Can Smash Carnival Game? The 185 Detailed Answer

“Even if you do manage to win the grand prize, you usually get a stuffed animal… that’s often filled with confetti, not stuffing, which is money you’re going to lose to these guys.”

This keeps you from winning seven popular “games of skill” – even this bear.

1. The Milk Bottle Pyramid

Knock them all down and win a prize, the barker promises. The Reality: Bottom pins can be filled with lead, making them weigh up to 10 pounds each. The soft balls you throw can be filled with cork to make them lighter than regular balls. And the bottles can be stacked in front of a background curtain that helps prevent them from falling.

It’s folk festival time again across the country. And that means Ferris wheels, giant turkey legs, a visit from the world’s smallest horse, and of course, a chance to try your hand at winning the carnival games that line the middle way.

If you love playing these games at the folk festival but usually walk away from the stalls empty-handed or with a cute Chinese finger trap as a consolation prize, then this post is for you.

Come in, gentlemen! Today you will learn the secrets to beat the showmen and win a giant stuffed animal for your girl.

General Guidelines

Suppose most games are gaffed. Gaffed is showman slang for manipulated. Gaffs in Midway games fall on a spectrum ranging from “poke, poke, wink, wink” to downright criminal. Most gaffs don’t make it impossible to win the games. They just make you work harder. For example, it is well known that the basketball rims used in carnival free throw shooting games are usually smaller than the prescribed size and are bent into an elongated shape to appear larger in the front. In addition, the baskets are often hung higher than the regular basketball goals. You can still make a basket, it just takes a bit more skill and finesse.

Bottom Line: If a game looks really easy to win, assume something has been gawked to make it harder.

See before you put your money down. One way to protect yourself from gaff games is to watch other jerks, I mean customers, play. Check if the showman uses different balls when demonstrating the game than the ones he gives to the customers. Watch what works for successful players.

Ask questions. Don’t assume you understand how the game works or what the rules are. Milk Can at the Vermont State Fair may have different rules than Milk Can at the Tulsa State Fair. Before you put your money down, ask questions so you know exactly what you need to do to win.

Use the same equipment and position yourself where the showman stood when playing. Showmen often demonstrate games to customers to show them how easy it is to win. When you go to the counter and before you put your money down, ask the showman if you can use the same ball he used and stand in the same spot he was standing when he successfully completed the game. If the showman lines and pops, it’s probably a sign that the game is gaped and can only be won with a specific ball, or if you are standing in a specific spot. Take your money elsewhere.

Have fun! Don’t forget to have fun. Some people take these games way too seriously and scream bloody murder when they lose. If you lose, you don’t have to make a federal case out of it. Most prizes aren’t even worth the $2 you paid for the game. When I play State Fair Midway Games, I like to think I’ll pay $2 for a chance to test my skills at a particular game and pit my wits against a showman. It’s entertainment! If I lose, at least I had some fun doing it. On to the fried Snickers bar!

How to win five popular State Fair games

milk can

Milk Can is a classic state fair game that has been a part of Midways for over a century. The object of the game is simple: throw a softball into a 10 gallon metal milk can from a line about four to six feet from the can. Sounds easy right? Well, here’s the rub: These are no ordinary milk cans. For Mardi Gras, a concave piece of steel is welded to the rim of the can, making the hole just one-sixteenth of an inch larger than the softball. That’s a blast. Despite the low error rate, Milk Can is actually one of the easier games to win (if you use the right technique). And it usually offers some of the biggest prices on the Midway, too.

The secret to winning Milk Can is to give the ball a little backspin and hit the back of the can rim. The backspin reduces the ball’s momentum and instead of bouncing off the can, it slides into the hole. Easier said than done of course!

Aim at the back of the rim. Remember that we’re trying to deflect the ball and not sink it straight through the hole.

Throw the ball with your hand, but grab the ball at the top. This allows you to give the ball the necessary backspin.

Give the ball some backspin when you release it. When you release the ball, make a small flick of your wrist to make the ball spin backwards in the air.

