Easy, crowd-pleasing one-shot gags recommended for new employees. Fun routines that get everyone hyped.
Isn’t it common for new employees to be asked to do a quick party trick at company drinking parties and the like? Your heart probably races every time you attend, wondering when it’ll be your turn.
Even if you want to prepare something in advance, you might worry, “What if it doesn’t land?” In this article, we’ll introduce some classic one-shot party tricks.
We’ve picked a wide range—from timely comedy bits to sure-fire, crowd-pleasing standards.
If you’re unsure what to do, please use this as a reference!
Simple, crowd-pleasing one-shot gags recommended for new employees: Top 10 hype-boosting bits (1–10)
Place a toothpick on your eyelashesNEW!
A fun one-shot party trick that’s easy for women to pull off is balancing toothpicks on your eyelashes.
Don’t stop at one—challenge yourself to see how many you can stack.
One by itself isn’t much, but as you get two, three, and more toothpicks resting on your lashes, the crowd will really get into it.
It also looks great in photos, so it might be perfect when you want to capture some fun memories.
There’s no practice required, so go ahead and give it a try.
You could even use false eyelashes just for the occasion.
Break disposable chopsticks with a chopNEW!
Disposable chopsticks are easy to carry, and you can always find them at drinking parties.
So try showing off a quick party trick with chopsticks.
I recommend breaking chopsticks with a karate chop.
Place the chopsticks so that half of them extend past the edge of the table, and put something light—like a newspaper or a wet towel—on the chopstick on the table side.
Then strike the portion sticking out from the edge with a hand knife (karate chop).
The keys to breaking them cleanly are to hit the chopstick with the part of your hand close to the palm and to do it decisively with speed.
Coin Passing Through the Hand
If you want a one-shot performance with visual impact, I recommend magic tricks.
These days, lots of magic-reveal videos are available on YouTube, making it easier to practice.
Coin magic, in particular, is great because you can perform it as long as you have some coins.
It’ll be even more exciting if you borrow the coins from someone in the audience!
Kendama
Because a kendama is easy to carry around, I think it’s convenient to prepare for situations where you want to show a quick party trick.
There are many techniques, so start by practicing ones that are easy for beginners to imitate.
As you keep playing, you might find yourself drawn into the depth of kendama more and more—and it could become a lifelong hobby.
Parody of a famous song
Parody songs are a surefire one-shot gag that gets laughs across all eras and age groups! There are even TV shows dedicated solely to parody songs, making them perfect entertainment for parties and gatherings that everyone can enjoy.
The key points are: use a song that everyone knows, and while singing it straight, make the content funny.
These two points are especially important.
To make good use of the lyrics, the original song needs to be familiar enough for people to get the joke.
And to make it funnier, it’s best to include elements from real-life experiences or relatable “we’ve all been there” moments that the audience can empathize with.
Rubik’s Cube
On social media, you often see videos of people solving a Rubik’s Cube at high speed.
Showing off a Rubik’s Cube like that is also a great party trick.
Solving it normally is already quite difficult, but if you can finish it in about a minute, that’s pretty impressive.
It’s also perfect as a hobby, so definitely give it a try.
wotagei
Wotagei is a performance known for being done by fans at idol concerts.
Recently, videos of wotagei set to popular songs have been released, and it’s even become a staple party trick.
So if your company is holding a party or a social gathering, why not put on a wotagei performance? Even first-timers can make it look impressive with a bit of practice—perfect for a quick show.
If older attendees who may not be familiar with wotagei will be there, try choosing a song that was a revival hit or otherwise well-known to their generation.