Discovering little-known secrets. Solving devious murder mysteries. Setting out on safari at zoos and aquariums. You can do all those things and more when you join our in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games. And something else you’ll often do? Complete memorable photo challenges.

You and your group must put your heads together and take creative photos based on different prompts. You might use forced perspective to look like giants, or find a person in uniform and treat them with great respect. Photo challenges are a great way to get flex your teamwork muscles while making keepsakes of your adventure.

One all-time favorite photo challenge: take a photo of your group in mid-air, often in front of something that can identify where your scavenger hunt is taking place. Here are eight jumping photos from hunters just like you. Can you place where in the United States each group took their photo?

1. Jump Having Fun

2. Up, Up, and Away

3. Look Where They Leap

4. Ups and Downs

5. On Cloud Nine

6. Historic Heights

7. Spring Is in the Air

8. Peace and Pounce

Find More Fun

Ready to jump for your own joy and leapfrog to victory? Explore hundreds of in-person scavenger hunts, team building activities, and virtual games around the country.

The post Jump Shots: Can You Name These 8 Places from Our Scavenger Hunts? appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

If you’ve ever played one of our trivia games or joined one of our many scavenger hunts, you know they often include a special Bonus Challenge. You might identify international cities by their subway maps, name movie villains, or figure out which scientific advances happened first. To get you warmed up for your next game, try your luck in this visual trivia challenge.

In a strange sort of Supermarket Sweep, the brand names of everyday items have disappeared! Can you identify the brands these 14 incognito items belong to? You can click on each picture to enlarge it, and you’ll find the answers at the end.

1. Bear-ly There

2. Wine O’ Clock

3. Get in the Game

4. You’re on a Roll

5. Eggs Sold Separately

6. Fish Ish

7. Beer Me

8. Bean Dreams

9. Soda Stumper

10. Snack Attack

11. I Scream, You Scream

12. Candy? Just Dandy!

13. Taco Tuesday

14. Do Not Eat! Or Drink…or Inject…

The Answers

1. Charmin; 2. Franzia; 3. Nintendo; 4. Totino’s; 5. Jimmy Dean; 6. StarKist; 7. Amstel; 8. Bush’s; 9. Dr. Pepper; 10. Fritos; 11. Good Humor; 12. Good & Plenty; 13. Mission; 14. Lysol

Find More Fun

All warmed up? learn more about our in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games, as well as trivia games that can be played in person or virtually. Our scavenger hunts and games are always available to private and corporate groups, and weekend hunts are open to the public in select U.S. cities.

Lead image by Peter Bond on Unsplash

The post At-Home Trivia Game: Can You Name that Brand? appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Whether you enjoy a pint with friends or play the Pinch Me, It’s a St. Patrick’s Day Virtual Trivia Game—or both—a little Irish spirit will be just the thing to help with five rounds of themed trivia and creative photo challenges.

And warming up your brain ahead of time won’t hurt either. So before you play, or just for fun of course, see how well you know your leprechauns from your LepreCon with this at-home trivia game featuring surprising St. Patrick’s Day facts.

1. Snake Repellant

As the legend goes, St. Patrick famously drove all the snakes out of Ireland, which is why the country is snake-free even to this day. In reality, how many snakes did St. Patrick cast out?

a. None
b. 1
c. 17
d. A million

2. Island Time

The Caribbean nation of Montserrat is one of the few countries that marks St. Patrick’s Day as an official public holiday. The party also takes a while. How long does their long St. Patrick’s Day festival last?

a. 3 days
b. 5 days
c. 10 days
d. 31 days

3. A River Runs Through It

In what city do a bunch of plumbers celebrate by dumping 40 pounds of dye into the river?

a. London
b. Dublin
c. Metropolis
d. Chicago

4. The First Parade

Where did the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in history take place?

a. Ireland
b. New York
c. Florida
d. Boston

5. The Biggest Parade

OK, so when did New York City’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade take place?

a. 300 B.C.
b. 1762
c. 1876
d. 1900

6. The Shortest Parade

How long is the shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world?

a. 3.17 feet
b. 98 feet
c. 1,000
d. 5,280 feet

7. Counting Clovers

What are the odds of finding a four-leaf clover among a field of regular ol’ three-leaf clovers?

a. 1 in 3
b. 1 in 4
c. 1 in 1,000
d. 1 in 10,000

8. Holy Moley

When was St. Patrick canonized as a saint?

a. 1776
b. 1985
c. 2002
d. Never

9. Corned Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner

Why did Irish-Americans start the tradition of eating corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day?

a. They didn’t, actually, because the Irish always ate lots of beef
b. It’s what they could afford
c. It looked good on Instagram
d. The supermarket was fresh out of corned muskox

10. Nickname Shenanigans

The proper shortening of St. Patrick’s Day is St. Paddy’s Day, because the name Patrick is derived from the Irish “Pádraig.” If you wish someone a happy St. Patty’s Day, what are you wishing them?

a. Happy St. Patty Cake Day!
b. Happy St. Patricia’s Day!
c. Happy St. Pat Sajak’s Day!
d. Happy St. Hamburger Patty Day!

11. Cheerio!

What does the Wisconsin town of New London do every year for St. Patrick’s Day?

a. “Adopts” a town in Ireland
b. Buries city hall in (fake) leprechaun gold
c. Changes its name
d. Designates one resident “St. Patrick for a Day”

12. Seeing…Green?

What color was originally associated with St. Patrick?

a. Blue
b. Purple
c. White
d. Just kidding, it was green all along

13. The Pipes, the Pipes Are Calling

In what out-of-this-world place did Canadian Chris Hadfield sing “Danny Boy” on St. Patrick’s Day in 2013?

a. Dublin Planetarium
b. The International Space Station
c. Spaceship Earth at EPCOT
d. A booth in a Planet Hollywood restaurant

14. Con-sider This

LepreCon, a bar-crawl event in which hordes of young people who are still old enough to know better, honestly, dress up in green and descend en masse to drink their way through cities around the U.S., is an off-shoot of a similar event focused on another holiday. What is the name of that event?

a. BunnyCon
b. HanukKon
c. Father TimeCon
d. SantaCon

15. It’s Not Lucky Charms

In addition to looking after gold, what do leprechauns in Irish folk tales make?

a. Shoes
b. Money Moves
c. Boiled Potatoes
d. Babies

Find More Fun

Join the Pinch Me, It’s a St. Patrick’s Day Virtual Trivia Game, or learn more about our in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games.

