Carnival & Booth GamesNo. 8175 · The 2026 edition
Unique Halloween Game Idea - DIY BOO-Loon Pop!
Turn a plywood ghost into a popping good time with this DIY BOO-Loon Pop game!
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at carnivalsavers.com.
Create a spooky carnival attraction by painting a ghost on plywood and attaching clothespins with tacks beneath them. Players toss bean bags to pop balloons clipped to the board, with off-center tacks adding challenge. Secure the setup outdoors and use age-based throw lines for safe, hilarious fun.
You'll need
Directions
- Begin well ahead of your event by sketching a ghost silhouette onto a 1/2-inch thick plywood sheet, then paint the board using black and white acrylic paint.
- Once the paint is dry, have an adult secure medium-sized clothespins to the board using 1-inch thin nails, attaching each clothespin on its side and spacing them roughly 8 inches apart.
- To ensure balloons pop when hit by bean bags, you'll need a tack roughed up with sandpaper hot-glued to the board beneath each balloon position.
- The optimal placement we discovered is to glue the tacks about 4 to 5 inches directly below the bottom of each clothespin using a hot glue gun.
- If a tack sits exactly centered under a balloon, popping becomes too easy; to increase difficulty, shift some tacks off center by about 2 to 3 inches.
- A day or two before your Halloween event, enlist volunteers to inflate the balloons (250+ white and 50+ black) and store them in large garbage sacks.
- Decide on the game's location before the carnival, and if it's outdoors, secure the board by leaning it against a tree and fastening it with bungee cords.
- Mark different throwing distances using stand-behind lines or traffic cones, creating age-appropriate challenges for children of varying sizes.
More photos
Photos hosted by carnivalsavers.com.