I remember the Jacks games of babies, baskets, barns, upcasts, downcasts – there were also no bounce upcasts and downcasts, and upcast snatchemgrabbers, and downcast snatchemgrabbers….. Anyone remember these? Seems like there were ‘stars’ where you tossed the jack into the air and caught it in your free hand…
I played as a kid in Puerto Rico in the 60’s. My sisters and I would play together on a tile floor at my grandmother’s sewing shop. She sold jacks so we always grabbed a new set of jacks when visiting and she said ok since it occupied us while she sewed. We didn’t go as far as some of you. There were 10 jacks and one ball. First set was onesies, twosies, 3’s, til 10. Then on onesies you pick up the jack, hit the floor with it and then pick up the ball, on 2’s hit the 2 jacks on the floor before picking up the ball. continue to 10. Next, on onesies, throw the ball up, pick up one jack, put it on your other hand and then pick up the ball, same for 2’s , 3’s till 10. Can’t remember going any further. Oh yea, kissing the jack, that’s dirty though. I wouldn’t do it now. Although I do remember doing it, couldn’t think of what else to do, we just wanted to keep going. I have the tall metal box with “pick-up-sticks” and 10 jacks and a ball, I think its mail order and comes with card games. It was a gift. I play jacks with my kids and beat them every time! They’re getting better.
I loved Jacks and also learned in Iowa and had huge tournaments at school. I am trying to remember to teach my kids and daycare kids. This is what we came up with so far (I am not sure of the order): Onsies-Sixies, Lefties,Scrapes, Scribbles, Pigs in the Pen, Pigs over the Fence, Baskets, Crack the eggs, Upsies, Downsies, Double Bounce, No Bounce, and Around the World. Each level had to be done 1-6. I remember the kissies and the haystacks.
Hello I am from Iowa. I am looking for those who played Jacks the way I learned. We had four jacks and a ball. The game went all the way up to twelveies which actually meant you had gone through twelve rounds of all kinds of challenging feats. Here are some things I remember. African Americans may remember this style. After the ones through fours. All these happen while the ball is in the air with one bounce. fives: pick up one jack and put down another Sixes: Dot each jack with your fingers Sevens: pick up each jack put it in your other hand Eights: pick up a jack and knock on the floor Nines: slide each jack into a cave made by your other hands Tens: put the jacks separately between the fingers of the non ball hands. Then drop them into your ball hand during each bounce Elevens: move them from one to side the other Twelves: This could be done 2 ways: One was the around the world in which you must pick up the jack and circle the ball before catching it. The second was more challenging. You would pick up one jack and throw it up with the ball your other hand must catch the jack and put it down then grab another jack —yes with only one bounce of the ball. After that you would be in the twos. You would start from your twelves and work your way backwards to the twos ( you don’t do level one in round two) In round three you would do everthing with three jacks and then the one extra. When you got to round six you would do all kinds of tricks and stuff. No fixies, touchies, no doovers. Does anyone remember this kind of jacks? We used to have serious tournaments at my day care. you can reach me at bettycandrews [at] yahoo [dot] com.
I played in Iowa in the 1940s and 1950s. We played 12 rounds. Each round was different. For example, at round four, we would grab two jacks on the first toss and two more on the second toss. At round five (I think) we would grab left-handed. At round six we would grab three jacks on the first toss and three more on the second toss. On another toss we would have to hit the table with our knuckle before grabbing the jacks. On another, we would have to draw a circle in the air around the ball before grabbing. There were similar variations for each round from one to 12. (We never used the term “fancies”.)
I learned to play jacks at a two month summer camp in the Adirondacks in NY. It was so much fun, and we played as much as we were able, although we only had specified times for ‘play time’, the rest was regimented sports. LOL. The only place were on the porches of the main cabins, which were granite. We learned to be very careful. The girls from Cuba were experts, and I’m trying to remember all the game names. I do remember around the world, onsies, twosies, etc., and jumpsies (we were horse crazy). I’m glad to have found this group.
The UK game descended from the Roman invaders Played with 5 cubes only, usually made from plaster although some commercial sets in the 1950s were wood. No rubber ball. Called “CHUCKS” in NE England, other names elsewhere. Could be made with primary school technology – press an existing cube into modelling clay, fill the hole with plaster perloined from a building site. Can be stacked which jacks can not, Nelson’s Column, Lamp posts, cricket all require this. Query? when did the American metal version come to England?