~

Image credits: Lead photo Pressmaster from Pexels; Snake photo by Alfonso Castro on Unsplash; clovers photo by Quentin Rey on Unsplash; clinking glasses photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels;

The post At Home Trivia Game: 15 Surprising St. Patrick’s Day Facts appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

In celebration of Cupid’s Birthday or whatever, seek out sultry secrets about scandalous art on our popular Naked at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunts. You and your significant other or friends can explore museums in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or Washington, D.C., for some of the finest and flirtiest nude art in history.

Whether you want to see what you’re in for, or simply get to know the naughty side of great works art, test your wits on these preview questions. Some are from our Valentine’s Day scavenger hunts, while others are inspired by great moments in nude art history.

1. Oh My, Manet!

Manet’s The Luncheon on the Grass created a huge uproar when it was first shown in 1863. The fact that one of the women is depicted naked did bother people. But what about the painting upset those people even more?

2. Think About It

Rodin originally conceived his famous male nude sculpture as Dante before the Gates of Hell, thinking about his great poem. Who is that figure known as?

3. On Second Thought

One of this artist’s most famous works originally depicted five prostitutes and two men in a brothel. He eventually painted over the clients, leaving only the women. What 20th-century artist painted this ground-breaking scene?

4. Suffering for His Art

Renoir is famous for his Impressionist nudes, including the eternally awkward After the Bath. Afflicted with arthritis late in life, he remained determined to keep painting. What did he do with his paintbrushes in order to make that happen?

Click Here for the Answer

He strapped them to his forearms!

5. Armory Uproar

Painted in an avant-garde style, Marcel Duchamp’s most famous nude caused scandal and ridicule in its American debut at the 1913 Armory show in New York City. The New York Times, for example, said it ought to be titled “Explosion in a Shingle Factory.” What entirely mundane activity is the subject doing in the painting?

6. It’s a Living

Contemporary artist Daniel Edwards, famous for sculpting things such as Suri Cruise’s first poop and a naked Britney Spears giving birth, immortalized a young (and now long defunct) pop couple in the buff in 2011. Who were the two pop stars?

7. Freaky Eakins

Artist Thomas Eakins made a name for himself with such clothing optional work as The Swimming Hole. But he could be a bit too risqué for his own good—for example, he’s in The Swimming Hole, on the lower right, swimming toward his dog. What shocking activity got him dismissed from his teaching gig at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1886?

A. He removed the loincloth from a male model in a class with female students.
B. He posed in the nude for photographs taken by his students.
C. He encouraged students to photograph each other in the nude.
D. He kept painting fig leaves on nude art in the Academy’s art collection.

Click Here for the Answer

In fact, he did both B and C, but finally got sacked for A.

8. Going Ape

In 1989, a group of anonymous artists and activists called the Guerilla Girls caused a stir with their now famous poster, Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? It decried the severe lack of female artists on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (and in the art world in general) while calling out the plethora of nude women painted by men. The Public Art Fund in New York City refused to display the work at the time, so the Guerilla Girls paid to display it as ads on New York City buses and in subway cars.

True or False: This piece has never been displayed in the Met Museum, its intended target.

Click Here for the Answer

False: It might have taken about three decades, but this poster did appear in the Met as part of a 2021 exhibition titled “Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints: Revolution, Resistance, and Activism.”

9. Uproar in Paris

The Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani is perhaps best known for his Reclining Nude, but his numerous nude works caused quite a stir in the early 20th century. In particular, his Female Nude was so scandalous for its depiction of pubic hair—an absolute taboo at the time—that it got his one and only solo exhibition in 1917 shut down by the police.

But something else about Female Nude offended contemporary viewers as well. What was it?

A. Her dreamy pose
B. Her makeup
C. Her non-European features
D. Her appearing to be asleep

10. What-Based Paint?

The post-impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec liked to paint in brothels. Much of his work recording bohemian lifestyles in late 1800s Paris, including his, er, busty The Model Resting, featured or were inspired by those brothels’ workers. Notably, he used a particular type of paint in his works. What was it?

Click Here for the Answer

For many of his nude paintings, Toulouse-Lautrec used casein, a milk-based paint. Paging Dr. Freud…

12. Art to Di For

At the top of the grand staircase at the Philadelphia Museum of Art looms a larger-than-life sculpture of the goddess Diana, by August Saint-Gaudens. Smaller versions can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. While her frank nakedness shocked some Victorian viewers, Stanford White, architect of the original Madison Square Garden in New York City, placed her atop his towering creation as part of a weather vane.

And then one evening in 1906, White was shot to death at the Garden, under the very roof Diana adorned, by the enraged husband of his mistress, Evelyn Nesbit. True or false: The killer husband was enraged because his wife, Evelyn, was the model for White’s beloved Diana sculpture.

Click Here for the Answer

False: Diana was sculpted when Evelyn would have been about 9 years old.

However, the novel and musical Ragtime, inspired by the events surrounding White’s murder, fudge the facts. They suggest that an aged-up Evelyn Nesbitt (this time with two Ts) did indeed pose for Diana, which helped drive her husband to murder White.

13. We’d Like a Table for 39, Please

Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party outraged viewers when it debuted in 1980. Paying homage to hundreds of powerful women throughout history, the piece features 39 distinct place settings, each one bearing (and baring) an artistic representation of female genitalia. The Dinner Party‘s planned nationwide tour was sacked amid the furor, and it took decades for the massive installation to find a permanent home at the Brooklyn Museum’s Center for Feminist Art.

How many men are included in this piece?