Throw the ball softly and with little arc. This point is controversial. Some people suggest that you give the ball a high arc so it lands squarely in the hole. While you could certainly go down this route, there are two reasons why you shouldn’t. First, the high arc may not be possible. Some showmen take this approach out of the equation by hanging large stuffed animal prizes directly over the milk can, blocking a high toss. Second, the hole is too damn small! You would have to hit the hole pretty accurately to win. Remember that the best way to win Milk Can is to lift the ball off the back edge with some backspin. A soft, flat throw with lots of backspin ensures that the ball sinks into the hole.

Knitters

Ah, the rope ladder. My childhood enemy. I don’t know how much money I put into this game as I tried to reach the top only to find myself rolling over and being thrown onto a mattress. Defeat has never tasted so bitter. Only the taste of a corn dog could wash it out of my mouth.

Rope Ladder is an addicting carnival game because it looks so easy to win. You have to climb up a sloping rope ladder with nine rungs and ring the bell at the top. The only problem is that both ends of the ladder are suspended via swivel casters. One wrong move by a climber and they will be flipped upside down and thrown off the ladder.

My 10 year old self always thought the game was rigged but Rope Ladder is actually very winnable. The secret is to keep the ladder perfectly balanced the whole way up. Here’s how:

Make your center of gravity as wide as possible. Most people try to climb the rope ladder like a regular ladder—with feet and hands near the middle of the rungs. If you take this approach, it will result in a guaranteed rotation of the mattress. Don’t put your hands on the rungs, put your hands on the rope. Next, place your feet as wide as possible on the rung, ideally where the rung and rope meet.

Balance each movement on the right side of the body with a movement on the left side. This is the hard part. To keep your balance while climbing the ladder, you need to balance your movements. For example, when you raise your right arm to the next rung, you must simultaneously raise and move your left foot the same distance. Think of the way your dog walks – when he moves his right front leg forward, he also moves his left back leg and vice versa. do the same

Lean forward. It’s best to keep your weight forward. Any shift back and you’ll be looking up at the sky.

Watch your knees and feet. Your knees and feet are prone to catching on a rope or rung when climbing. To avoid this, keep your knees and toes pointing toward the outside of the rope.

Make sure the showman isn’t messing with the ladder. The showman may hold the ladder with his foot as you begin to climb; Then, as you move up, let go of your foot and turn around. Watch out for these shenanigans.

High Striker

For over a century, men have tested their He-Man strength with High Striker at county and state fairs across America. Sometimes they compete for a rag doll for their girl, and sometimes the prize is male pride in beating their buddies.

If you’ve been to a fair or carnival, you’ve seen this game. A showman stands next to a tower and encourages men to climb it and show their manly strength. Contestants are given a heavy hammer and instructed to hit a pad, which launches a small puck onto a rail (usually a metal bar) along the tower. The man who rings the bell at the top wins the prize.

Many men think that the key to winning this game is strength. Big muscular soccer dudes grab the hammer in their paws and swing it as hard as they can only to watch the puck climb to the ‘Puny Weakling’ level on the Strength-O-Meter. Dejectedly, they hand the hammer to their friend’s shrimp, only to see him ring the bell with ease.

Really, the key is technique:

The most important factor is swing accuracy. While force is required, you’ll need to hit the pad squarely in the middle if you want to ring that bell.

Swing the hammer like splitting wood. There are two schools of thought on proper swing technique. The first and most common is to swing the hammer like splitting wood. Start with your stronger hand at the head of the hammer and your weaker hand as close to the end of the handle as possible. Bring the hammer up and over your head, and as you swing down to the pad, your strong hand slides down to the end of the handle to hit your weaker hand. This technique gives you a little more control and balance.

The other school of thought is to hold the handle as close to the end as possible with both hands and simply bring the hammer head right over your head and swing down. A bit like Mario in Donkey Kong. Make a slight flick of your wrists – like Lou Gehrig does in the clip – just before hitting the pad. This technique gives you more power, but you lose some control and consequently accuracy.

Use whichever of the two techniques works best for you.

Aim for the center of the pad. Remember that the center of the pad is the sweet spot.

Make sure the hammer’s face hits the pad directly. If the face of the racquet is tilted when you hit the pad, you will lose some momentum in your swing. You want the mallet face to hit the pad flat and square.

