African dodger was a carnival game played in the United States, in which an African-American would stick his head through a canvas curtain, and attempt to dodge objects thrown at him by players.

Denis Mercier of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia

Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan, displays a wide variety of artifacts, to include cartoons, figurines, and advertising, depicting the history of racist portrayals of African Americans in American popular culture.Curator David Pilgrim...

 at Ferris State University

Ferris State University

Ferris State University is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris, an educator from New England who later served as governor of the State of Michigan and finally in the US Senate where...

 notes that in 1878 wooden heads were marketed as an alternative to live targets, as were wooden helmets with curly hair to protect the target. However, live African-Americans continued to be used for similar games, with Popular Mechanics noting in 1910 that "African dodger" had become "too old and commonplace" and was being replaced with dunk tank

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. Basically, a dunk tank consists of a large tank of water, over which a seat is suspended...

s in which an African-American would fall into a tank of water when a target was hit with a ball. The illustration accompanying the article shows a game labeled "Drop the Chocolate Drop" and is captioned "Amusing to All but the Victim".