Click Here for the Answer

One! The 999 names listed on the tiled porcelain floor of The Dinner Party include “Cresilla,” whom Chicago thought to be a female artist from ancient Greece. But that person was actually Kresilas, a male artist from ancient Greece. At least he’s partying in good company.

14. Shark Attack

Around 1778, 14-year-old sailor Brook Watson (no relation) went skinny dipping near his ship when a shark attacked him. It took two good chomps before his shipmates pulled him from the brine. John Singleton Copley immortalized the scene in Watson and the Shark. The work still manages to shock, as the frantic rescuers fight off the monster shark while Watson floats, pale in his “birthday swimsuit,” inches from an array of serrated teeth.

In later life, when the now peg-legged Watson created his family crest, what did he include to memorialize the incident?

A. a severed foot
B. a shark fin
C. the name of the boat that saved him
D. a movie poster from Jaws

Click Here for the Answer

A. a severed foot! At least the shark didn’t bite off his sense of humor.

Find More Fun

To explore even more of the finest and flirtiest nude art in history, join a Naked at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt. These Valentine’s Day scavenger hunts are available in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

~

Images credits: All artworks in the public domain

The post Valentine’s Day Trivia: 14 Scandalous Moments in Art History from our Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunts appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Drip. Rizz. Era. If you ever feel adrift on a sea of inscrutable slang, you’re not alone. Whether you’re the parent of a Gen Zer, an aging Millennial who used to be cool, or somewhere in between, you’ve probably run into slang you just don’t get.

Thankfully, art is here to help! You’ll head into 2024 just a little bit hipper and more with it after you learn about these 12 modern slang terms, as explained by famous paintings.

Era

The art: Vertumno, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo

The slang: An era is essentially a “phase,” though you say you’re “in” one instead of “going through” one. So if you’re really into ice cream lately, for example, you could say you’re in your ice cream era.

Like a lot of terms on this list, it can also be used semi-sarcastically. If you stirred up a lot of drama at a party last night, you might brush off criticism by insisting you’re in your villain era. Or you could tell someone you’re in your food shopping era even though you popped into a grocery store for five minutes.

Fam

The art: Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Leutze

The slang: Fam generally refers to close family or friends, though it can be applied more broadly to just about any group of people. So you might celebrate a birthday “with the fam,” literally meaning your family. Someone who does CrossFit or other group workouts might hit the gym with their “fit fam.” Or George Washington might have referred to his troops in the Continental Army as “fam”…though probably not.

Finna

The slang: Finna means “going to” or “fixing to” do something. So just as Washington told his troops they were going to cross the Delaware, a teen who says he “finna chill at home tonight” means he’s going to spend the evening at home. Perhaps with his fam!

Slay

The art: Judith Beheading Holofernes, by Caravaggio

The slang: Rarely meant quite as literally as in this painting, to “slay” is to do something so well, and ideally with extreme confidence, that you’ve killed it. If your child tells you they’re going to slay a test, they mean they’ll ace it. Slay might also pop up in adjective form: if you made a “slay dinner,” it means you prepared a great meal.

Queen

The slang: Pretty well known by now, a “queen” these days is a woman who dominates at something or is at the top of her field. So as Beyoncé has become “Queen Bey” for her star power, so too was Judith a “queen” for turning the tables on the lecherous conqueror Holofernes in spectacular fashion.

Short King

The art: Equestrian Portrait of Emperor Napoleon I, by Carle Vernet

The slang: This is something of a variation on the theme of a “queen.” A “short king” is any relatively short man with the charisma and strength of character to stand out in the face of beauty standards that tend to favor men of above-average height—such as the 5’6″ Napoleon Bonaparte, arguably the king of all short kings.

Rizz

The slang: While it might sound vaguely inappropriate, to have “rizz” means to have powerful charm and charisma. A short king by definition exudes rizz, though it’s not exclusive to them: any suitably charming person can be said to have rizz, regardless of height or gender expression.

Drip

The art: Portrait of Louis XIV, in the style of Hyacinthe Rigaud

The slang: Speaking of kings, Louis XIV epitomizes here the notion of “drip”: extremely stylish clothing and accessories. If a stranger on the street tells you you’re dripping, they’re complimenting how you look (as opposed to warning you that your nose is running).

It’s Giving

The art: The Scream, by Edvard Munch

The slang: The term “it’s giving” describes the feeling or vibe a person, thing, or situation is projecting, often if it’s over the top. Remember that slay dinner you made? You could say it’s giving professional chef. Is someone being majorly creepy? They could be giving serial killer. Does a painting depict a wavy bald man standing on a bridge and literally screaming in your face? It’s giving scream!

Cap & No Cap

The art: Pollice Verso, by Jean-Léon Gérôme

The slang: “Cap” means “a lie,” and saying “no cap” means you’re telling the truth. It’s especially used in regard to improbable situations, to emphasize that you’re not lying. Did the craziest thing happen to you yesterday, but no one was around to see it? No cap, it actually happened. Were you slaying and giving Gladiator in the Colosseum to earn the adulation of the masses? No cap!

Bussin

The slang: Another slang term that might seem seedy from a distance, bussin or bussin’ simply means extremely great, awesome, or exciting. Think of the term as short for “busting out of the seams” with greatness. If someone says a movie they saw, a party they went to, or an arena of death they fought in was “bussin,” they just want you to know it was super awesome.

IYKYK

The art: Cupid and Psyche, by Jacques-Louis David

The slang: IYKYK is a straightforward acronym: “if you know, you know.” It’s usually used to allude to something either fairly obvious or that only certain people “in the know” will understand. You’ll often see someone post something on social media or the Internet with IYKYK—and instead of taking two seconds out of their lives and providing a simple explanation of what they mean, they make you go figure it out if you don’t know it already.

So why is Cupid smirking like that? IYKYK.

Find More Fun

Join one of our outdoor scavenger hunts all over the country, from New York City’s Central Park to the Santa Monica Pier. Or try your hand at one of our many virtual trivia games. Our games are available to private groups of any size at just about any time, and most of our virtual games can also be played in-person.