Shoot the star

What man can pass up the chance to prove his marksmanship with Shoot the Star? You get a BB gun and 100 BBs. The goal of the game is to shoot each piece of the red star off the target using only 100 BBs. A difficult task, but doable with the right know-how.

Check the size of the star. In fact, in the 1980s, the FBI conducted a study on a player’s chances of winning Shoot the Star. They found that the game can be won if the diameter of the star is less than 1 1/2 inches. Your chances increase as the star gets smaller. Your best chances are if the star is an inch wide or smaller in diameter.

Check the paper type. The type of paper the target is printed on is another factor in shooting the star. If the target is printed on high-fiber paper or canvas, shooting out the star becomes more difficult.

Zero the weapon yourself. The BB guns you will be using have likely seen years of wear and use, so they likely have imperfections and don’t shoot straight. Some people think showmen intentionally bend the gun barrels a bit so they don’t shoot properly and straight. Either way, you’ll likely need to make adjustments to your aim in order to hit your intended target. You can do this quickly by self-zeroing.

Aim directly over the top of the star and quickly fire 3-4 BBs. Check where the BBs actually hit. You probably didn’t hit the target. To compensate for this, you need to adjust where you aim the gun so the BBs hit where you want them to hit.

If the BBs hit something up and to the right of where you aimed, you’ll know to aim down and to the left to hit your intended target. It may take a few shots to get used to.

Shoot a circle around the star. This is the big secret to win this game. When most people read the instructions – “To win a prize, shoot all the red stars off the map” – the first thing they do is aim for the center of the star and try to obliterate all the red bit by bit with their 100 BB. This strategy is almost guaranteed to fail. There will almost always be just a tiny bit of red left – a hanging red “Chad” and you’re sunk.

Instead of shooting out the red bit by bit, shoot a circular pattern around the star. You basically cut out the red star in a circle with your pellets. Difficult? Definitive. You need an accuracy rate of around 90% to complete the task. But it’s not impossible. Just take it slow and use the tips above.

flukey ball

In Flukey Ball, contestants must throw a wiffle ball from a sloping board into the basket below. Sounds easy enough, but don’t be fooled. This game is tricky. But with the right technique, you can dominate it and win oversized combs fist at a time.

First, understand that the size of the board, the angle of the board, the size of the basket, the weight of the ball, and your distance to the target all vary from fair to fair. You must adapt these tips to the unique structure and rules of your game.

Ask if you can lean. The closer you get to the board, the easier it is to get the ball in the basket. If you can lean over the railing, lean forward as far as you can to increase your chances of sinking the shot.

Make sure you use the same ball as the showman. Some unscrupulous showmen demonstrate how easy it is to win with a heavier wiffle ball. Heavier balls are more likely to end up in the basket after leaving the board. Watch which ball the showman uses. If you notice he’s giving you something different than what he used, chances are he’s given you the lighter, regular-weight wiffle ball. Ask if you can use his.

Just strip the board. There are two different techniques to win Flukey Ball. Both have in common the need to throw the ball as lightly as possible and thus just graze the board.

The first technique is called the High Toss method. Throw the ball as high as possible, but aim it so that it just grazes the center of the board on the down arc.

The second technique is the high bank method. Instead of hitting the board on the way down, you flick the top of the board as the ball goes up so it bounces back into the basket.

Which method you use is a matter of taste.

Give it some front spin. Whether you’re using the high toss or high bank method, to ensure your ball goes into play, add some frontspin on release.

avoid games

While most of the outright cheating games have been banned at carnivals and fairs in many states, there are still a few games to avoid as they are often so gambled that it is impossible to win.

A ball

One Ball is a popular state county game that has scammed customers for decades.

Three vintage looking milk bottles are stacked in a pyramid on top of a crate. You get a throw with a softball to knock all three milk bottles off the box. It looks like the stack will fall down if you hit the ball right in the middle of the triangular zone where the three bottles meet. You give your hardest throw and take a direct hit only to find a single bottle left on the crate. Gaaaa!!!! They hit themselves over the head with a giant turkey leg in frustration.

This allows One Ball to be subtly gawked, making it impossible for you to win.

