Quick! What’s a show on Netflix that begins with the letter “P”?
If you can answer that, great — you just have 11 more “P”-word categories to go before an inflating balloon pops and stops your train of thought right in its tracks.
If that sounds stressful, that’s because it is. But the silly and sudden reactions from the balloon pop, on top of the zany category answers, is what makes Pop Under Pressure fun and exhilarating at the same time!
From the creators of the viral What Do You Meme? game, Pop Under Pressure is a fast-paced categories contest with a twist: An inflating balloon is your timer, and when time’s up, it pops! Players ages 14 and up can gather with up to 20 players to pop ‘til they drop.
Each game comes with a balloon timer, balloon clip, 100 balloons, category cards, 50 answer sheets, and an alphabet spinner. There is no assembly required, but you’ll need three AA batteries to get the balloon timer going. To play, each participant chooses three category cards, which come with copies to distribute, along with an answer sheet. Then, a player places the balloon on the air shaft above a marked line, clips the balloon in place, and gets ready to begin!
The youngest player spins the spinner to reveal the letter for the round, then players can start the timer by pressing the red button on the balloon platform. The goal is to come up with an answer that starts with the letter for each of the 12 categories on the category card, which includes topics such as exercise, food, weather, animals, sports, and more. Only one answer per category is allowed, but players can write in a phrase with more than one word. For example, if the letter is “C,” and a player put “calico cat,” that would earn them two points because they used the letter twice in a row, whereas the word “cat” would earn them one point. However, players will want to avoid any obvious answers, because if two players have the same answer for a category, neither receive points.
Players will never know when the balloon will pop — sometimes, a round can go for as long as 3 minutes or more! Once the balloon pops, players have to stop writing and press the timer off, then they can share their answers and tally up their points. After three rounds, everyone tallies up their total score, and the player with the most points wins the game.
Make sure to play Pop Under Pressure in an open area, because when the balloon pops, rubber pieces will scatter everywhere, which can make cleanup difficult. It’s also important not to sit too close to the popper, not only because it’s so loud, but because the balloon pieces can stick to clothes or skin. The game recommends that players use only the balloons provided, as the timer is unlikely to work with unofficial balloons, so players may want to be judicious with the ones available. Younger kids may find the popper a bit more stressful than fun, so this game is well-suited for an older bunch (and for the strong of heart).
Pop Under Pressure really puts players’ skills to the test, because they have to think quickly and accurately about their answers in little time. The balloon getting bigger and bigger is definitely distracting and intimidating, but the answers that people come up with under pressure are hilarious, and seeing everyone freak out in unison is sure to make some fond game night memories.
Pop Under Pressure costs $24.99, and is coming soon to whatdoyoumeme.com. Stay tuned for the release of this pop-tastic game!
