You know that moment at a party when everyone’s staring at you because it’s your turn to pick a paper from the fishbowl, and your brain just stops working? Your mouth gets dry. Your hands get sweaty. And all you can think is, “Please don’t make me act out ‘constipated penguin’ in front of my boss.”
We’ve all been there. Fishbowl games can turn even the coolest cucumber into a panicky mess. But what if you were the evil genius writing those little papers? What if you had the power to make your friends squirm, giggle, and possibly question your sanity? That’s where this list comes in – your secret weapon for fishbowl domination.
Funny Things to Write for Fishbowl
Ready to become the unquestioned champion of fishbowl games? These ideas will have people laughing so hard they might need new pants. No fishbowl will be safe again.
1. Cat Trying to Act Casual After Falling Off a Table
This classic move involves pretending everything is totally fine when clearly it’s not. Perfect for the friend who thinks they’re too cool for party games.
Besides, we all know that look – the wide eyes, the quick grooming, the “I meant to do that” swagger that fools exactly no one. This works best when playing with cat owners who will instantly recognize this universal feline face-saving technique.
2. Person Who Just Realized They’ve Been Talking With Food in Their Teeth
Make your victim mime that horrifying moment of discovery, complete with subtle tooth-checking and the slow dawn of mortification.
Your friends will need to show that perfect mix of trying to act normal while desperately wanting to check a mirror. Most hilarious when played right after everyone’s finished eating something with poppy seeds or spinach.
3. Someone Trying to Exit Through a Door Marked “Push” by Pulling Really Hard
We’ve all been this person at least once in our lives. The harder they pull, the funnier it gets.
What makes this so great is watching someone commit fully to the wrong approach with increasing frustration. Bonus points if they look around to see if anyone noticed their door-opening incompetence.
4. Person Who Thinks They’re Alone in an Elevator but Isn’t
This prompt lets players show off their secret elevator behaviors – picking their nose, fixing underwear, practicing weird faces, or quietly singing.
Then comes the beautiful moment of horror when they “notice” they’re not alone. The quick shift from private to public behavior is comedy gold, especially with players who really commit to the bit.
5. Kid Explaining Why They Definitely Didn’t Eat the Cookies
Nothing beats watching adults channel their inner five-year-old with chocolate-smeared excuses and finger-pointing.
Players need to come up with increasingly ridiculous explanations while literally hiding their hands behind their backs. Great for bringing out everyone’s inner child and reminding us that we all still use those same lame excuses as adults.
6. Enthusiastic Tourist Taking Photos of Absolutely Everything
Have your friend become that person who stops every three steps to snap a picture of a random trash can because “it looks so authentic.”
The key to this performance is the excessive amazement at totally ordinary objects. Players should gasp dramatically at imaginary sights and take at least seven angles of the same boring thing.
7. Person Pretending to Understand a Foreign Language
Watch your friends nod along vigorously while occasionally throwing in the only word they know in that language – usually “bonjour” or “gracias.”
This works because we’ve all done this polite nodding while understanding absolutely nothing. The best players will throw in confident but completely wrong responses at exactly the wrong moments.
8. Someone Trying to Catch a Fly With Their Bare Hands
This prompt creates an instant physical comedy scene as players swat at nothing with increasing determination and decreasing dignity.
Let them stalk their invisible prey around the room, getting more frustrated with each failed attempt. The fly should always appear to be just out of reach, leading to increasingly athletic and desperate lunges.
9. Person Who Just Sat on Something Wet but Is at an Important Meeting
The slow realization followed by the impossible dilemma – acknowledge the wet patch or pretend nothing happened? Pure gold.
Your victim must maintain professional composure while clearly sitting in discomfort. Their attempts to casually check their backside without anyone noticing will have everyone rolling.
10. Someone Faking Their Way Through Knowing the Lyrics to a Popular Song
Everyone knows this move – mumbling through verses then belting out just the chorus with sudden confidence.
The player should alternate between confident singing of made-up words and crystal-clear chorus lines. Extra funny when they throw in occasional enthusiastic but completely wrong lyrics at top volume.
11. Person Trying to Look Cool While Walking into a Spider Web
One minute you’re strolling along feeling fabulous, the next you’re doing karate moves against invisible enemies.
The transition from normal walking to full-body panic is what makes this work. Players should frantically brush at their hair and clothes while trying to maintain their dignity – an impossible task.
12. Customer Service Rep Dealing With the World’s Most Ridiculous Complaint
The forced smile. The dead eyes. The script they must follow even as their soul leaves their body.
Players should maintain that painful customer service voice while responding to increasingly absurd scenarios from the audience. Best played by anyone who’s worked retail or food service and has those trauma flashbacks ready to access.
13. Person Trying to Sneeze for Five Minutes but It Won’t Come Out
Few things are more frustrating than a stuck sneeze, which makes it perfect for torturing your friends at parties.
The player needs to build up to multiple almost-sneezes, each more dramatic than the last, only to have them fade away disappointingly. The final payoff should be either a tiny mouse sneeze or an earth-shattering explosion.
14. Someone Pretending They Know How to Dance Salsa (They Don’t)
Confidence is key here – the more sure they act while doing completely wrong moves, the better.
Your friend should start with simple steps that gradually become more flamboyant and incorrect. The look of concentration mixed with completely misplaced confidence makes this a winner every time.
15. Person Who Just Sent a Text to the Wrong Person and Realized It Too Late
The horror. The panic. The furious typing to explain. The consideration of just throwing their phone away and moving to another country.
