BULZiBUCKET Review | Most Playable Yard Game

If Skee-ball and cornhole had a baby, and that baby was really into hacky sack, that baby would be BULZiBUCKET. Today in our BULZiBUCKET review we review this concoction of a game for the Ultimate Yard Games List. BULZiBUCKET first showed up on our radar with its claim of being “Next Generation Cornhole”. The initial reaction from us was disdain. We’re always looking for great games to share, and this audacious claim was tough to swallow. (If you don’t know from our previous post, we’re very fond of cornhole.) After getting our hands on our first BULZiBUCKET set though, we quickly dropped any hard feelings and found a new favorite game.

Fast Facts: BULZiBucket

• Created: 2015
• Game Type: Casual
• Best For: Beach, Pool, Yard, Indoor, Outdoor, (anywhere)
• Price: $60
• Weight: 8 lbs.
• Game Variants: 3
• Space Required: 15ft. by 7ft.
• Setup Time: 2 minutes
• Material: Flex Resin Plastic (targets) and Mesh with plastic pellet filling (hacky sacks)
• Number of Players: 2 – 4

Simplistic Summary

You throw small mesh balls filled with plastic pellets into concentric, stacked buckets.

The Game of BULZiBucket

In BULZiBucket, there are two teams with 3 hacky sack balls each. You get points by throwing your hacky sack balls into the target bucket towers spaced about 15 feet apart. The fun part is that the buckets are three different sizes and stacked on top of each other from biggest to smallest. The smallest (top) bucket is worth 3 points, the middle bucket is worth 2 points, and the biggest (bottom) bucket is worth 1 point. And to add another wrinkle, one of the hacky sacks has a black patch on it, which denotes it as the MONEY BALL, which doubles the points made with it. It is cancellation scoring and first to 21 wins.

There is also a game variant where you have a partner standing by the target bucket you’re shooting at, and they can help deflect into the bucket with their body or feet. And there is also yet another variant where you have a partner that HAS to touch it and help it in by using some hacky sack skills. (We’ve tried all of these variants and found that the basic version with no hacky assist is what we typically play.)

So check out our official ratings below on the categories we feel make a great yard game and see if this is a game you should have in your arsenal (spoilers: it is).

BULZiBucket Review: Portability

Right out the gate, portability is a big reason this game is such a big hit. It took the concept of cornhole and attacked its weak point (cornhole is heavy and bulky). BULZiBucket is lightweight and it packs up very small. It’s really satisfying to finish playing for the day and to be able to twist the bucket tower apart and then nest them snugly into one another. It then even comes with a bag to carry the nested buckets in. It’s a great concept that was executed quite well.

Setup is just as easy with twisting and snapping the buckets into place, you’re ready to play in under 2 minutes. A full game that fits in a big (yet light) backpack gets a perfect score for us on portability. The only way this would be more portable is if the buckets connected via strong magnets instead of twist clips for even faster (and lazier) setup.

Portability Score: 10

BULZiBucket Review: Durability

The buckets are made from a very sturdy flex resin plastic. This is not some cheap plastic game made to be mass produced for pennies on the dollar. You can tell that emphasis was put into the durability of the targets and that decisions were made to go with more expensive materials to make a long lasting game. This is important as this is a game you’ll be taking with you to many places so it has to handle the many car rides and drops during transport. We’ve had our set for over 2 years now and can attest that the buckets are good as new (and that’s with a fair share of accidental kicks and some toddler climbing as well).

Where BULZiBucket loses some points on durability is its hacky sack type balls. The outside is made up of a series of mesh patches that are stitched together. We sadly had one of the balls tear at the seam in the first day of use (and not even rough use). It was easy enough to stitch up with a sewing kit and all was good as new. The balls have since seem some serious abuse. Kids LOVE to chunk these as hard as they can at walls and / or each other. We’ve only had to stitch up one other ball with this abuse, so we think that is pretty good. The mesh exterior was a great material choice and still looks like the first day we got it. A little stronger stitching and these would be perfect.

A huge bonus is that everything is waterproof (it’s even played IN WATER sometimes, but see next category for that). Leaving out in the sun for days at a time also doesn’t seem to cause much issue either.

Durability Score: 7

BULZiBucket Review: Playability

“Next Generation Cornhole” is a good slogan for BULZiBucket, but a more fitting one might be “Play Anywhere with Anyone”. This might be the most playable game we’ll review.

The game can be played outdoors and indoors, on land or in water. You could probably even play in the sky on a plane if you wanted (you’d need aisle seats of course though). And you can even play on a hill or sloped ground (sorry cornhole). You just need somewhere that the buckets can sit on (or float on). Playing in the pool has been one of the best variations we’ve played for this game.

All ages and walks of life love this game too. It takes the idea of cornhole and makes it just a tiny bit easier. This makes it more accessible for a wider range of people, and thus very playable. The hack sack balls are safe for kids (even the ones that go rogue and decide power is more important than accuracy). The rules and scoring are also straightforward and easy to explain.

Playability Score: 10

BULZiBucket Review: Addictiveness

There are few things more satisfying than landing the moneyball in the chimney (our unofficial name for the small top bucket worth 3 points). And the thud of the hacky sack ball in the buckets is quite the treat too.

Does it strike that perfect balance of challenging, yet still enjoyable? We would say that it’s not quite challenging enough to get you itching to play again and continue to keep honing your skills. Because it is a simple game, it loses a bit of its addictivenss.

Two caveats to this though. First, this is based only on the basic (shoot only) game variant. There are 3 total game variants and so plenty of skills to work on (but we feel the hacky assist variants are on the other side of the scale and too difficult for the typical person to get addicted).

Second, just because it not addictive, does not mean people don’t love to play it every time we set it up at a hangout. People will play the game for hours and enjoy every minute of it, every time. It’s just not a game (yet?) that people are practicing by themselves at home because they just have to play and get better at it. Once it become more popular and competitive, I can see this score going up.

Addictiveness Score: 6

BULZiBucket Review: Value

You can buy a BULZiBucket set for $60. On the scale of yard games, this is about average pricing. For what you’re getting — 6 hacky sacks and 6 plastic buckets — this might seem very expensive. When you factor in the high quality plastic and the genius portability of how they stack and store, things start to seem more reasonable. Would $10 less be ideal? Yes, I would think that would be the more savory price. (At least it doesn’t cost $70 like the Red White and Blue version of the game though I guess.) But this game is going to last you for a long time and provide a lot of fun. Definitely going to get your money’s worth since they are great for so many different events.

Value Score: 7

Final BULZiBUCKET Thoughts

BULZiBUCKET is a great game and has quickly become one of our favorites. Is it everyone’s #1 favorite game ever? Maybe not everyone. . .yet. Is it at least in everyone’s top 3? YES, it most likely is. It’s the game for everyone. It is super fun and a MUST HAVE game. It is a more casual and accessible version of cornhole. With multiple variants and ability to play pretty much anywhere, you can’t go wrong being the guy or gal that brings BULZiBUCKET to the tailgate/bbq/party/beach/pool/airplane for everyone to enjoy.

p.s. please someone send us a picture of you playing BULZiBUCKET on a plane 🙂