A little backstory on what makes us the Color War experts

Throwback Fitness started as a group exercise studio in New York City. Our workouts incorporated elements from recess, gym class, and (you guessed it) color wars into classes. Over the years, we honed the art of creating engaging team competitions that are fun for everyone.

Today, we focus on private and corporate events. Our activities go beyond the fitness-inspired games of our roots and now include strategy and puzzle challenges. Throwback's mission is to bring people together and create memorable experiences through friendly competition and fun!

What is a Color War?

A color war is a group competition where players are divided into teams, each represented by a specific color. Colored attire is used to signify each team. That can be t-shirts, capes, hats, face paint, bandanas, or anything you can put on.

Through a series of games, teams vie for points that they may earn by winning a particular activity. Games can cover everything from physical challenges to strategy and puzzle-solving contests.

The organizer will then tally up the total points earned by each team to determine the overall winning color.

How Friendly Competition Through Play Builds Community

The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, once said:

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play, than in a year of conversation"

Play has universal appeal. It bridges between people of all ages, demographics, and backgrounds. Here's how friendly competition in play can foster community:

• Shared Goals and Team Spirit. Competition aligns players towards a common purpose, naturally fostering unity and team spirit

• Mutual Respect and Admiration. When we demonstrate cooperation and sportsmanship, respect grows and sets the stage for deeper connections

• Bonding Over Shared Experiences. Memories forged during play—whether wins or losses—become the events that strengthen friendships

• Communication and Trust. Effective communication is key with team competition and the trust developed through play can extend beyond the game

• Joyful Connections. Play is all about having fun and sharing laughs, and there's nothing better for building solid friendships

Specific Color War Ideas

Here are our top themes for making each event a success:

1. Balanced competition

2. Exciting color war activities

3. Customized challenges

4. Celebrate victories

Balanced Competition

Striking the right balance in competition is key. Being the winning team should come secondary to having fun. Plus, evenly-matched teams make for a more fun event!

Here's how we make sure our color wars hit that sweet spot:

Mixing Skills and Backgrounds

• We form teams by mixing abilities, ages, and backgrounds. This diversity makes sure no single team dominates and everyone has a fair shot at contributing. Randomly assigning players typically does the trick while breaking up group cliques.

Variety in Games: Engaging Mind & Body

• We prefer a mix of physical activities and mental puzzles. This makes sure that there is something for everyone to love and excel at

Keeping It Light: Friendly Rivalry Over Fierce Competition

• We emphasize fun and teamwork over aggressive competition. The idea is to laugh and bond, not just to win.

• It helps to keep the stakes low. If you announce an overly generous prize is up for grabs, it's likely to make the vibe too intense.

Exciting Color War Activities

As far as games, we've tried it all and have learned which ones work great and which ones to stay away from. Throwback has created our own original competitions that have become fan favorites.

Without giving away our trade secrets, here are some samples. You can play all of these indoors. Check out our field day page for field day activities for adults.

Traditional Color War Game Ideas

• 20 Questions: In this team-based version of the classic, teams collaborate to guess an object, person, or place chosen by the coach. The first team to guess correctly is the winner

• Balloon Pop Relay: Teams race to pop balloons by sitting on them, one after the other, in a relay format. Balloons can be in the team's color to add to the color war theme.

• Blindfolded puzzle: Select team members to direct their blindfolded partners in assembling a puzzle, testing communication and teamwork

• Charades & Pictionary Soup: Teams each receive a bowl filled with an identical set of words. Teams have the choice to act out or draw as many words as they can before the time clock expires.

• Human Knot: Teams stand in a circle and grab hands with team members across from them, creating a human knot. They then have to work together to untangle themselves without releasing their hands.

• Tower Building Challenge: Teams compete to build the tallest free-standing tower within a set time limit. Players use materials like straws, tape, or paper.

Throwback Original Color War Games

The activities unique to Throwback consistently bring out the most smiles, laughter, and high-fives. While some have inspiration from nostalgic classics and even game shows, you won't find these experiences anywhere else!

• Clue Minefield: Teams navigate around the room, piecing together clues to crack puzzles, in a test of teamwork and problem-solving

• Feud Hoops: A unique twist on 'Family Feud', this game blends trivia with basketball, testing players' knowledge and shooting skills

• Mumble Jumble: Players listen closely and think fast to decode mixed-up phrases in this brain-teasing challenge

• Pop Tube Pursuit: Groups compete in a variety of mini-games using pop tubes where creativity is key

• Torpedo: Players plan moves to sink enemy ships and protect their own fleet in this strategic naval warfare game

Customized Themes & Challenges

Whether it's a birthday bash, bachelor or bachelorette party, or a corporate team-building day, every event is unique. We love tailoring games to fit the specific culture and energy of each group.

Trivia games lend themselves well to personalizing. This winter, we hosted an event for over 100 Estée Lauder employees at an indoor soccer venue in NYC. We ran a game called 'Trivia Face-Off' where we included brand-specific trivia questions. 

For our Feud Hoops game (see above), rounds included cosmetic and beauty themes.

For corporate events, it's fun to use the brand's color palette for team colors. Asking teams to come up with creative team names is even better!

Our Estée Lauder event was for their La Mer brand (La Mer means "The Sea"). The teams showcased their originality with names like Ocean Divas, Legendary Healers, Iconic Cremes, and Little Luxuries.

Celebrate Victories

Celebration is at the heart of every color war. But taking home the overall first-place victory is not as important as the journey. Throwback packs our color wars with opportunities for small victories throughout.

We'll play 6-8 games during a typical 90 or 120-minute event. More activities mean more wins and more causes for celebration for every team. We also structure many of our games to be played in micro rounds. This format increases the dopamine hits of each victory.

And it's not just about the wins. We celebrate laughter in attempts, high-fives for effort, and the team spirit that shines throughout the games.

We make sure the end of the event is as memorable as the competition itself. We add dramatic flair and excitement to the announcement of the winners.

The finale of every color war is a throwback to Little League days. All players line up for a high five line, fostering community with and a warm feeling of nostalgia.

Need Help Planning A Color War?

A successful color war involves thoughtful planning, creative game selection, engaging coaches, and logistical management.

Throwback's expertise in color war planning is more than just a fun set of games. We understand group dynamics and tailor our events to suit specific needs.

Here's what you get with a Throwback Color War if you decide to leave it to the experts:

• Customized Planning. We'll shape your color war to fit your group's preferences. We'll consider everything from your company culture to your preferred activity level

• Seamless Execution. Throwback takes care of all the details. That includes permits, equipment, team organization, and setup... so all you'll be thinking about is having fun!

• Engaging and Unique Activities. Our game selection is both broad and exclusive. We offer the excitement of unique, custom-designed games that are exclusive to our events

• Expert Hosts. Our coaches, with their background in fitness, are experts at motivating and engaging participants. They orchestrate the day’s events, ensuring everyone has the best experience.

Let us take the reins, and we'll make your color war awesome and truly memorable. Hit the button on the bottom left of your screen (or visit our color war page) and we'll get a conversation started!