Skunk the Moose

by Rick Bavera
(Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA)

This Skunk The Moose game is a game in which you need to pay attention very much, as talking is not allowed during the game.

People sit in a circle, so that they are able to see everyone else.

Each "place" or seat is assigned an animal. Seat number 1, the "leader" of the game, is the Moose.

The last seat is the skunk.

Each seat in between is also assigned an animal. If your group is very large, it could get mind boggling. Max workable size is probably 20--so that you can actually remember the animals.

Good animals to use:
Ostrich (or giraffe)
Elephant
Kangaroo
Turtle
Butterfly
Snake
Rooster
Cat
Dog
Fish
Cow
Monkey/Chimp
Spider
We now have 15 animals total with the above list and the moose and skunk.

Each animal has a motion to symbolize it.
Moose: Open hands put on each side of head, as antlers
Ostrich: one arm up in the air, as a long neck
Elephant: Hold nose with one hand, put other arm through the space made...a "trunk"
Kangaroo: hold front of shirt and shake the shirt front....a pouch
Spider: fingertips of one hand touch the other, then do "pushups" with hands....spider doing pushups on a mirror
There are signs for each of the animals....or your group can come up with signs for each, and add animals and signs.

The skunk sign is to just hold nose.

To start the game, the moose does its sign, then makes the sign of another animal to "call" it. The called animal makes its sign, then the sign of another animal.
This continues, until someone makes a mistake. When a mistake is made, all animals hold their nose (make a skunk sign), and point elbow at the one who made the mistake.

The mistake maker now becomes the skunk. S/he gives up seat, everyone moves up, becoming the animal of the new seat.

You cannot call the skunk during the game, as the skunk cannot move down/lose. The skunk can try to confuse everyone, by making signs during the course of the game, because he doesn't want to remain the skunk.

The point of the game is to kick out the players ahead of you, in order to move up to be the leader, the moose. So the moose is often picked on very much.

A variation would be to add animal sounds with the movements, or use just animal sounds.

Adults often have much more fun with this, get very silly, and break down into hysterical laughter.

TPQ Comment: This sounds like a lot of fun Rick. Thanks for contributing!