies, celebrities when they were babies, celebrity babies, couples baby shower, couples baby shower game, couples shower

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 4:45 pm and is filed under decor, events, inspiration & ideas, life as an event planner, parties, Real Parties, showers, YOU can do it!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.