This prompt works because we’ve all felt that stomach-dropping moment. Players should cycle through stages of shock, denial, bargaining, and eventually acceptance of their social doom.
16. Dog That Desperately Wants the Food on Your Plate
This brings out everyone’s inner pet actor – the intense staring, the slight whine, the single paw gently placed on your knee.
Great players will increase the desperation slowly until they’re basically vibrating with need. The dramatic sighs and head tilts should increase as time passes with no food forthcoming.
17. Someone Trying to Take a Selfie With a Famous Person Without Being Obvious
The awkward positioning. The pretend casualness. The sudden arm extension for that perfect angle.
Players should pretend to be casually standing near an imaginary celebrity while maneuvering for the perfect stealth photo. The constant checking of their “phone” to see if they got the shot adds to the comedy.
18. Person Giving Directions When They Have No Idea Where Anything Is
Watching someone point confidently in multiple directions while making up street names never gets old.
The key is unwavering confidence despite clearly making everything up on the spot. Players should throw in details like “turn left at the big yellow building” and “if you see the statue of the guy on a horse, you’ve gone too far.”
19. Parent Trying to Explain Where Babies Come From Without Using Any Actual Terms
This prompt creates that perfect uncomfortable squirming we all remember from childhood talks.
Players should use increasingly ridiculous metaphors while avoiding any actual information. Look for lots of “when two people love each other very much” and “special hugs” with growing desperation as they dig themselves deeper.
20. Someone Who Thinks They’re Whispering But Are Actually Talking Very Loudly
We all know this person – the one whose “secret” conversations can be heard three tables away.
Your player should cup their hand and lean in conspiratorially while projecting their voice at full volume. The contrast between the secretive body language and booming voice is what sells this one.
21. Person Pretending to Understand a Complex Movie Plot
Make them explain a complicated film like “Inception” or “Tenet” with absolute confidence and absolutely no accuracy.
The best performances include confident statements that make no sense whatsoever. Look for phrases like “it’s pretty straightforward actually” followed by completely contradictory explanations.
22. Someone Trying to Carry Too Many Grocery Bags in One Trip
Because going back to the car twice is for quitters. This prompt celebrates our stubborn determination to make it work.
Players should struggle with invisible bags, refusing to put any down while trying to operate doors, find keys, and maintain circulation in their fingers. The increasingly creative methods of hanging bags on every available body part make this a winner.
23. Person Who Just Made Eye Contact Through a Bathroom Stall Gap
Few moments are more universally awkward than accidental bathroom stall eye contact with a stranger.
Your victim needs to show both sides of this traumatic exchange – the person inside the stall and the accidental peeper outside. The frozen moment of mutual horror followed by rapid retreat is comedy gold.
24. Flight Attendant Who Has Completely Lost Their Patience
Behind that professional smile is someone who has repeatedly asked people to fasten seatbelts and put their seats up.
Players should maintain a painfully polite tone while clearly communicating they’re one passenger away from opening the emergency exit mid-flight. The contrast between words and facial expressions carries this performance.
25. Kid Trying to Stay Awake During a Boring Adult Conversation
The heavy eyelids. The head bob. The sudden jerk upright. We’ve all been there.
This works best when players cycle between extreme alertness and almost falling over with sleep. Bonus points for the confused “I was listening” response when suddenly addressed.
26. Person Realizing Their Zoom Camera Has Been On This Whole Time
The moment of horror when you realize everyone saw you picking your nose, trying on hats, or eating spaghetti sideways.
Players should showcase that beautiful moment of realization followed by frantic adjustments to appear professional. The mental replay of everything they might have been seen doing makes this especially rich.
27. Someone Trying to Exit a Conversation at a Party But Getting Trapped
We’ve all been caught in conversation quicksand, where every escape attempt just pulls you in deeper.
The increasingly desperate exit strategies make this fun to watch. Look for the classic moves: checking phones, mentioning getting a drink, spotting a “friend” across the room – all while being completely ignored by the conversation partner.
28. Overconfident Person Trying a Sport for the First Time
The swagger before the fall makes this especially satisfying to watch.
Players should start with excessive confidence, perhaps mimicking pro athlete moves they’ve seen on TV, before the inevitable spectacular failure. The attempt to maintain dignity afterward is the cherry on top.
29. Person Who Dropped Their Phone in the Toilet but Still Wants to Use It
The mix of disgust and dependency creates a perfect internal conflict for players to act out.
Watch them hold their phone at arm’s length while still trying to text, occasionally shuddering when they touch a wet spot. The justifications they make to themselves about it “probably being clean enough now” add to the comedy.
30. Pet Owner Talking to Their Animal in Public, Then Pretending They Weren’t When Someone Notices
The baby voice. The serious questions about their day. The instant switch to normal adult behavior when caught.
This is funniest when players fully commit to both the extremely embarrassing pet voice and the unconvincing casual whistling afterward. The poorly concealed love for Mr. Fluffykins is something we can all relate to.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it – 30 ways to become the evil puppetmaster of your next fishbowl game. Armed with these prompts, you’ll have friends, family, and possibly your boss acting out scenarios they’ll never live down.
Next time you’re at a party and the dreaded fishbowl appears, don’t panic. Grab that pen with confidence. Your journey from fishbowl victim to fishbowl villain is complete. Just don’t blame me when no one invites you to write the prompts anymore – that’s the heavy crown genius must wear.