The post Modern Slang Meanings: 12 Slang Terms Explained by Famous Paintings appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

The holidays are almost here, which means the gift-giving season is upon us. Beyond giving the gift of adventure with a Watson Adventures gift card, our annual holiday gift guide offers awesome options for anyone on your list.

While running in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games at museums all over the U.S., we’ve scoured museum gift shops to find unique, and occasionally absurd, gift ideas. And each purchase supports a beloved cultural institution, such as the Museum of Modern Art or the Art Institute of Chicago. So take a look at these 15 fun and unusual gift ideas from museum gift shops.

Star Light, Star Bright

The first star you’ll see under the tree features in this LEGO rendition of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. And what says “Christmas” more than an American museum selling a Danish toy set depicting a Dutch man painting a French sky? MoMA Design Store, $170

Sleepy Holidays!

From the artist who brought you one of our favorite faces in art, The Vexed Man, comes a gift designed to make you yawn every time you look at it. Getty Center, $85

We Love Lucy

Not enough head and shoulders for you? Go prehistoric with this bust of Lucy, the famed face of the early human species Australopithecus afarensis. Field Museum, $36

Everybody Poops

In case your Secret Santa recipient didn’t have identifying animals’ unique poops on their bingo card, they do now! Autry Museum of the American West, $20

Totes Cute

Run errands in style with the Art Institute of Chicago’s line of art-themed tote bags. Keep it classic with Monet’s Water Lilies, get messy with Jackson Pollock, or make a statement with this African spirit mask. AIC, $20-50

A Soup-er Deal

Any Warhol fan surely would love this tomato soup can neon sign. But we have to say, $650 for a can of soup? Thanks, inflation! MoMA Design Store, and yes, $650

Eight A-Peeling Nights

If this Yellow Banana Menorah isn’t fun enough for you, consider the shinier brass version. Or skip the fruit and go right for dessert with this Hand Painted Donut Menorah. Minneapolis Institute of Art, $165 for bananas, $40 for donuts

Did Someone Mention Peeling?

The Houston Museum of Natural Science loves its kitchen stuff, but perhaps the cutest (and punniest) is this happy little Caterpeeler. HMNS, $13

A Goodie Hoodie

Part of a collab between the Brooklyn Museum and Spike Lee, this Crooklyn Museum hoodie is a great way to support a beloved museum while seeming to insult it at the same time. Brooklyn Museum, $95

Punch Up the Jam

Let your loved ones get creative with this Make Your Own Music Box set from San Francisco’s Exploratorium. Punch holes in the musical strip to compose your own tune, then crank it through the mechanism to listen to your creation. Exploratorium, $27

Yeehaw!

For the country fan or Western Barbie enthusiast in your life, you’ll want to lasso this pink Giddy-Up throw pillow. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, $40

Shark Shots!

You’ll find collectible shot glasses and glassware in gift shops everywhere, but one of our favorites has to be this ostentatious whale shark shot glass from the Georgia Aquarium. How do you even drink with this thing? Maybe you pinch its tail and hold your pinkie up, fancy teatime style. Bottoms up! Georgia Aquarium, $15

Pickle Me This

Not everyone is aware of the tradition, but if you’re a pickle-in-the-Christmas-tree family, then Detroit’s Henry Ford Museum has you covered with this beautiful hand blown glass pickle ornament. Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, $30

Christmas in Japan

Liven up an art-lover’s bookshelf with this dazzlingly detailed Sakura Tram book nook, featuring a lovely slice-of-life scene from Japan. MFA Boston, $53

Not What Dr. Seuss Had In Mind

Finally, big spenders can head over to the Corning Museum of Glass to drop more than $5,000 apiece on Mark Leputa’s glass sculptures Thing One and Thing Two. We know it’s a lot, we’re not being funny, but you can have both if you spend lots of money! Corning Museum of Glass, $5,400 each

Find More Fun

Contact us to learn more about our in-person and virtual holiday games, including the new Ho-Ho-Ho for the Holidays Scavenger Hunt, the Puzzled for the Holidays Virtual Mystery Game, the Joy Around the World Virtual Scavenger Hunt, and more.

Image credits: All product images via their respective museums

The post Museum Gift Guide: 15 Holiday Gift Ideas from Museum Gift Shops appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

With the holidays fast approaching, you can find lovely holiday cards featuring gorgeous art and heartfelt sentiments any old place. Know what you won’t find out there? Awkward, awful holiday cards based on famous paintings. Good thing you’ve come here instead!

Our virtual holiday games, in which you travel the world, solve a mystery, or show off your trivia chops, often include renowned museums and memorable art. In the spirit of seasonal silliness, we’ve taken some of our favorite art and put together 7 amazingly bad holiday cards. Whether you send them to loved ones or just get a good laugh, please enjoy these weird creations.

A Holiday Toast?

Merry Chrishmash to me, murry Chreshmush *hic* to me! (P.S. This is why we drink eggnog over the holidays instead of absinthe, kids.)

That’s Naughty List Behavior, Santa

Rudolph really, really let this guy down. Ever heard of Google Maps, Santa?!

Happy Forkin’ Holidays

No. No you don’t.

Vive la Holidays!

Sure hope Grandma has room for a few hundred hungry Minutemen.

‘Tis the Chris-Munch Season

The in-laws must be in town.

We Said “Sleigh,” Not “Slay”

Oh Salome, you’re so, um…thoughtful…

Just Don’t Talk With Your Mouth Full

This is what happens when you forget to leave out the milk and cookies.

Join Virtual Holiday Games

Contact us to learn more about our virtual holiday games: the new Puzzled for the Holidays Virtual Mystery Game, the Joy Around the World Virtual Scavenger Hunt, and the trivia-filled ‘Tis the Season for a Fun Virtual Holiday Game.

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All paintings in the public domain; cards created via Canva

The post Christmas Cringe: 7 Famous Paintings That Make Really Bad Holiday Cards appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

A hearty Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who plans to spend Thursday staying home and feasting on turkey, or turducken, or tofurkey, or *checks notes* ham? Sure, whatever!

