Race Cups

Stacking cups? Against the clock? For fun? No, we haven't gone loopy; we've become utterly obsessed with Race Cups. And who'd have thought it, because the idea of stacking cups at breakneck speed sounds about as exciting as, erm, stacking cups.

But this ridiculously madcap sport - yes, sport - is currently taking the States by storm. Indeed the art of cup stacking (of course it exists!) has been featured on countless TV shows across the US. Why? Well apart from the fact our friends across the pond love daft sports (witness baseball, gridiron, dodgeball etc), cup stacking is entertaining beyond belief and it's one of the most amusing dinner party games in history.

The idea is to stack and unstack the 12 specially designed Race Cups in pre-determined sequences as quickly as possible. Mad, eh? Stackers begin by pressing the button on the timer with both hands and as soon as you've completed your stacking sequence you push the button again to stop the clock.


A quick round of Race Cups is brilliant for settling petty arguments, and the whole who's-the-fastest angle makes this a fantastic inter-office competitor sport. Just make sure the boss doesn't mind - being sacked for cup stacking doesn't look great on the old CV, unless of course you're going for a job at the circus.

Race Cups is also a hilariously rowdy party game, but before any of you skinflints out there start toying with the idea of replicating it using pint glasses, we should point out that the cups are specially designed to be stacked at high speed. And we doubt many landlords will appreciate your efforts, especially when your fragile stack goes for a burton. Besides, the race mat, timer and all 12 Race Cups fit into a supremely portable carry case, so you can play down the pub without being barred.

One thing we can't put into words is the stupefying speed at which experts handle their cups. The first time we saw footage of a Race Cup whiz in action we thought the film had been speeded up. The second time we saw it we were convinced it had been speeded up! We're talking turbo-charged Benny Hill chase scene here folks. This is one activity where seeing is still not believing!

Once you start stacking you won't be able to stop because the urge to beat your best time and impress onlookers is totally overwhelming. And the fact you can take Race Cups anywhere means you'll be stacking morning, noon and night. Uh-oh, we feel a craze coming on!