The Party Bag Game

The Party Bag game

This game is from 'The Girls Own Book' by Mrs Child, 1864

'Fill with sugar-plums a large bag of thin white paper, and tie a string round the top to keep it fast. Then suspend it to the centre of a large door-frame (the folding-door, for instance), or to the ceiling, if convenient. Each of the children must be blindfolded in turn, and provided with a long stick. They are then led within reach of the bag, and directed to try while blindfolded to strike the bag with the stick, and are allowed to make three attempts; after which, if unsuccessful, they must give place to the next. The play goes on in this manner till some one strike the bag with the stick, so as to tear a hole in the paper; upon which the sugar-plums fall out and are scattered over the floor, when all the children scramble for them. For older children there may be a second bag filled with little books, small pincushions, bodkins, beads, ribbon-yards, and things of a similar description.

'This amusement may be concluded by one of the family bringing in a bag, which has been secretly filled with flour, and hanging it to the door-frame, as if, like the others, it was stored with sugar-plums or pretty things. The company must not be apprised of its real contents, and must, as before, try blindfolded to strike it with a stick. When a hole is torn in the bag, every one near it will be dusted with the flour.'