Little Adventure In Game Creating: The Tupperware Challenge

“A creative eye transforms the ordinary into an adventure.”- Anita Borgo

Navel engineer, Richard James, cast an eye upon the tension spring he developed for a battleship. As the spring, well, sprung after he dropped it, he thought it would be a great toy. In 1943 the Slinky slunk to Gimbels.

While installing a light switch, French electrician André  Cassagnes stumbled on the idea that aluminum powder could be used to create images. Being a live wire himself, he developed The Magic Screen which evolved into the Etch A Sketch. It drew crowds in 1960!

Influenced by Richard and André (or maybe the Portuguese red blend) after dinner one evening, I developed the Tupperware Challenge. 

Simple rules, common materials, and progressive skill levels will make this pastime a favorite!

Match Up Level 

Game Goals: Match food storage bases and lids.

Set up: Divide food storage containers into lids and bases. Designate one half of the table for each. Players randomly scatter lids and bases.

Rules: Each player in turn with their eyes only identifies a lid and base match. Then he indicates his selection by pointing to the set. Opponent checks the match to determine if the fit is true. Alternate turns until all possible sets are matched.

Scoring: One point for each true match. Player with most points wins the prize of sipping another glass of wine while defeated opponent clears table of everything but leftovers (needed for Capacity Level).

Capacity Level

Game Goal: Match leftovers to most appropriate container

Set up: Randomly distribute containers with fitted lids and bases froCm Match Up Level on the now almost cleared table.

Rules: Each player in turn with their eyes only, identifies a container that best fits the leftovers. Once again player points to container and opponent determines if it is an ideal fit. Alternate turns until all leftovers are stored. 

Scoring: Five points for an ideal fit. An ideal fit is defined as completely filling the base, and lid snaps on without bulging (or, in the case of spaghetti sauce, spraying across the table.) A point is deducted for each half inch distance from lid to food surface. Player with the most points wins the prize of dessert served by defeated opponent.

Chill Level

Game Goal: Position food filled containers with the least rearranging. 

Set up: This level uses the current disarray of your refrigerator. It’s most challenging when a recent grocery shopping yields a crowded space. 

Rules: Each player in turn selects a food filled storage container and places it in the refrigerator with the least rearranging of refrigerator contents to accommodate it. 

Scoring: One point is assigned each time a bottle, jar, or other currently refrigerated item is stacked, slid or in other manner repositioned before placing food filled container playing piece. The player with the least points wins and is exempt from unloading the dishwasher. 

Seek Level

Game Goal: Locate and eat leftovers.

Set up: The final positioning of food storage containers from Chill Level.

Rules: Players join forces against spoiled food in this level. Questions such as “Did you eat the sautéed salmon for lunch?” and “Do you remember where we put the lemon asparagus?” increase the chances of beating the fuzzy mold that grows when leftovers are leftover for too long.

Scoring: Players score one point for each leftover that is consumed. All players win by not contracting food poisoning.

I’m asking all readers (even the ones who signed up accidentally) to test The Tupperware Challenge and report findings and adaptations. I’ll soon develop a prototype to be marketed.

For those who doubt the financial success of my game I cite the success of the Frisbee that started as a lowly pie pan.