Did you ever stop to wonder what people did to entertain themselves at an awkward party before stereos, TVs, and the Internet? Party Fun: Wholesome Games From Around the World—a book compiled by Helen Stevens Fisher in 1938—gives us a glimpse into the quirky world of early‑century party pastimes.
10 Colonial Mitten
According to Fisher, the mitten game was a favorite of George and Martha Washington when they invited people to their home. In fact, this American dinner‑party tradition stretched well into the 1930s.
As soon as guests arrived, they were forced to slip on thick wool mittens that left only the opposable thumbs free. The challenge? Race one another while using those mittened hands to tackle absurd tasks—buttoning baby clothes, scooping grains of rice from the floor, and more. Hosts were encouraged to invent fresh ways to make the guests struggle.
During dinner, the mittened guests had to eat, meaning the host served the most finger‑challenging foods imaginable. Whoever completed the most tasks with the greatest finesse by night’s end earned the title of champion.
Awkward Party Twist: Mitten Mastery
Imagine trying to sip soup while your fingers are bundled together. The absurdity of the Colonial Mitten game makes it a perfect example of how an awkward party could turn into unforgettable comedy.
9 Vegetable Hop
Before the guests arrived, the host scattered vegetables of every size—”from small onions to pumpkins”—across the backyard and marked a finish line. Once the party kicked off, participants were set loose to collect and carry as many vegetables as possible using only their hands, all while hopping on one foot.
No pockets, baskets, or extra tools were allowed; any loss of balance forced a player to drop everything and restart from that spot. Small vegetables earned five points, medium ones ten, and large ones twenty. The game continued until every vegetable was cleared from the ground.
The contestant whose haul tallied the highest point total claimed victory.
8 Dogs And Cats
Prior to the gathering, the host concealed a full deck of playing cards throughout the house—under couch cushions, inside drawers, tucked into magazines, and so on. Two team captains were chosen to lead squads dubbed the “Dogs” and the “Cats.” The Dogs hunted for black cards while the Cats chased red ones.
When a Dog uncovered a black card, they had to freeze and let out a hearty woof until the team captain swooped in to retrieve the card. Similarly, a Cat finding a red card had to stand still and meow loudly for their captain.
If a player stumbled upon a card belonging to the opposing team, they were instructed to hide it, often in an even trickier spot to raise the stakes. The contest concluded when one side assembled its entire half of the deck.
7 Curio Party
Think of it as an adult version of show‑and‑tell. Invitations instructed guests to bring their strangest, most treasured object. Upon arrival, these curios were displayed on the host’s dining‑room table, and each participant took a turn explaining its purpose, origin, and personal significance.
In 1938, automobiles were still a novelty and road trips were just gaining popularity. Discovering new objects, especially those collected on distant vacations, was a rare thrill. When most neighbors owned similar utilitarian goods, showcasing something exotic became a true conversation starter.
6 Sweet Spelling
The host prepared four sugar cubes, each face inked with a different letter of the alphabet—omitting J, M, Q, V, X, and Z. Guests then tossed the cubes like dice, hoping the upward‑facing letters would form a legitimate word.
Players kept rolling the four cubes onto the kitchen table until someone managed to spell a word. As in Scrabble, a dictionary was on hand to settle any disputes over word legitimacy. The triumphant player earned the ink‑stained, slowly disintegrating sugar cubes as a prize.
5 Kitchen Sounds
Guests gathered in a room adjacent to the kitchen, barred from seeing any activity inside. A screen or blanket might hang on a clothesline, separating everyone except the host from the culinary chaos.
The host then performed a series of noisy kitchen tasks—mixing batter, shelling peanuts, sweeping the floor, chopping vegetables, and the like. The participants listened intently, shouting out guesses for each sound.
The first correct guess earned a point. Once the host heard the correct answer through the curtain, another sound‑making action began. The game continued until the host ran out of noises to produce. The guest with the most accurate guesses claimed victory, a competition the author noted became “very intense” in the 1930s.
4 Peanut Hunt
Peanut hunts were a staple of the 1920s and ’30s, resembling an indoor Easter‑egg hunt but with peanuts. Before guests arrived, the host concealed peanuts throughout the house—under seat cushions, inside vases, behind books, and the like.
When the party began, participants scoured the home, gathering as many peanuts as they could. The guest who amassed the most peanuts by the party’s end earned a prize. After the competition, everyone was free to snack on their findings.
Because the game grew so popular, the author introduced a jazzy variant called the “fancy peanut hunt,” where each peanut was tied to a colored ribbon. Only those who collected peanuts matching the designated ribbon color could keep them.
3 Swinging Shoe
For this outdoor challenge, the host dug up an old, unusable shoe, tied a rope to it, and stood in the backyard. Guests formed a circle around the host, who then began spinning the rope, sending the shoe swinging wildly around the center.
Most early‑20th‑century shoes were made of heavy leather, so the swinging shoe could pack a serious punch. Participants had to time their jumps to avoid being struck on the ankles or calves by the high‑speed leather boot.
2 Hobo Party
The “Hobo Party” concept played on the misfortune of homeless folks, urging guests to arrive in their oldest, dirtiest clothes. The festivities kicked off in a basement decked out with rusted junk to set a grim atmosphere.
The first game, “hopping a freight car,” simulated the way itinerant men leapt onto moving trains after the Great Depression. The host stacked wooden crates back‑to‑back to mimic a freight car. While music played, guests circled the imaginary train; when the music stopped, they scrambled to jump onto a crate before anyone else. Fewer participants meant fewer crates, making it a perilous, adult version of musical chairs.
The second part of the hobo theme forced guests into an awkward adult version of trick‑or‑treat: they knocked on neighbors’ back doors, begging for sandwiches and beer while still dressed in their hobo garb. Neighbors were pre‑warned, and the partygoers ate their meals on the back stoop rather than the host’s kitchen.
1 Paper Sack Party
Upon arrival, each guest received a paper bag with holes cut for eyes and a mouth. They were instructed to pull the bag over their head and tie a rope or ribbon around the neck, completely obscuring their faces.
Every participant wore a large number on the front of their shirt and was handed a sheet of paper and a pencil. The challenge: identify which friend was hidden beneath each paper bag. Guests wrote down the numbers alongside the names they believed matched each concealed guest.
The player who correctly matched the most identities by the end of the party emerged as the winner.