The Carnie makes one of the bottles heavier than the other two, but still light enough that it can be knocked off the table with a direct hit. When the showman sets up the bottles, he places the heavy bottle on the bottom row and a little to the back. When you throw your ball, it hits the lighter bottles first, but doesn’t have enough energy to knock off the heavy bottle.

When people get suspicious, the showman shows that it is indeed possible to win with a quick demonstration. However, when setting up the pyramid for himself, he places the heavy bottle on top of the pyramid, making it easy to knock off all three bottles if you hit the ball right in the middle of the pyramid.

The gaff is so hard to spot that it’s just not worth paying any money to play this game.

swingers

Here’s the typical setup for swingers: A wooden pin sits on a table. Above it hangs a ball suspended from a rope. The object of the game is to swing the ball past the pin and knock it over when it returns to you. just right?

nope

If the pin sits directly under the hanging ball, it’s impossible to win. Here’s why.

To swing the ball past the pin first, you must swing the ball in an arc to the side of the pin. Basic physics dictate that on the backswing, your ball will arc back the same distance from the pin, meaning the ball will completely miss the pin on its return trip.

Placing the pin an inch to the right or left of where the ball is hanging gives you the opportunity to knock it over on the backswing. Carnies often have you practice with this setup so you think you can win. But when throwing really matters, they move the pin just below where the ball hangs. The shift is so small that it is difficult to see.

Just avoid this game.

_______________________

What are your tips for becoming King of the Midway? Share them with us in the comments!

Illustrations by Ted Slampyak. Copyright Slampyak and McKay.

CAN KNOCK DOWN – SETUP & DIRECTIONS The short Carnival Savers Video/GIF shows the Carnival Can Knock Down set placed in a pyramid stack and knocked over with a bean bag. Accessories for Can Knock Down Game: Carnival Can Knock Down Set (includes 6 plastic cans and 3 bean bags) See below -or-

Empty cans (leave bottom on), fill 1/2 full with dried beans, cover with tape and decorate. Need bean bags to throw

Small table or tables (Round seems to work best!)

Tablecloth and carnival ticket sign (optional but fun)

Sidewalk chalk, traffic cones, or hula hoops to create lines or starting areas for children of different ages to play the game

Carnival prizes – top prizes and consolation

Homemade Can Knock Down: This game is easy to make as a DIY carnival game! You’ll need empty vegetable cans (sometimes it’s fun to find oversized cans – twice the size of typical vegetable cans for effect). Leave the bottom on each can, as we recommend filling about half full with dried beans. Next, tape the top of each can with strong tape to keep the beans inside. Finally, decorate the tin to match your carnival motto. You can cover it with colorful wrapping paper or paint it with bright colors as shown above. Why empty the cans first? Well, if a can is knocked over and it’s full, it can land on people’s toes nearby and really hurt! Why add them half full of dried beans? If the game is played outdoors, a light gust of wind can knock the cans over, so you’ll need a little weight to keep them from falling over prematurely. Setup: This is a quick and easy setup – all you need is a small table and optionally something to cover the table and add some more color. Next, stack your cans in the shape of a pyramid. Before the carnival, test this carnival game for its level of difficulty and use sidewalk chalk, tape, small traffic cones or hula hoops to place “stand behind” lines for kids of different ages. How to Play Can Knock Down Game: Kids are given three bean bags to toss per game. Depending on how the stand is set up, they win prizes depending on how many plastic cans they knock over in 3 attempts. You can make the game more difficult by requiring players to knock the entire group of cans off the stand, or just requiring all cans to be knocked over to win. As with all other carnival games for school and church children, everyone wins at least one consolation prize. Additional Hints & Tips: What a perfect game for a backyard carnival birthday party!! If this game is for a school or church, you can buy 2 sets and have them play at the same time! This game is best for younger children (preschool and elementary school age children) as these cans are plastic and can be dented if beanbags are thrown with great force, which occurs with older children aged 8+. If you have older kids like middle or high school, you might want to have a Baseball Throw Carnival Game to entertain the older kids, or make your own Can Knock Down Game out of empty vegetable cans (as shown above) and buy bean bag chairs for that Throw.

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