'Minute to Win It' Hanky Panky Game

By now you know that most of the games from Minute to Win It aren't all that complicated in theory (there are, of course, exceptions to this rule). Hanky Panky is one of the easiest games to set up and execute, with the only thorn in your side being the ticking clock.

The Goal

Pull all of the tissues out of a standard sized box, one at a time, using only one hand. And you have only one minute to complete this task.

Equipment Needed

This list contains what you'll need to play the game, but we also recommend that you plan ahead of time what you want to do with all of these tissues. Have a bag handy to stuff them in, or plan to ask all of your friends to spend some time helping you refold them so they can go back in the box. Okay, just kidding about the folding part. Here's what you'll need:

• One standard box of tissues (according to the official rules, a "standard size box of tissues" contains 160 tissues)
• A table that stands at a comfortable height
• A one-minute timer or stopwatch

How to Play

How's this for easy setup? Place the box of tissues, open, on top of the table. Voila, you're ready to play. (If only the clean up were that easy.)

Before the game starts, the contestant chooses which hand he or she is going to use to play. The other hand should be placed behind his or her back. When the timer starts counting down the sixty seconds of play, the contestant begins pulling tissues out of the box with his or her chosen hand, one at a time, and discarding them. If all of the 160 tissues are removed after the timer ends, the game is successfully conquered.

The Rules

You would think that a game as simple as this one wouldn't need rules, but you'd be mistaken. Here they are:

• The contestant may only touch the tissues (or the tissue box) with his or her pre-determined, chosen hand. No other body parts may be used to aid in tissue removal.
• You may not put your hand inside the tissue box. (We'll address this issue in a moment.)
• You may keep hold of the removed tissues in your hand as you pull out others, but they must clearly come out of the box one at a time.

Now let's take a look at that second rule there. You're probably thinking, "Wait a minute - tissues don't always send the next one up and out of the box for easy retrieval, so there's a chance you'd have to stick your hand in the box!"

As far as we know, the show never addressed this issue. So, use your own best judgment here. You can either allow the contestant to reach in to get the next tissue as long as only one comes up or have an impartial person set it up for him or her. It's up to you, but make the rule clear before the game begins to be fair.

Tips and Tricks

There aren't any real strategy tips for this game except the obvious: move quickly. Keep your arm as relaxed as possible so it doesn't stiffen up, and pull each tissue out just high enough to show that it's clearly out of the box before you pull the next one.

Hanky Panky would make a suitable office party game since it uses a basic supply as its foundation. Kids will enjoy this one too, and you can easily include it in your Christmas game roster by using those holiday-themed boxes of tissues.