Pin the HORN on the Unicorn

Lesson Learned: People do what is familiar. We don’t listen if we think we understand what is happening.

For my roommate’s 20th birthday we took a new spin on a birthday party classic and played “Pin the Horn on the Unicorn.” Yes, we drew an awkward unicorn on our apartment wall for the sole sake of playing this game. Regardless, it was interesting to see that only half of the players when for the unicorn’s head. The other half reverted to the unicorn’s hindquarters, thinking “Pin the Horn on the Unicorn” was the same as “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” Same idea yes, but opposite ends of the horse body are targeted in each game. Although all players could clearly see that the marker pieces we were using where rainbow colored horns and we repeatedly called the game by its self-explanatory name, “Pin the Horn on the Unicorn,” people still reverted to rules for traditional “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”

As a brand, “Pin the Horn on the Unicorn” better step up its game if it wants to stand alone. “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” owns the adolescent hearts of the 20 year-old college student population.