Author Archives: Streetplay Discussions

Here in the middle of England,…

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Here in the middle of England, to be specific, Derbyshire, we call jacks ‘snobs’. I tried to look ‘snobs’ up on the Internet but there was no entry for the game, just the definition about the sort of person who feels himself superior. I did not even know the other names such as ‘jacks’ but I asked my grandson to find some ‘snobs’ for me back in England (I live in Mozambique). Now I’m back in England for Christmas I find he’s got me some from a shop and I’ve only now heard the names ‘jacks’, ‘bones’ and so on. When I was a kid in Derbyshire, the snobs were of rather rough pot (i.e. fired clay) and cubical. I think I remember some or all of them had lines on the side but I don’t remember enough to know if these had some numerical significance. (This was about sixty years ago now.) The ball was also of fired clay. Cheers, Keith Warren

I always liked to play “school”…

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I always liked to play “school” where I was the teacher and I taught the little kids who knows what. But has anybody ever played ROCK SCHOOL? This is where one person is the teacher and the other kids sit on the front steps (there should be at least 5 or 6 steps). The teacher hides a rock in one hand, not letting the students see which hand the rock is in. Then she puts both clenched fists in front of her and the student taps the one she thinks has the rock in it. If she’s right, she moves up one step/grade. The game is won by the one who goes up and back down the steps first. I have taught this game to my kids and grandkids.

Hi Marc, I really…

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Hi Marc, I really don’t know how one could play skully on a manhole cover–in fact, I remember playing adjacent to one and avoiding it at all costs in fear of losing our treasured caps down the holes you’d find in it! However, I don’t mean to say your brain is turning to mush… I can imagine a game being played on a manhole if it were sufficiently smooth (I’ve seen smooth ones). If you could tell us more about it–like what era you played it–we’d all love to hear about it. It’s great to hear that about any skully variant, especially outside of the NYC/Philly areas. -Hugh McNally

I played Skully in Hyattsville,…

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I played Skully in Hyattsville, PG County MD. Outside of Washington DC. I lived in the apartments behind the PG Plaza Shopping Center and a kid from NY taught me the game. I remember playing it on a manhole cover. Please tell me my brain isn’t mush and the game could be played no a sewer cap. Better yet… if you’re that kid. Hi!! Trust me, I’ll be searching the site on the variances of Hopskotch (Shoe Heel and Layout) that we played in Baltimore. And Marbles with hole dug in the dirt. At 46 it’s amazing the things that stay with you.

Sixteen Inch Softball and…

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Sixteen Inch Softball and SPUD These are two ways I use to determine if someone grew up in Chicago! Sixteen inch softball was popular because the ball was so big you couldn’t use a glove! Which leveled the field between the haves and have nots. Also, you couldn’t hit the ball very far, so the game was a lot faster paced. You also didn’t need a large firld. Spud was played with a playground ball, or a volley ball. Each player was assigned a number, and someone was chosen to be “it”. Whoever was “it” threw the ball in the air, and called someone’s number. Everyone scattered, except the person who’s number was called. The had to catch the ball and yell “SPUD”. When you heard SPUD, you had to stop where you were. The person who caught the ball was then allowed to take three giant steps toward any player, then throw th ball at them. The person was allowed to dodge, but could not move his feet. If he was hit, he got a letter “S” and was “it”. If the thrower missed, he got the letter, and was “it”. Play continued until someone got S-P-U-D, then they had to go through the spanking machine!

Me and my friends used to…

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Me and my friends used to play Chinese Jump Rope as kids. Just like a lot of you I am trying to remember the rules. It started out with just the regular jumping In, Out, Side, Side, Ropes, In, Out – Then you had to do variations on that theme, like widezies (ropes spread wide), thinzies (ropes the thickness of 1 ankle), twozies (had to double jump), twirlzies (each time you jumped you faced in a different direction) I know there were more, but I can’t remember them. Once you completed all the variations, you went to thighzies and then kneezies. We never made it past the thighs. If anyone remembers all the variations on this kind of Chinese Jump Rope, please let me know. Also, we never did it with the rhymes. If someone could explain how those go, I would love it. Contact me at

I’m looking for all the sets…

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I’m looking for all the sets or fancies i guess they are called to jacks. Does anyone know them and how to play all of them please let me know. I miss playing this game with my sister it was always so fun and would like to play again. Thank you.

My husband Tim and I met…

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My husband Tim and I met Steve in 1987 at a company we all worked for named TIAA-CREF in Mid-town. Steve was one of the first few friends I made arriving in NY from PR, back when his hair was longer than mine. He was so thoughtful and so great to talk to. I remember the day I told him I was getting married and he was just full of advise, just like a Dad. Then a few years past and Steve called me to tell me that not only had he cut his hair short, had become a firefighter, but that he was also getting married. He was so happy and so excited about it all. Running into him in our neighborhood in the Bronx was always great. We would catch up about each others spouses, kids & jobs, all of which we were so happy about. Then in 1999 my husband Tim past away of natural causes and I decided to move back home to PR. Destiny would have Steve be the last person I ran into at our local YMCA. As I told him what had happened to Tim he was in shock and was again full of advise on how I should continue living a full life. Now I’m in shock, but I take this time to send the words Steve said to me on that day back to his wife, “Never let those kids forget the incredible, amazing man they had for a father”. Tim & Steve: I miss you both. Love, Judy

My sister and I had this…

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My sister and I had this same gap in the versions of names. She had Rikki Tikki Tembo, no sarembo charli barli ruchi, pip berry pembo has fallen into the well. (something like that). The book says otherwise but there’s one out there that has this version.