Twister

Physical-contortion party game — a giant mat of coloured dots, and a spinner shouting 'left hand red!'

🌤indoor
Photo · Wikipedia

What is Twister?

Twister is a physical-contortion party game published in 1966. A vinyl mat printed with a grid of coloured dots (red, yellow, green, blue) is spread on the floor. A spinner directs players to place a hand or foot on a coloured dot ('right foot green!') without falling over or resting a knee or elbow on the mat. The game briefly caused controversy when demoed on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show with Eva Gabor — after which sales exploded.

Quick facts

Category

Party Games

Type

Individual

Players

2–4

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇺🇸 United States

Estimated origin

1966, Charles F. Foley & Neil Rabens (Milton Bradley)

Olympic

No

Popularity

global

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified