Pull a Wishbone to Welcome Luck for Your Wish / 🇺🇸 USA

A wishbone is the V-shaped bone at the base of a bird’s neck. At the Thanksgiving table, two people hold opposite ends and pull, putting a wish into the little contest. The larger piece carries the lucky promise of a wish coming true.

The lovely part is the moment it snaps. Both people watch their hands, and everyone nearby can share the anticipation. A big holiday meal leaves behind one small object with a completely different purpose: giving your hopes a playful turn at the table.

1. After the meal, prepare a cleaned, dried wishbone. Turkey and chicken wishbones can both be used.
2. Hold one end each and think of the wish you would like to come true.
3. Pull apart, then compare the pieces left in your hands. The person with the larger piece gets the good-luck wish.

Its name tells the story beautifully: this is a bone for wishing. Try it as the final little occasion of a family dinner or a gathering with friends. Breakable plastic wishbones, made especially for the game, offer a modern way to share the same sort of fun.

One of the charms of the Thanksgiving wishbone is the contrast in scale: a large festive turkey leaves behind a tiny object for people’s wishes. The meal gives way to anticipation, two hands pull, and the break creates an instant talking point. The table’s story continues after the plates have been cleared.

That V shape has a much older story as well. The wishbone is called the furcula, and Tyrannosaurus had one too. Bucky, the dinosaur at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, helps bring that connection to life. A little wishing object at dinner can reach back into the dinosaur world: a splendid surprise to share over the remains of the feast. Modern plastic versions add another cheerful chapter, extending the fun so that more people can join in.