You remember the old “Let’s Make a Deal” show, don’t you? That was a great show where contestants won prizes then exchanged them, kept them or even lost the prizes – depending on choices they made. At the end of the show, though, as the credits rolled, the host would hand out cash if people in the audience had certain things in their purse or on their person. That’s the premise behind a fun game you can play at a dinner party, bridal shower or other occasion where there will be just women. Will men be there, too? Just play the game in a different manner!
The “What’s in Your Purse” game requires you to announce, in the invitation or otherwise, that the guests fill their regular purses with unusual things. To accommodate men, have them each bring a small, brown paper bag. When you’re ready to play the game gather everyone around and begin.
One person who isn’t playing will be the “caller”. This person will select a player by name or by pointing and ask that person if she has a paper clip, for example. Wait an appropriate amount of time for her to find it – several seconds – then move on to the next player. Ask the next player for the same thing or something else.
If you will be playing the game for awhile you’ll likely have several winners. Have on hand several small prizes for people who are able to produce the items which are called.
Another version of the game is played with everyone at once. Ask if anyone has a glove (not a good call for winter), deodorant or other unusual things. The first person who produces such a thing is the winner. If no one produces that item simply call another item.
The items a person should pack, and ones which can be called, are ones that are not too obscure but things which you normally wouldn’t find in a purse. Some examples are a picture of a dog or cat, a tape measure, a grocery store ad, a screwdriver, or even a zipper-lock bag. If you see that no one seems to be able to produce any of the things which are called you can move to slightly more common items, like a bottle of nail polish, a hundred dollar bill, or a safety pin. Still no hits? Try really common things like a mirror, red lipstick or another choice.
The “What’s in Your Purse” game is a lot of fun and a good ice breaker for groups where many of the people don’t know each other. But, it’s just as entertaining amongst a group of friends!
