I remember it like it was yesterday. My sister had just arrived home from a long trip, and my family and I were all together just playing games as a family. Before my sister arrived home, we had all decided that we would pull a prank on my sister and play a trick game on her that we had never played before.
So, we got out the camera, got the lipstick, and we all tried to keep a straight face. The game was called: “Inchypinchywinchy.” Yes, the name says it all! There is no skill required in this game – it is not educational, intellectual, challenging, or competitive in any way. You simply have to try and not laugh and give away the ‘secret’ to the victim. To this day, it still is one of the funniest and most memorable games we have ever played as a family. It was just a trick/prank game – but it was a blast. Have fun playing it – but make sure you do it on someone who does not know what is going on!
INCHYPINCHYWINCHY
# of Players: 4 or more
Objects Needed: Lipstick
Those playing will sit in a circle around the room. The person who has never played before will be referred to as the victim. Then, the person who is sitting to the right of the victim will need to have some Lipstick. In preparation, this person will rub a small amount of Lipstick on their finger, and then hide the Lipstick so the victim can not see it (or smell it). Everyone else will keep a straight face and not laugh, look at the victim, or give anything away. The game starts by having one person turn to the person on their left and, with their index finger they will do some random thing to the face of their neighbor. While doing this, they must say: “inchypinchywinchy.” Examples of some random motions one might do is: pinch their cheek, rub their nose, squeeze their chin, pull their earlobe, draw a line on their forehead, etc.
The only rule of the game is that the person who is doing the random motion, and the person receiving it – they both can not laugh at all (all the others can when it is not their turn). The random motion only needs to last a few seconds, but neither person can laugh. If a player does laugh, they receive a strike (3 strikes and a player is out of the game). It is important that the rule is enforced to make the victim think this is an actual game (as weird as it may be to them). But, as is obvious, you should be more lenient on the victim so that they do not get eliminated from the game. Play continues around the circle with each person doing some random motion to their neighbor on the left. (It may be helpful for others to play dumb and pretend that this is a weird game to them too so it is not only the victim who wonders what is going on).
Eventually it will be the person’s turn who is sitting on the right of the victim. Again, this person will have rubbed some lipstick on their fingers – thus, while doing their random motion, lipstick will be smeared on the victim’s face. (Everyone else can laugh, but the other players do not want to laugh excessively or give it away that something is happening to the victim). The person rubbing lipstick on the victim must be very subtle and not let the victim see their finger with Lipstick on it.
After the victim has taken their turn, play continues around the circle. Players will laugh and receive strikes, and some people may even be eliminated from the game. The game ends when everyone is tired of playing, or everyone gets out, or when what most likely will happen – the victim discovers what is going on!