Author Archives: Streetplay Discussions

I have found another store…

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I have found another store that may sell chinese jacks! It is in LA and is called Imperial Toys. They have a picture of them on their website. I sent out an email to see if they really have them! Try for yourself! www.imperialtoy.com And many thanks folks! I appreciate all of your help! I am a 3rd/4th grade teacher and am really looking forward to sharing this with my kids. On another note, a jewish friend of mine shared a similar traditional game that was played with ceramic square pieces. I will let you know more.

At 80 I look back happily…

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At 80 I look back happily at my girlhood in the North Bx.(E.223St and Paulding Ave.) Is the Ann Hutchinson Elementary School still in existence.? PS 78? What has become of the little girls with whom I stoop-sat hour after hour? And what about the boys ? All solid, mature , grandfathers,having survived World War 2.I’d much rather think about the endless hours of ringolevia and watching them steal icechips from the iceman’s truck when he left to deliver blocks of ice to his customers, Annette

In the North Bx.,E223St…

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In the North Bx.,E223St and Paulding Ave in the early thirties, we sat on the stoop of our two-family houses and sewed clothing for the little five-cent celluloid dolls, bought at Berkies candy store.We also made things out of peach pits by scraping them against the rough cement of the stoop .Remember, anyone? Annette

Well I would be considered…

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Well I would be considered a baby to most of you. I’m 21. I lived at 2055 Cruger Ave, Pelham Parkway/Bronx Park East area, across from PS 105. Went to that school, until 6th grade, JHS 127 in Castle Hill, and Dodge VHS in Fordham. I lived on Cruger untill I was 20 years old and and now I live on 184th st and Park Ave. I remember playing off the stoop, skelly, asses up, brake the chain, steal the bacon, stickball, punchball, jumping rooftops, hiding in Parkchester projects, ect.. Now I travel all over the Bronx to play handball. It’s so great to hear about how the Bronx was back in the days. Please tell all the stories you can. Up until now I felt like I was the only one defending the Bronx. Although my mom and dad grew up on 149th street, I don’t get to hear the real stories about how it was back than.

I guess I will be considered…

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I guess I will be considered the “old fogey” compared to those who have submitted their messages here. I found this site by accident and read all the letters posted here. I was born Oct 24,1921 in the very old original Bronx Hospital on corner Fulton and 169th St. It originally was a beer brewers mansion. Lived at 813 E 170th St (which does not exist anymore) around the corner from the Loews Boston Road Theatre. Schools: PS40, PS61, PS98, Morris H. S. The Bronx will always remain the great passion of my life. The memories that have been stated by others here are equal to mine. Its not easy to erase the past when it was the best time of our lives. and I grew up during the depression whose only silver lining was that folks had more respect and showed more kindest to each other. That we had less is the reason we created those great games like stickball, stoopball, johnny on a pony, kick the can, hide-go-seek, even potsie, I played that too. Nice talking to “ya old Bronxsites” and thanks for the memories Max

I remember growing up in…

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I remember growing up in Brooklyn before they had the net and public outcry against pedophiles. All the kids knew where the creeps were. You could always find some guy dressed up as a clown sitting in his car parked outside playground gates, offering children candy or balloons twisted into animal shapes. Invariably some idiot kid would be stupid enough to go to the car and the low-life would flash them. Then the bunch of us would assault the creep with rocks and glass until he drove off. The thought of calling the cops never crossed our minds back then. I guess that’s because it wasn’t talked about in public much. Later as a teen, I remember that the pedophiles were always the guys who wanted to offer you change to play video games when you ran out. And I also remember there was a short bald guy in Washington Square Park who used to try to offer young girls $50.00 to step on him with spike heels in some private place of their choosing. I’m sure their modus operandi has not changed much over the years. Accept they’re more daring and want to do alot more than flash you.

To pugnace on DISH …

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To pugnace on DISH DISH, D-I-S-H, DISH, D-I-S-H. When you messed up, you figured out what you actually messed up on, the word DISH, the letter D, I, S, or H. If you messed up on the letter D, you had to jump something that was like Double Dutch, only I forget what it was called – It’s like Double Dutch, but the enders turned the rope the opposite direction. You would count how many times you jumped till you messed up. (The person who got the highest number won the round) If you messed up on the letter I, the two double dutch ropes would be held flat along the ground by the enders, and they would move them together, then apart, then together. You would jump and land with your legs together when the ropes were apart, and then jump and land with your legs apart when the ropes were together, again counting until you mess up. If you messed up on the letter S, you got to jump with just a single rope, but on “Speedies” — which was really fast. If you messed up on the letter H, you got to jump with just a single rope, but it was held high off the ground (as high as the enders could hold it, really). If you messed up on DISH – you got to choose which one you wanted to do. Hope that helps!