Pin the Tail on the Donkey

An example of the game after it was played.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey is a game played by groups of children. It is common at birthday parties and other gatherings. A picture of a donkey with a missing tail is tacked to a wall within easy reach of children.^[1]

One at a time, each child is blindfolded and handed a paper "tail" with a push pin or thumbtack poked through it. The blindfolded child is then spun around until he or she is disoriented.^[1] The child gropes around and tries to pin the tail on the donkey. The player who pins their tail closest to the target, the donkey's rear, wins.^[1] The game, a group activity, is generally not competitive; "winning" is only of marginal importance^{[clarification needed]}.

The game is also used in child development research.^[2]

The game can also be played by teenagers and adults, especially if the "donkey" is replaced with depictions of something or someone else. As a drinking game, the person with the worst tail pinning is awarded one shot of a selected alcohol, to be determined by house rules or the loser in a friendly environment^{[citation needed]}.

Idiomatically, the term can be used derisively for any assigned activity which is pointless or for which a person has been handicapped (blindfolded)^{[citation needed]}.

See also

• Fukuwarai, a similar Japanese game
• Piñata

References

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