Before you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or tuck into Thanksgiving dinner, enjoy these interesting facts about everyone’s favorite cranberry-blasted, gravy-soaked November holiday.

The First Official Thanksgiving

While Thanksgiving as a U.S. tradition dates back to colonial times, Abraham Lincoln first proclaimed it an official holiday in 1863, during the Civil War, explicitly to brag about how bounteous and successful the Union was.

Mary Had a Little Turkey

Credit for that proclamation goes largely to Sarah Josepha Hale. She was a writer and editor who had spent some 40 years sending letters to politicians to advocate for a Thanksgiving holiday. Hale also wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

There Can Be Only One

It took decades for the U.S. to land Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of every November. But its general November timing meant it eventually supplanted another holiday: Evacuation Day, which celebrated the British exit (Brexit?) from the U.S. following the Revolutionary War.

Potty Humor

Speaking of Evacuation Day, the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest of the year for plumbers! They are called in record numbers to deal with, um, heavily taxed sewage systems everywhere.

Tom vs. Thanksgiving

Thomas Jefferson once called Thanksgiving “the most ridiculous idea ever conceived.” Pretty hot take from a man who supported slavery.

Ben vs. Eagles

Meanwhile, according to popular legend, Ben Franklin felt the turkey should be our national bird. That is actually a myth. It sprang from a letter he wrote his daughter to criticize the choice of the bald eagle to represent the young United States. He said the eagle is lazy, whereas the turkey is “a much more respectable bird” and “a true original Native of America.” He also called the turkey a “bird of courage,” which seems like a stretch. Are turkeys known for being courageous and we just missed the memo?

Turkey Talk

Baby turkeys are called poults, and they’re pretty cute. Adult male turkeys are the only ones who make “gobble gobble” noises and thus are called gobblers, imaginatively enough. They are significantly less cute.

Thanksgiving Innovation

In 1953, Swanson produced too many turkeys for Thanksgiving. With some 260 tons of extra bird meat lying around, they carved it up, slapped it in a metal tray with some stuffing and frozen peas, and created the world’s first frozen TV dinner.

Turkey Bells?

“Jingle Bells,” written in the 1850s, was originally a Thanksgiving song! But folks liked it so much, they tweaked the lyrics a bit and started playing it (and playing it and playing it) at Christmas time.

Aloha, Makahiki

The 1621 harvest feast America refers to as the “first Thanksgiving” lasted three days. That might seem like a lot of pie time, but Makahiki, the ancient Hawaiian “thanksgiving” tradition, lasts four months. From roughly October or November through January or February, the Hawaiian people were meant to rest, feast, and give thanks—and refrain from activities like deep-sea fishing and warfare.

The War Over Thanksgiving

Speaking of warfare, Thanksgiving can be considered the battlefield for perhaps America’s earliest “culture war.” On one side, you have a whitewashed tale of buckle-happy pilgrims making nice with their Native American pals. And on the other, the rather more complicated history of European immigrants’ treatment of their native neighbors.

And in the 1800s, Southern states didn’t approve of Thanksgiving. They accused the New England holiday of spreading Yankee values.

Find More Fun

Join one of our outdoor scavenger hunts all over the country, from New York City’s Central Park to the Santa Monica Pier. Or try your hand at one of our many virtual trivia games. Our games are available to private groups of any size at just about any time, and most of our virtual games can also be played in-person.

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Image credits: Thanksgiving dinner photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash; Sarah Hale in the Public Domain; Adult turkey photo by Kranthi Remala from Pexels; Jingle bells photo by James Lee on Unsplash

The post Thanksgiving Trivia: 11 Fascinating Facts You Might Not Know About Thanksgiving appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Hi, Ken! With the summer blockbuster Barbie movie a smash hit, it’s the perfect time to indulge in some good, old-fashioned nostalgia. And of course, you know we love making Trivia Games. So whether you wore pink to see Barbie in theaters, you had a favorite toy growing up, or you’re bemused by the whole thing, see how many of these fun facts about toys you can figure out!

Nostalgic Toy Trivia

1. The invention of Ruth Handler and toy designer Jack Ryan, Barbie debuted on March 9, 1959. Available as a blonde or brunette, the original Barbie doll wore a black-and-white zebra-striped swimsuit and topknot ponytail. Ruth’s final direct work on Barbie came in 1971, when Mattel made a major change to Barbie’s appearance. What was it?

A. They gave her real human hair.
B. They painted her eyeballs to look forward instead of giving side eye.
C. They curved her feet and put her in high heels for the first time.
D. They made her a life-sized 5 feet 9 inches tall.

2. In 1943, American Naval Engineer Richard T. James knocked something off his desk and watched it walk down from a stack of books to a tabletop to the floor, where it landed upright. In 1945, his accidental invention was the hottest toy in town. What was it called?

A. Log
B. Weeble Wobbles
C. Slinky
D. Gak

3. In 2021, 21-year-old Max Park set a world record by playing with what toy for 3.13 seconds?

A. LEGOs
B. Rubik’s Cube
C. Air hockey
D. Magic eight ball

4. Oppenheimer, a film about the Manhattan Project’s development of the first atomic bomb, is the other hit movie of the summer (hence the “Barbenheimer” craze). In the 1950s, Manhattan Project director General Leslie Groves (played by Matt Damon in the film) helped develop an unusual toy set: the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab. Which of the following did it include?

A. Working Geiger counter
B. Comic book featuring Dagwood from the comic strip Blondie
C. Radioactive uranium
D. All of the above

5. Speaking of potentially dangerous toys, what 54-piece game was based on one its inventor played at home, with stuff bought from a sawmill in Ghana?

A. Lincoln Logs
B. Operation
C. Jenga
D. Uno

6. Ready for more Barbie? Which ONE of the following is NOT a real doll released in the Barbie line of toys?

A. Babysitter Barbie with a book accessory titled “Don’t Eat!”
B. Ken’s hippie friend, Allen, with an anti–Vietnam War chest tattoo
C. Barbie’s pregnant friend, Midge, complete with removable baby
D. Growing Up Skipper with a twist-action arm that enlarged her breasts

7. In 1992, a scientist released 29,000 “animals” in the Pacific Ocean to track currents. These “animals” spread all over the world, with some traveling 17,000 miles and others taking 15 years to reach land. What were they?

