New college-marketed game requires players to throw rubber poultry

Disk golf was created for those who are unable to play golf. So, what happens when one does not have the skills to play disk golf? Invent a new game. But this time, use rubber chickens instead of Frisbees and have a movable target.

These simple but eccentric changes to the well-known sports of golf and disc golf are now the basis of a new game called "Flickin' Chicken," created by the Haywire Group more than a year ago.

It was one of three games ever licensed from outside of the company, and it is the first game created by the company to accommodate outdoor play.

The game was created for two to four players and consists of a few simple game pieces and rules: one player throws the target disc from behind a designated line or point. Once the target disc has landed, each player launches their rubber chicken toward it, trying to land on the target.

And this is where the game parallels golf.

Players are to assume that the target can't be reached with one throw, so they continue to toss their rubber poultry toward it until one part of the chick is touching the disk. Finally, it is time to score the participants.

Each member records the number of tosses it took to reach the disc. At the end of nine "holes," the player with the lowest score wins.

"What I like about the game is the game, itself, is very simplistic," said Benjamin Leis, owner of The Campus Buzz.

The Campus Buzz is an organization that helps companies to market their products to college students. Leis is in charge of approving games targeting the college market and modifying those that don't quite make the cut.

With Flickin' Chicken, though, no changes were made.

"How creative can college students get with this?" Leis challenged.

Jen Derevensky, public relations specialist for Ren Beanie Public Relations, has also come into contact with a rubber chicken or two. She explained that the game has potential to grow in popularity because it can be aimed at all ages.

Not only can a college student enjoy it while at school and with friends, but they can also go home and play it with their younger siblings, she said. She has personally played the game with a variety of competitors, ranging from her friends to her friends' children.

But just because the game can be played by anyone doesn't mean that it is easy.

"It sounds fairly simple to throw rubber chickens at a target, but with the way the chickens are shaped and weighted, it isn't that easy," Derevensky said.

Despite it's difficulty, Derevensky vouches for Flickin' Chicken's ability to entertain.

"It always gets people laughing," she said. "I think for college students, especially when tailgating or drinking, it's lots of fun."

And she's not the only one who thinks so. Flickin' Chicken has been nominated for a series of awards, the most recent being Parenting Magazine's toy of the year. It was also selected in the top six toys at the Annual Toy Fair in New York City.

David Blanchard, director of sales and marketing for The Haywire Group Incorporated, discussed the group's marketing strategies for their product.

The "crazy game called for crazy marketing," he said.

The Haywire Group decided to market by breaking the Guinness World Record for the most people "flickin' rubber chickens at the same time." On April 27, a crowd gathered outside Boston and all threw rubber chickens at one enlarged target.

The game has also been featured on the Regis and Kelly show as well as "The Today Show." But The Haywire Group's marketing expands beyond the television set. They have an advertisements on YouTube and are running a special promotion: anyone who buys the game and uploads a YouTube video of themselves playing it with friends or their families will earn another free game of their choice from The Haywire Group.  

Like his colleagues, Blanchard has also tossed around some poultry.

"My personal opinion of the game is that it is ridiculous," he said, "and that's why people like it."

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