Dunk tank

A dunk tank, also known as a dunking booth or dunking machine, is an attraction mainly used in funfairs, fundraisers, and personal parties. A dunk tank consists of a large tank of water, over which a volunteer is suspended while sitting on a collapsing seat. The game is played by a ball being thrown at a target attached to the tank which, if hit, causes the seat to collapse, "dunking" the person into the tank.

Most dunk tanks consist of a plastic tank and seat, with a metal support frame and a target to the side of the tank. Other dunk tanks are made entirely of metal, and some are made of wood. The person to be dunked, called the "victim", climbs onto the seat via a ladder on the side of the dunk tank. Usually, there is fence-like protector around the seat, which is used to protect the person sitting on the seat from being injured by stray balls missing the target. The seat is latched in an upright position. By striking the target, the seat will suddenly collapse, thus "dunking" the victim into the tank of water. Being a dunk tank victim is generally regarded as embarrassing, humiliating, uncomfortable, and even miserable for the participant as the water is usually very cold and the weather may or may not be accommodating for the victim's comfort. Some participants thoroughly enjoy the experience of feeling uncertainty while sitting on a collapsible seat suspended over a freezing tank of water as well as the sudden shock or excitement of inevitably getting dunked into the tank. Regardless of enjoyment, people will volunteer to sit in a dunk tank for work, to entertain, as a form of humiliating punishment to pay off a losing bet, or for charity.

There are many types and brands of dunk tanks commercially available. The Easy Dunker, manufactured by Twister Display, is likely the most common rentable dunk tank on the US market. It consists of a plastic tank, approximately four feet deep, and a plastic seat, around which is a plastic chassis which can be towed by a vehicle with a trailer hitch. Often there is a clear plastic window on the front of the tank so that the victim can be seen when he or she is dropped underwater. To the side of the tank is a circle target approximately one foot in diameter. Behind the target is a plastic tarp with a metal frame to catch balls which miss the target itself. The victim is also protected by a chain-link fence enclosure while waiting to be dunked. When the target is hit, the seat becomes disengaged from the chassis, dropping the victim into the tank. The seat-target mechanism, usually a vise grip that holds the seat in place by clamping down on a metal ring at the rear underside of the seat, and which is welded to the chassis so that the target shaft trips it when hit, must be reset afterwards, and the victim climbs back onto the seat using a molded step at the bottom rear of the tank and the chain-link enclosure and chassis for leverage.

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