A. Toy penguins
B. Pound Puppies
C. Wind-up sharks
D. Rubber duckies

8. When it was released in the ’60s, a now-classic game was derided by critics as “sex in a box.” Initial sales were slow, but its popularity soared after Johnny Carson played it with Eva Gabor on The Tonight Show. What is the game?

A. Twister
B. Charades
C. Pictionary
D. Cards Against Humanity

9. Now available in countless forms, from sports equipment to weapons, what brand of toys was originally advertised, in part, with the line, “You can’t hurt babies or old people”?

A. Care Bears
B. Super Soaker
C. Nerf
D. Hula hoops

10. In 1952, Playskool’s iconic Mr. Potato Head earned what first among toys?

A. The first toy with a mustache
B. The first toy advertised on TV
C. The first fully edible toy
D. The first toy in space

11. What fad toy was banned from the Pentagon in 1999 over fears that it might record classified information?

A. Furby
B. Tamagotchi
C. Tickle Me Elmo
D. Barbie’s pregnant friend, Midge

12. Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia, is the only place to witness the live “birth,” every hour, of what popular children’s toy?

A. Bratz
B. Beanie Babies
C. Cabbage Patch Kids
D. Garbage Pail Kids

13. And finally, in 1991, what was the top-selling car in the United States?

A. Mazda Miata
B. Ford Taurus
C. Honda Accord
D. Little Tikes Cozy Coupe

Find More Fun

For a more challenging experience, join one of our outdoor scavenger hunts all over the country, from New York City’s Central Park to the Santa Monica Pier. Or try your hand at one of our many virtual trivia games. Our games are available to private groups of any size at just about any time, and most of our virtual games can also be played in-person.

~

Image credits: Lead image by Xavi Cabrera on Unsplash; Barbie doll photo by Sandra Gabriel on Unsplash; Atomic Energy Lab by Brstein – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0; Mr. Potato Head in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons;

The post At-Home Trivia Game: 13 Fun Facts About Barbie & More Nostalgic Toys appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Get ready to scare up some fun this Halloween. Explore haunted places on the Virtually Haunted: The Online Halloween Scavenger Hunt, or match wits with the Halloween Trivia Slam Game. Get out and discover the spooky side of cities around the country: Greenwich Village, New York; Philadelphia; New Hope, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; and Hollywood. Or embark on the Halloween Grab ‘n’ Go Scavenger Hunt just about anywhere.

No matter which haunted adventure you choose, you’ll need a devilishly delightful team name. An awesome name brings your team together, and might even earn you some bonus points. To help conjure up some inspiration, check out these many, many Halloween team names from groups that have competed on our Halloween scavenger hunts.

Some Pointers

Last year, we gave you tips for choosing a team name for Halloween games. Here’s a quick reminder:

• Remember the Theme: Basically anything Halloween-y! (Halloween-ish? Halloween-esque?)
• Pun It Up: Take the theme or current events, and toss in a pun or two
• Pop Culture Is Your Friend: Keep Halloween movies and creepy TV shows in mind when picking a name
• When in Doubt, Go for Poe: You can’t go wrong with “The Tell-Tale Fart” or “Edgar Allan Poe-sers.”

Terrifyingly Fun Team Names

SquadGhouls
2 Ghoul 4 Skool
99 Problems but the Witch Ain’t One
A Nightmare on Park Place
A Nightmare Story
All About the Boos: Send More!
Basic Witches
Bat Brigade
Batty McBatface
Black Cat Crew
Blood Shoes
Boo Crew
Boo-tiful Minds
BooBoo Bunnies!
The BooHoos
The BOOster Club
Boo(ze) Crew
Broom Sticks and Witches
Broommates
Bruce Willis Was Dead the Whole Time
Captain Spooky Pants
Carmen Sandiego & the Turds of Misery
Cereal Killers
Chad’s Ghouliest Googlers
Children of the Candy Corn
Cookies n’ Scream
Cool Ghouls
Count Chocula
Creatures from the Black Lagoon

Creep it Real
Creepy Clams
Creepy Crawley Chemist
Curious Cats
Dances With Werewolves
Dare Devils
David S. Pumpkins (Any Questions?)
The Demogorgons
Devilish Divas
Downtown Spookies
Drunken Pumpkins
Fearless Four
Finders Keepers
Five Ghouls
The Frank-Einsteins
Frankenstein & His Momster
The Funny Bones
G-g-g-g-ghosts!
Ghastly Bakers
The Ghastly Group
Ghost Master Generals
Ghostess With The Mostess
Ghostly Adventurers
Ghosts Eating Toast
Ghostwhackers
Ghoul Gang
Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun
Gobbling Goblins
Golden Gate Ghouls
The Goth Squad
Gourd-geous
The Graveyard Shift
Groovy Ghoulies
Halloteens
Hallotweens
Halloween Candy Crushers
Halloween Hooligans
Halloween Howlers
Halloweenies
Halloweentown Howlers
Halloweentownies
Hallowinners
Hamster Cannon
Haunted Heroes
Headless Horsewomen
Here for the Boos
Hobblin’ Gobblins
I Know What You Did Last Case Review
If You’ve Got it, Haunt It
Inebriated Imbeciles
Inebriati
Inspecters
It’s Always Scary in Philadelphia
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Moriarty!
Jeepers Creepers We’re the Reapers!
I Know What You Did Last Virtual Hunt
Lecter’s Chianti

