Create "lollipops" with a few household items, Minute to Win It style. What you're really doing is stacking and balancing, making free-standing structures that resemble lollipops.
The Goal
Stand a wide drinking straw on a table and place a ping pong ball on top to resemble a lollipop shape. The trick is that you'll have to move and place the ping pong balls using a stack of metal nuts, sliding the nuts down the base of the straw in the process. Oh, and you can only use one hand. Complete a pre-determined number of these structures within the one-minute time limit to win the game.
Equipment Needed
Here's what you'll need to set up and play Lollipop:
- Three milkshake-sized drinking straws (basically those that are wide enough to use with thick liquids)
- Three ping pong balls
- Nine standard sized metal nuts
- One long table or three smaller ones
- A one-minute timer or stop watch
Set Up the Game
There isn't much work required to set up this particular game, making it an easy addition for parties or other gatherings. Here's what you need to do before playing.
- If you're using three tables, set them up fairly close to each other in a straight line. If you're using one long table you can obviously skip this step and just place the table in the playing area.
- Place one straw on each table. Beside each straw stack three metal nuts and top the stack with a ping pong ball. Conversely, set up these items in three stations at the single long table.
- Decide how many of the three stacks must be successfully completed in order to win the game - it can be one, two, or all three depending on how challenging you want it to be.
- The player will stand at the first station/table with hands at his or her sides to start the game. Before the timer starts, the player must also indicate which hand he or she will be using to play and keep the other behind his or her back for the duration of the game.
How to Play
When the one-minute timer begins, the player can begin. Using only the designated hand, stand the straw up so that it stands without support. Then, still using only the one hand, pick up the stack of nuts with the ping pong ball and slide the nuts down from the top of the straw, leaving the ping pong ball sitting on top. Place, don't drop, the nuts to the bottom so the stack is resting on the table. Let go and allow the stack, which resembles a lollipop, to be free-standing.
Complete the designated number of lollipop stacks before the one-minute timer runs out to win the game.
The Rules
Of course there are some rules for play, and they are:
- The player may only use his or her designated hand throughout the course of the game. If the other hand touches any of the items, the game is over.
- If a ball falls, abandon that station and move on to the next one, assuming that you have enough left to complete the game successfully.
- The entire stack of nuts along with the ball must be moved in one step - you cannot take the ping pong ball off the stack and place it seperately.
- Completed "lollipops" must be free standing for three consecutive seconds in order to count towards the total.
Tips and Tricks
It can actually help you to kneel when trying to play this game. This way the straw and stack of nuts will be at eye level and you'll have a better idea of where to place the nuts on the straw. Otherwise, move at a steady pace and try not to rush yourself since the number of stations are limited.
The blueprint with video instructions for this game can be found at NBC.com.
