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Of American-English origin, the expression truth or dare (also with capital initials), and its variants, designate a game in which each participant, in turn, has to:
– either answer truthfully a question put to him or her by one of the other players,
– or fulfil an alternative requirement put to him or her by one of the other players.
These are, in chronological order, the earliest occurrences of the expression truth or dare and variants that I have found:
1-: From The Choctaw Plaindealer (Ackerman, Mississippi, USA) of Friday 14th January 1927 [page 2, column 5]:
An Enjoyable Entertainment.
Miss Burrah Northington delightfully entertained the Young Ladies Class of the Methodist Church at the parsonage on Thursday night, Dec., 23rd. 1926. After the guests were cordially received many interesting games were played with great enthusiasm, the most prominent of these being “Truth or Dare.” During the game manny [sic] hidden secrets were unearthed. After several other games delightful refreshments were served to forty guests. This being the first Christmas party of the season each was inspired with the Xmas spirit and enjoyed it immensely.
2 & 3-: From accounts of the activities of local Girl-Scout troops, published in The Sunday Standard (New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA):
2-: Of Sunday 11th November 1928 [page 40, column 2]:
DAFFODIL TROOP.
Marjorie Paine, Scribe.The Daffodil troop meeting opened at 4:30 last Monday. […] At the business meeting classes were announced which were bedmaking and training of tenderfoots. Annie Strawbridge, Marjorie Paine, Alice Norton, Helen Such passed bedmaking. There is a new girl in the troop, Elizabeth Manchester. Just before closing, Truth, Dare and Consequences was played.
3-: Of Sunday 31st March 1929 [page 5, column 1]:
DAFFODIL JUNIOR TROOP.
Natalie Hathaway, Scribe.Formal opening started the regular meeting. […] A new scribe, Anna Bryant, was elected and the new chairman was Harriet Rossie. Truth, Dare and Consequences were played so that the girls could give Frances Bryant her birthday spankings.
4-: From the St. Joseph Gazette (St. Joseph, Missouri, USA) of Sunday 7th July 1929 [Section B, page 15: Among the Children, column 8]:
Wren’s Home in Stump.
Martinsville, Mo. Dear Robin Redbreast: This is my first letter to you. I wish to join your club. You asked us to write on the subject, “The Best Game I Know.” The best game I know is “Truth or Dare.” I like many other games, too, so I do not know which I really like best. I am seven years old and in the fourth grade in school. […]
VERA JUNE NICKERSON.
5-: From An Unselfish Act, a Hallowe’en story “by Betty N’s sister, 10 years old”, published in The Montreal Daily Star (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) of Saturday 26th October 1929 [page 24, column 1]:
“You know,” related Billy seriously, “ghosts always get out of their graves and walk around on Hallowe’en nights. And black cats, too, and if they touch you, you shrivel all up.”
“Let’s play ‘truth and dare,’” suggested Dorothy Anne, “I’m tired of ghost stories.”
“All right,” they all agreed. You see they had it all planned.
“Jack! Truth or Dare?” called Tony.
“Dare!” answered Jack promptly.
“I dare you to go down to the garden all by yourself walking backwards, count fifty and say out loud you don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Sure, that’s easy.”
6-: From Circle of Young Canada, published in The Globe (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) of Saturday 13th June 1931 [page 20, column 6]:
Noon Hour’s Fun
This is a story of some jello,
The colors of which were red and yellow;
Which we one day did take to school,
[…].
We began to play “truth and dare.”
Barney Boy dared Lickety Scoot
To take off, then put on one boot,
Now then, ’twas played turn about:
And dares flew round without any doubt.
So to end our time we had a snow fight,
[…]
LICKETY SCOOT AND BARNEY BOY.
7-: From The Horicon Reporter (Horicon, Wisconsin, USA) of Thursday 24th December 1931 [page 5, column 1]:
The Junior shorthand class, taught by Miss Tramburg, had a Christmas party Wednesday evening from four to six-thirty in the domestic science rooms. The only decorations were a small Christmas tree, under which was a gift for every girl. Before eating dancing and singing offered amusement. Each of the girls brought her share of the refreshments. A long list of delights constituted the eats. While at the table, the girls played “Who, what and where” and “Truth and Dare.” I believe I am right in saying that those who said “Dare” had a little tiny stomach ache after they finished eating or drinking the mixture made for them by the other girls.
8-: From a letter by George H. Wallis, aged 16, published in The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) of Saturday 14th May 1932 [Magazine and Comic Section, page 6, column 5]:
I went to a birthday party at a boy’s home recently. We had a wonderful supper and then played games. Say, did you ever try dropping clothes pegs into the top of a quart milk bottle from your hip level? If you haven’t, you don’t know what fun you can have by putting on a competition.
We had a game called “Truth or Dare.” When my turn came I “dared” and had to roll a peanut from the middle of one room around the legs of a table in the next room and bcak [sic] again. If you have never had to do it you do not know how hard it is and how much fun the rest get out of it.