Los Brujos Diversos
Luna-Chicks
Marboorita Appreciation Club
The Mischievous Magpies
Murder Hornets
Netflix and Chills
The Nightmare Before the Weekend
No Sleep Til Preschool
Not Fast, Just Furious
Not Your Basic Witches
Only Mostly Dead
Paranormal Inactivity
People Eating Ninja Turtles
Pirates of the Dining Room Table
Pumpkin Posse
Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
The Pumpkin Spice Girls
Pumpkin Spice Up Your Life
Quoth the Raven Nevermore
RedRum
Resting Witch-Face
The Running Dead
Sanderson Sisters
Sassy Sasquatches
ScareCrew
Scary Sleuth Crew
Scary Sloths
The Scooby Gang
Scooby Snaxxx
Scream 6 (Feet Apart)
Sew Fa-BOO-lous
SewSpooky
Silence of the Clams
Skeleton Crew
The Slimy Six
Sons of Witches
The Spookettes
Spooktacular Six
Spooky Squad
The State Puff Orange Man
Sugar High Toddlers
Team Candy Corn
Temple of Zoom
Traveling Whiskey Raptors
Uncaffeinated Zombies
Voluptuous, Vivacious Village Vagabonds
Which Witch is Which?
Witch, Don’t Kill My Vibe!
Witches of Oz
Witchful Thinking
Zoom Zombies

Now It’s Your turn

Get in on the fun while you can! Explore haunted places on the Virtually Haunted: The Online Halloween Scavenger Hunt, or match wits with the Halloween Trivia Slam Game. Or get out and discover the spooky side of cities around the country: Greenwich Village, New York; Philadelphia; New Hope, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; and Hollywood.

The post #SquadGhouls: 137 Fun Team Names for Haunted Hunts & Virtual Halloween Games appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Happy birthday, America! The Fourth of July is our annual red-white-and-blue barbecue-and-fireworks bonanza celebrating freedom and apple pie and all that jazz. In addition to all that, celebrate this Fourth on one of our countless in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games, including the Best of the U.S. Virtual Tour of America Scavenger Hunt, an online scavenger hunt from sea to shining sea.

Do you know where the holiday and its trappings came from? Where’d we get fireworks, and hot dogs, and even the holiday itself? Because we love uncovering historical mysteries for our hunts, we decided to illuminate a bit of the often overlooked, sometimes secret history of the Fourth of July.

Declaration Day: The Holiday Itself

The Fourth of July marks the day delegates from the original 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. Everybody knows that! Except that’s not accurate. The Continental Congress voted almost unanimously in favor of independence on July 2, 1776. (New York temporarily abstained.) July 4 is the day the Congress voted to adopt an edited version of the Declaration of Independence—and they didn’t even sign the thing until August 2.

Everyone remembers the July 4 date partly because Philadelphia chose July 4, 1777, for its inaugural commemoration of independence—even though, being at war, they didn’t exactly have independence yet. Patriotic celebrations gained traction after we re-kicked Britain’s butt in the War of 1812, and Congress made the Fourth of July a federal holiday in 1870.

Bang, Zoom: The Fireworks

As early as 200 B.C., folks in China were roasting bamboo until the air pockets inside exploded, creating the world’s first primitive fireworks. By 900 A.D., Chinese alchemists had stumbled their way into creating an early form of gunpowder, and soon after started putting it in paper tubes instead of bamboo. Chinese armies would attach firecrackers to arrows to rain destruction upon their enemies.

Centuries later, medieval England had fireworks experts called “firemasters,” and the Renaissance saw pyrotechnic schools training students in the use of fireworks all over Europe. Tired of boring ol’ bangs with no pizazz, Italians in the 1830s were the first to add bits of metal and other stuff to give fireworks colors and sparkles.

Philly’s Fourth of July party in 1777 included fireworks, and so it has been ever since.

That Marvelous Meat Machine: The Barbecue Grill

Obviously America didn’t invent barbecuing. Roasting animal meat over a fire predates homo sapiens—and since early men favored hunting over more “domestic” pursuits, the original pitmasters were likely women. The term “barbecue” originates, more or less, from the Spanish word “barbacoa,” which Columbus and crew coined to describe the way natives of Hispaniola used green wood to slow-roast meat over an indirect flame.

The Spanish explorers brought the technique north, where Native Americans practiced it, and it later spread to the original U.S. colonies. British colonists came up with the idea of adding sauce to the meat as it cooked, and the vinegar of Carolina barbecue is a holdover from the Brits’ fondness for tart sauces.

As for the barbecue grill? One Edward Kingsford invented the charcoal briquette in Michigan in 1919. In 1952, George Stephen invented the iconic domed metal grill while working for a little Chicago company called Weber Brothers Metal Works. And the outdoor gas grill owes its start to Don McGlaughlin, who in the early ’50s tinkered with a gas broiler called the Broilburger to create the LazyMan grill.

Matters of Meat: The Hot Dog and the Hamburger

Americans consume some 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July, and hamburgers can’t be too far behind. Their origins, though, are tricky to pin down.

The “frankfurter” hails from 13th-century Frankfurt, Germany. But the sausage-on-a-bun-with-condiments concept of a “hot dog”? There are many claims to that particular crown, not least of all that of Harry M. Stevens, who insisted that he invented the hot dog in 1901. He called them dachshund sandwiches, but a spelling-challenged New York Post cartoonist called them hot dogs instead. Except, Coney Island’s first hot dog stand opened in 1867, and H.L. Mencken supposedly “devoured hot-dogs in Baltimore” in 1886.

The hamburger is also something of a mystery meat, and its true origins may never be known. Ground-meat patties eaten on the go have been around since Genghis Khan’s Golden Horde. In the 19th century, the Hamburg beefsteak made its way onto American menus, the earliest example being at Delmonico’s in 1873, and later the name was shortened to simply hamburger. As for who placed the meat between slices of bread and created the hamburger as we know it, that’s the real mystery. It’s assumed to be an American invention, but history is full of competing claims, including a cook in a small Texas town, a 15-year-old boy in Wisconsin, and the man who founded White Castle.

Find More Fun

Keep the good times rolling all summer long on one of our countless in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games, including the Best of the U.S. Virtual Tour of America Scavenger Hunt, an online scavenger hunt from sea to shining sea.

