Author Archives: Streetplay Discussions

I am trying to remember…

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I am trying to remember some songs people used to sing in school., mostly sung to other tunes. I could only remember a few. Isn’t it funny how a lot of the games/songs/rhymes are rather, uh, rude/crude? I think these would get you kicked out if you sang em in school now!! (sung to ‘Joy to the world’) Joy to the world, the teacher’s dead. We barbequed her head! What happened to the body? We flushed it down the potty! And round and round it goes! And round and round it goes! And rou-ound! and round, and round it goes! (Sung to ‘deck the halls’) Deck the halls with gasoliiine! fa la la la la, la la la la Light the match and watch it gleam! fa la la la la, la la la la Now the school is burnt to ashes! fa la la, fa la la, fa la la Aren’t you glad you played with matches? Fa la la la la, la la la la.

I liked this one a lot:…

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I liked this one a lot: Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard To fetch her poor dog a bone, But when she got there, The cupboard was bare, So she threw it out the window, The window, the sixteenth-story window, the window, the window, the sixteenth-story window. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack jumped over the candlestick- And fe-ell out the window, The window, the sixteenth-story window, the window, the window, the sixteenth-story window. Little Bo Peep Has lost her sheep, And doesn’t know where to find them; But leave them alone, When they come home, She’ll throw them out the window, The window, the sixteenth-story window, the window, the window, the sixteenth-story window. Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet, Eating her curds and whey; When along came a spider, Who sat right down beside her, She threw it out the window, The window, the sixteenth-story window, the window, the window, the sixteenth-story window. Jack and Jill Went up the hill To fetch a pail of water; Jack fell down And broke his crown, And threw it out the window, The window, the sixteenth-story window, the window, the window, the sixteenth-story window. You can just keep going on like that, a lot of nursery ryhmes will fit into the pattern, just pick any rhyme and stick it in there: Old King Cole, Peter Peter Pumkin Eater, Jack Horner, and etc all will fit in)

In Suburban St. Louis town…

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In Suburban St. Louis town of Webster Groves in the 80’s we played a version of “Off the Wall” called BIP.. Using either a pink ball or tennis ball.I found 1 referance to in in a Yahoo Search.It was a basic off the wall type game where a ball,or multiple balls,were thrown against a wall.Any thrown ball must hit the wall before hitting the ground,a person or object in the field of play and the ball can only be fielded with one hand,no 2 handed catches or pickups.These were the basic rules.If a ball was caught in flight the intial thrower also to run and touch the wall.The inital thrower as a consequence could have the ball(s) thrown directly at them,but this violates the off the wall rule,so in turn the person who directly hit the inital thrower would have to touch up to the wall, thus becoming a target.Any person that caught a ball 2 handed must DROP the ball and run and touch up.Any ball fielded uncleanly (dropped or uncleanly 1 handed pickup off the ground) or hit by the ball in flight, must DROP the ball,if held, and touch up.If it was a multi-ball game, you could only handle 1 ball at a time.There were variations of the touch up rules. for instance a ball that was tossed away or kicked instead of dropped would be assesd a 10 touch where the person had to run up and stand at the wall and touch up (slap the wall alternating right and left hand) 10 times. Thanks.. Z P.S. If you remember this game or lived in Webster Groves in the 80s, drop me a line!

Hey I used to play skully…

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Hey I used to play skully in Canarsie Brooklyn, in the late 60’s early 70’s. Anyone remember Coke Bottle glass rings for the long shots? You made them by running the bottle across the octagon sewer covers. then polished them by rubbing them on the blacktop. If a car ran them over you were history, but they were great for the long shots. -Frank

Just discovered your site…

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Just discovered your site and was enthralled. At a dinner conversation at Easter, old dad (me) was relating to his kids (27,25,and 17) how in the old days crossing your fingers and calling “fins” could protect you from anything. Wouldn’t it be nice if the rules still applied. I also was interested in your ace-king-queen description and pictures (look like they might be from the ’70’s) My memory of the game includes such “calls” as “fluke,” and “hindu” and “babying.” Anybody else remember such things? My email is

I live in Texas, but maybe…

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I live in Texas, but maybe I can help someone…I bought a metal set of jacks that came in a metal cannister with a set of pickup sticks (also fun!). I also found a really cute metal pastel colored set of jacks at a grocery store here called Albertsons. Both of these came with basic directions. If anyone would like me to pick up a set, I would be happy to make arrangements to send them to you. Also, I am having a very hard time finding rules for various jacks games. If anyone can help me there I would appreciate it. Thanks, Barbara Brech

I remember playing “skelly”…

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I remember playing “skelly” in Brooklyn (East NY) during the mid/late 60s. We were fortunate enough to have severaly skelly boards permamently painted in the playground. We also used melted crayons to add the weight. A couple of years ago, I introduced my daughters to the game. I drew a board w/ chalk on the back patio. Although, I found it difficult to get down on my knees for each shot (whew!) – I enjoyed playing the games w/ my kids again.