Forget about bobbing for apples; the doughnut on a string game ensures there's a tasty treat for each participant, plus there's no chance of two people biting into the same food, which makes it a socially safe party game. It's good, clean family fun for an outdoor Halloween party. Just be sure to have plenty of plain doughnuts on hand!
Play the Halloween Doughnut Game
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1. Choose a doughnut game location
It's best to play the doughnut game outdoors, as chunks and crumbs tend to fall off the string as people bite into their doughnuts. Look for a location with two trees or posts tall enough to tie a clothesline to them. If you already have a clothesline set up and it's above head height, that's ideal for this DIY fun game.
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2. Tie an overhead line
Tie a long piece of string, twine or even clothesline between the two trees or structures so it's slightly above head height for the average party guest. The string should be sturdy and tight enough to hold a number of hanging doughnuts—ideally, one per party guest.
3. Tie on the doughnut strings
Cut lengths of twine or ribbon a couple feet long and tie one end of each to the line, spacing each one several feet from the previous one. If there are more guests than there is space on the line, tie additional lengths of twine to nearby tree branches, railings or other places where there's room for dangling doughnuts.
Tip
In the event that far more people want to play than you have space for, just play the game in rounds.
4. Tie on the doughnuts
Tie one classic ring-shaped doughnut to the end of the string for each bit of dangling string. Avoid using sprinkle-covered or powdered doughnuts, as these create extra mess and could become choking hazards. Stagger the height of each doughnut a bit so that they're slightly above mouth level for your party guests. Tie on the doughnut so that the loop holding it up won't come undone but also won't cut through the doughnut.
5. Play the doughnut game
Tell each game participant to line up and stand near a hanging doughnut they've selected as their own without touching the doughnut. At the count of three, each person eats their respective doughnut while keeping their hands behind their back. Only their face should come in contact with the doughnuts. The object of the game is to be the first person to finish eating the entire doughnut with none of the doughnut falling to the ground. If everyone loses part of their respective doughnut, the one that's finished the most is the winner.
When there are too many people who want to play the doughnut game, play the game in waves with a new batch of players in each round. The first player to finish in each round goes up against the winning players of other rounds in a final doughnut-eating battle. For an extra dose of excitement, play the entire game or the final showdown with each player wearing a blindfold. The blindfold version is sure to induce lots of laughter.