~

Image credits: lead photo by Tom Dahm on Unsplash; fireworks photo by Spenser Sembrat on Unsplash; hot dog photo by Ball Park Brand on Unsplash

The post Fun Facts: The Secret History of the Fourth of July appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

With June comes the official start to summer, so let’s celebrate with some fun summer trivia. Think of it as a light warm-up for one of our outdoor scavenger hunts all over the country, from New York City’s Central Park to the Santa Monica Pier. Or try your hand at one of our virtual trivia games, which include summer-ready fun with Fun in the Sun: A Virtual Summertime Trivia Game and Celebrate Pride: The Virtual LGBTQ Trivia Game.

Now, without further ado, let’s get on with the June-eral knowledge summer trivia!

June Madness Trivia Questions

1. Valerie June Carter won five Grammy Awards and was posthumously inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2009. What line-walking, black-clad singer also happened to be her third husband?

A. Neil Diamond
B. Tom Jones
C. Liberace
D. Johnny Cash

2. What summer holiday commemorates the emancipation of Black enslaved people in the U.S.?

A. Fourth of July
B. Juneteenth
C. Summer Solstice
D. Black History Month

3. Of the countless film classics released in June, many of the best belong to Steven Spielberg. Which of the following June releases did Spielberg agree to direct in exchange for a promise that the studio would then produce one of his passion projects: Schindler’s List?

A. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
B. Raiders of the Lost Ark
C. Jurassic Park
D. Minority Report

4. In the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year and marks the official start of summer. Depending on the year, it can land on either June 20 or 21. What would be your Zodiac sign if the solstice landed on the latter date?

A. Gemini
B. Cancer
C. Leo
D. DiCaprio

5. Napoleon Bonaparte fought—and lost—the final battle of his military career on June 18, 1815. About 159 years later, what pop group won Eurovision with a song inspired by his crushing defeat?

A. Ace of Base
B. The Spice Girls
C. ABBA
D. The Beatles

6. Fans of the Beatles celebrate June 25 as World Beatles Day. The day commemorates their 1967 appearance on the BBC program Our World, during which they premiered their new song “All You Need Is Love.” Appropriately enough, Our World was the first-ever…what?

A. Live global TV broadcast
B. Singing competition
C. TV appearance by the Beatles
D. BBC TV show

7. June bugs, or June beetles, are a group of 100 species of insect across North America. These leaf-chomping pests are so named because they generally reach adulthood in June. Fittingly enough, all species of June bugs are related to the scarab, which was popular in ancient Egypt for its association with whom?

A. Osiris, god of death and resurrection
B. Ra, god of the sun
C. Cleopatra, queen of Egypt
D. King Tut, SNL character of Steve Martin

8. On a June night in 1969, the NYPD harassed lesbian Stormé DeLarverie outside a bar. Two trans women of color, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, have been credited with throwing the first brick in response. The resulting so-called riots sparked the modern LGBTQ rights movement, and is one reason June is recognized as Pride Month in the U.S. What was the name of the bar?

A. Marie’s Crisis
B. McSorley’s Old Ale House
C. Cheers
D. The Stonewall Inn

9. Which one of the following unusual facts is NOT true about Juneau, the capital of Alaska?

A. The municipality of Juneau is bigger than Rhode Island.
B. The summer solstice brings Juneau about 18 hours and 18 minutes of daylight.
C. A single road connects Juneau to the rest of North America.
D. The Northern Lights are visible from Juneau.

10. Uruguay hosted the first in June 1930. Brazil has won the most. And the United States will help host it in June 2026. What is it?

A. The Summer Olympics
B. The World Series
C. The World Cup
D. Lollapalooza

11. What June birthstone did Barbara Billingsley famously wear as a famous June in the 1950s?

A. Alexandrite
B. Diamond
C. Emerald
D. Pearl

12. June has long been one of the most popular for weddings. One reason is because the name “June” comes from the Roman goddess Juno, who protected women, particularly in marriage and childbearing. It’s said that in Medieval times, poorer folks often married in June for another reason. What was it?

A. They bathed only once a year, in springtime, so they often smelled their best around June.
B. Days were longer so they could party harder without wasting candles.
C. Royalty handed out free coins to married couples in June.
D. Ye Olde David’s Bridal always had a sale in June.

13. On June 1, 1926, the world said hello to Norma Jeane Mortenson, who would go on to be one of the most famous faces on earth. In 1973, Reginald Kenneth Dwight sang “goodbye, Norma Jeane,” 11 years after her death. Who was she?

A. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
B. Judy Garland
C. Marilyn Monroe
D. Rita Hayworth

14. On June 1, 1938, childhood friends Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster forever changed popular culture when they introduced the world to an alien from a faraway planet. When Superman hit the stands in Action Comics #1, which ONE of the following things could he do?

A. Fly through the air
B. Run faster than a locomotive
C. See through things with X-ray vision
D. Reverse the rotation of the Earth to turn back time

15. June 4, 2023, is National Cheese Day. While macaroni and cheese the most popular cheese dish in the U.S., you won’t find any made with the world’s “deadliest cheese.” Casu marzu is outlawed in nearly every country in the world, including its native Italy. Skin-crawlingly enough, it’s illegal because the cheese is infested with…what?

A. Ebola
B. Botulinum toxins
C. Mad Cow Disease
D. Live maggots

Find More Fun

For a more challenging experience, join one of our outdoor scavenger hunts all over the country, from New York City’s Central Park to the Santa Monica Pier. Or try your hand at one of our virtual trivia games, which include summer-ready fun with Fun in the Sun: A Virtual Summertime Trivia Game and Celebrate Pride: The Virtual LGBTQ Trivia Game. Our games are available to private groups of any size at just about any time, and most of our virtual games can also be played in-person.

~

Image credits: Flowers Photo by Sergey Shmidt on Unsplash; Zodiac photo by James Lee on Unsplash; Juneau photo by Fernando Jorge on Unsplash; wedding photo by Luis Tosta on Unsplash

The post At-Home Trivia Game: 15 ‘June-eral Knowledge’ Summer Trivia Questions appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.