Gift design

Three cups, and an answer they can't avoid

A shell game where every cup hides the same word.

Three cups, one answer. Shuffle and pick — they'll always land on the one you want.

You write a question and the answer you want. Three cups shuffle on a table, they pick one, and underneath it is your answer — because it's under all three.

That's not a bug, it's the whole joke. It's the physical version of asking someone something they can't say no to.

What happens when they open it

  1. 1

    You set the question

    "Will you forgive me?", "Am I taking you out on Friday?" — anything with one answer you have in mind.

  2. 2

    The cups shuffle

    Ten real swaps, fast enough to lose track of. The shuffle is genuine even though the outcome isn't.

  3. 3

    They pick, and you win

    The cup lifts and your answer is underneath, whichever one they chose.

Who it suits

Worth knowing

Occasions it's offered for

Sorry / forgive meFor couples

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