Looking for some funny party games to play around the dinner table? These games will have your dinner party guests laughing and talking so much, you may have to remind them to eat! Some of these are perfect for playing during the meal, and others are better saved for afterwards-- when your guests are sitting fat and lazy around the dinner table, having worn themselves out complimenting your cooking. These funny party games aren't just for dinner parties-- they're great for any party.

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Funny Party Games: Message Under a Plate

Summary and Supplies: This is one of the easiest free party games to liven things up around the dinner table. All you need is a bit of imagination, a pen, and some small strips of paper. (Or, if you prefer more elegant dinner table games, some blank business cards or card stock and a printer-- you can do this on the computer).

The Game

• Write or print a different phrase on each of several small pieces of paper. Place one card under each of your dinner guests' plates. Make the phrases usable but strange. Ex: "I am a space cowboy," or "Have you tried ostrich eggs?"
• Before dinner, ask everybody to read the card under their plate-- they're not to read it aloud or share its contents with anybody. Instruct your guests to use their phrase or question as naturally as they can in conversation.
• You can decide to make this a race-- whoever manages to use their phrase last loses. Or it can be a competition between guests. The goal is for each guest to figure out when another guest is using an assigned phrase. If they're able to slip it into conversation naturally without anybody noticing, they win.
• You can also choose to assign guests several phrases-- increase them in difficulty as they go along.

Funny Party Games: Mr. Freeze (or Ms., of course)

Summary and Supplies: This game works best for larger groups. You can play this at the dinner table for a dinner party, or while guests are standing around having cocktails. No supplies needed.

The Game

• To play, nominate (or have the group nominate) somebody as Mr. Freeze. During the course of the evening, that person should completely freeze-- even if he or she is in mid-sentence. As time passes, other dinner party guests should notice and freeze, too.
• The goal is to get everybody to freeze. The last person to notice and "freeze" loses. You can also make this a drinking game, requiring the loser to down the rest of his or her drink and become the new Mr. Freeze.
• Not one of the best dinner table games to play at a restaurant-- the waiter may have trouble taking your order!

Funny Party Games: Famous Name Game

Summary and Supplies: This is one of the best free party games to play around the table. You can play during dinner, after, or whenever. A great way to keep conversation going if things get quiet. No supplies needed.

The Game

• Each guest must say the name of a celebrity. The first guest starts off with a name-- any name.
• The guest to his or her right must say another name... this name must start with the first letter in the last name (surname) of the previous person listed. The game continues this way around the table.
• No name may be said more than once. If a name used has the same letter in the first and last name (ex: Danny DeVito), the game switches directions around the table (tricky!).
• The best way to play this is as a drinking game, though you can also play using punishments/forfeits and making guests do/say strange or silly things.

Funny Party Game: The Memory Game

Summary and Supplies: This is a simple one to play around the dinner table-- but more difficult than it sounds. All you need to play this is a decent memory.

The Game

• One guest is chosen to begin by saying something they "bring to the party" (doesn't have to be true). Example: "I went to a party and brought a bouquet of flowers."
• The next guest must add another item to the previous guest's item. Example: "I went to a party and brought a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of peach schnapps."
• This goes around the table, and each person must list off all the items, then add their own. Players can generally go on for a surprising amount of time.

Funny Party Game: Frustration

Summary and Supplies: In this most frustrating of dinner table games, you pick a rule to play by... but only tell a few players what it is. No supplies needed.

The Game

• The game should start off with a phrase. For instance, "I went to Jack's house (or choose a guest at your table), and saw a dirty monkey. I didn't see a bottle of shampoo."
• The goal of the other players it to say their own statement about Jack's house. The problem is, they have rules to follow.
• In this example, the rule is that the object you CAN bring to the party must have the same initials as the person to your left. In this case, the person to the left is Dave Martin, hence "dirty monkey" (plus, it's kinda funny). The thing that is NOT brought to the party can be anything else-- anything you like.
• Share this rule with only a few players before beginning. Keep playing until all of the players catch on.
• Choose a new lead player for the next game.

Note: This can also be made a fun, easy drinking game. Simply have guests take a drink when they "see the wrong thing at Jack's house."

Funny Party Game: Which Celebrity?

Summary and Supplies: This is one of the simpler (but still funny) party games you can play at a dinner party. All you need is a decent knowledge of famous figures, both living and dead. This is a good game both for groups more interested in pop culture, and those interested in history and high culture-- simply choose names accordingly.

The Game

• The first player decides on the name of a famous person (they can be living or dead), and says only the first letter aloud. In this example, he chooses Socrates. "The name of the person I'm thinking of starts with S."
• The goal of the other players is to try to ask leading questions to stump the first player. This is a game where you have to know your stuff!

• Now that player 3 has effectively stumped player 1 (this was his goal, of course), the game changes. Now, players can ask yes or no questions to figure out Player 1's famous person.
• However, there are limitations on which questions can be asked. For each yes or no question asked, the player who asked it must have an "S" name in mind-- no random questions.
• Play this way until the group has determined the name of Player 1's famous person.

Variation: You can also play this with letters-- each time the main player (in this example, Player 1) is stumped, he or she must reveal the next letter in the name. The entire game will then continue in the same way as the first round, with a new letter being added each time the player is stumped. This often works best if you choose to use words instead of names.

Funny Party Game: Psychiatrist

Summary and Supplies: This is a lot of fun to play right after dinner, while everybody's sitting full and lazy around the table. No supplies needed.

The Game

• One player should be chosen to be the "psychiatrist." The rest of the group will have a shared "problem." The psychiatrist's job is to diagnose it.
• The chosen psychiatrist should leave the room. The rest of the group should decide on their problem. In this example, the group will decide that they all believe themselves to be Marilyn Monroe.
• The psychiatrist must ask each "patient" personal questions in order to identify their affliction. They don't have to be yes or no questions.
• If a patient answers incorrectly --if the question was one that the patient didn't know about Marilyn Monroe-- another player yells "Psychiatrist!" and that player and the player to make an incorrect statement get up and change places.
• The game continues until the psychiatrist has determined the group's affliction.

Funny Party Games: Teddy Bear Game

Summary and Supplies: This isn't really a game-- more a one-off joke. It can't be repeated because it's all about surprise. It's funniest if only the host knows what's going on. All you need to play this is a teddy bear. Poor abused teddy...

The Game

• Pass the first player a stuffed animal, such as a teddy bear (bears work best because their shape is vaguely human).
• Ask each player to kiss the animal somewhere on its body. If your group of friends is anything like mine, they'll be kissing the bear in some very personal places.
• After all players have kissed the bear, instruct them to kiss the person to the left in exactly the same place they kissed the teddy bear.

One of the best funny party games for getting a few laughs, especially if everyone in the group has had a few drinks.

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