[Birthday] A roundup of no-prep performance/activity ideas

pantomime

[For Absolute Beginners] Animation Dance Lesson – Pantomime Edition

A great performance idea to liven up a birthday party is pantomime.

You don’t need any props at all—you express various situations using only body movements.

The motion that looks like you’re touching an invisible wall is especially famous.

Since no preparation is required, you can try it on a whim whenever inspiration strikes! It’s also fun to turn pantomime into a quiz.

If you perform a pantomime and have people guess what you’re doing, it becomes a game and offers a different way to enjoy it!

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prop-less magic

Even a sudden "Do something!" gets huge cheers! 5 magic tricks that hype the crowd using only your hands [with explanations]

Magic is exciting, but it often feels like you need special gimmicked props, right? But actually, there are tricks you can do without any props at all! All you use are your fingers.

First, make an OK sign with the thumb and index finger of both hands.

Then interlock the two rings.

Keep your left hand still, and only move your right hand, rotating from the wrist while moving your fingers inside the ring.

In that brief moment of motion, secretly switch your index finger for your middle finger, slip the index finger outside the ring, and then put the index finger back inside the ring together with your thumb.

Done right, it looks like the finger that couldn’t come free suddenly passed right through in an instant.

It’s a quick trick that can instantly liven up the moment!

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Beef Tongue Game

A simple, no-props party game: the 'Gyutan (Beef Tongue) Game'

The more people, the harder it gets! A perfect recommendation for a birthday party activity is the “Gyūtan Game.” The rules are very simple.

First, everyone sits in a circle.

Then, with your hands together in front of your body, the game begins.

Decide the first player with rock-paper-scissors or similar, and proceed in order from there.

When the first player says “Gyū,” the next player claps their hands.

At this point, they must not say “tan” out loud.

Keep passing the turn like this and follow the set patterns.

The first round’s pattern is “Gyū, tan, Gyū, tan, Gyū, tan, tan,” and with each round, one extra “tan” is added at the end.

It’s a hilarious game where everyone ends up getting confused in the best way!

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No-English game

We did a Q&A with an 'English forbidden' rule and it was so bad we burst out laughing.

Also known as the “no-katakana game” or the “no-loanwords game,” this is a game that makes you realize how much you rely on foreign words in everyday conversation.

The fun part is that everyone strains to avoid using English, which makes the chatter quite awkward.

In particular, when you want to say words like “bowling” or “soccer,” you end up giving strange, roundabout explanations—which is hilarious! It’s a game that gets lively while making you use your brain.

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Gesture Game

A ‘gesture game’ where your partner has absolutely no idea what’s going on is way too funny.

A gesture game where you guess what’s being expressed using only actions, with no words.

It’s a classic for recreation because it really gets everyone excited.

But even a fun gesture game can get boring if you play it too many times.

That’s why we recommend trying the Cooperative Gesture Game.

It’s played in pairs, and only one person knows the prompt.

The partner, who knows nothing, has to perform gestures while guessing what the prompt might be.

After the gestures are done, the person who wasn’t told the prompt has to guess what it was.

It’s a fresh take on gesture games—give it a try!

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Magical Banana

[Viral] We tried playing the Magical Banana game with all the members and burst into laughter lol

Magical Banana, which became famous as a signature segment on the quiz show “Magical Zunō Power!!,” is a classic game also popular at recreational events and drinking parties.

To play Magical Banana, you start with the call-and-response “Magical OO.” You say, “When you say OO…” and pass it to the next person.

The game proceeds with each person rhythmically saying something they associate with the word that goes in “OO.” For example: “When you say banana,” “yellow!” The most important part is keeping the rhythm.

It looks simple, but when you actually try it, it can be surprisingly tricky!

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Finger Smash

Simple, fun at-home game with no props: Finger Suma

Yubi-suma is a game where players guess the total number of raised thumbs.

It became famous thanks to the hugely popular TV show SMAP×SMAP, which aired for about 21 years until 2016.

Here’s how to play: First, everyone sits in a circle.

Then everyone brings their hands in front of their body with both wrists together, thumbs pointing upward.

Once both hands are made into fists, the game begins.

At the cue “Yubi-suma O!” players choose whether to raise their thumbs or not—opting not to raise any is also an option.

If the number called in place of “O” matches the total number of thumbs raised, that player lowers one hand.

Players leave the game once they’ve lowered both hands, with those who manage it first exiting before the others.

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