Where the Fun Starts!! - The BobbyK BLOG

1. Remember – you're the one who knows your child best; the ride operator doesn't.
While your child may be tall enough to ride an amusement ride, it still may not be appropriate for him or her. Some children are afraid of heights, some are afraid of the dark and others have trouble staying seated. The ride attendant does not know your child – you do. Please carefully watch what the ride does before allowing your child to participate.

With Summer either behind us or before us, depending on how you look at life, amusement rides may be the last thing on your mind right now.  But with several highly publicized accidents throughout 2011, where does one turn to find out who operates safely and who does not?  And where does responsibility transfer from operator to rider? 

I wouldn’t blame you for asking what the heck Reindeer Racing can possibly be?  While some creative party people have created live racing with crabs, goldfish and even mice, the Humane Societies and Health Departments sometimes frown upon such activities.

When planning a holiday party, people soon get tired of the same old thing. Holiday Tunes, chicken dinner... then campy prizes are soon forgotten as half the people are leaving early and the other half are getting smashed on eggnog!
 
Pump some fun into your party with a variety of ideas, from simple to extravagant.
 
Some simple games that can be played during cocktails, dinner and even throughout the night include:
 
Stuffing Santa: Two teams of four choose one person to be Santa and wear our oversized Red Union Suits or T-shirts. The other three team members then start stuffing Santa with Balloons that they blow, tie and stuff within the time period of one song. The team that stuffs their Santa with the most Balloons wins! (NEED TWO SHIRTS, BAG OF BALLOONS)

Holiday Trivia: Questions about Holiday traditions from around the world, usually asked during the dinner portion of the evening and played either individually or as a table.

Since the days of the spyrograph, spin art has been attractive to kids of all ages. Starting as pen marks on a piece of paper and progressing to a spinning disc of paper with paint blotches, the process creates “art” works each a unique design.
 
For years, the biggest and only addition to spin art cards was the Frisbee. Perfectly shaped for spinning without flying off the holder, primarily white Frisbees are used to give the greatest contrast to the various brightly colored paints. The end result is a custom art creation that can then be used for play.
 
In the past few years, almost anything can be used for spin art with a bit of adaptation. Spin Art T-shirts and hand bags came along with the advent of clothing inks and paints.  Edible spin art in the shape of cookies and colored icings became another option.
 
Now, the hottest spin art product is one that is unusual on its own and even more so when paint is added. Shutter Shad glasses are not really sunglasses or glasses at all. They are a plastic frame that holds plastic shutters across the eyepiece. Not functional but fashionable!
 
Coming in all different colors including metallic gold and silver, the shades become vibrant when paint is added. Add the spinning of the machine and there is no limit to the crazy designs that can be made. Because the glasses are plastic, they are also very reasonably priced.
 
For more information on adding Spin Art Shutter Shades to your party, contact Bobby K Entertainment.

With the recent notoriety of bounce house accidents this summer, finger pointing has been prevalent. Accusations are made that inflatable bounce houses are not staked properly, are not inspected or maintained, or that operators are not paying attention.

Ziff Law recently used Bobby K Entertainment as a resource for their latest blog post on safely using inflatables, moonwalks, and bouncehouses. The New York Accident Attorneys wrote this post because of the recent accidents involving improperly installed bounce houses and inflatables.

The late 60's and early 70's brought us a psychedelic era that was exemplified by incense, felt posters, and black lights! While the posters may be out of favor, the black lights have never lost their popularity - and in recent years have gotten even more popular!

One of the greatest joys of attending a carnival or fair is when you walk away with the big prize from a game booth. Some participants spend hundreds of dollars for a stuffed dinosaur that they can carry around the park, getting envious stares and a sore back.

For company parties, school field days, or college spring flings, choosing the right games and prizes is a challenge. Make the games too easy and you run out of prizes quickly; make them too challenging and you frustrate your players while giving away very little.

A good mix of challenging games with a few desirable prizes along with the “win every time” games with lots of little prizes is sometimes the answer. From Bobby K Entertainment, you can order games that are difficult (like a bottle standup or a magic wand game) or games that have a “building” challenge where prizes are awarded for the number of items knocked down or points scored.  Easy games include fish ponds, lollipop pulls, and duck ponds.

When it comes to prizes, unless you have a super budget, don’t expect those large animals or other items like that. If “large” is what you would like, make a visual impact with inflated toys. A three foot inflated hammer is cheap compared to a three foot stuffed plush monkey.

Mixing up the prizes is a good idea, also, starting with the inexpensive token prizes such as stickers, coloring books, and small plastic animals. Midline items include squirt guns, balls, and small plush animals or characters. Premium items can include the inflatables and some large plush animals but be sure to consider some novelty pieces like skateboards, bat and ball sets, or glow pieces and hats.

Most booths are designed to hand out prizes directly and have their choice of prizes displayed. Another method is to use tickets at each booth with more tickets awarded for more difficult games. One booth can be designated a prize booth and winners can redeem their tickets for the prize of their choice.