Category Archives: Other Spaldeen games

Growing up in Staten Island…

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Growing up in Staten Island in the 60’s we kids would get .25 from our parents every sat to go down to the corner candy store ‘every neighborhood had one’. Once a month, my cousin and I would take turns, one buying a Spaldeen ball and the other buying the candy, so every month we had a new ball to play with. I can remember the firt thing we did withour new ball was to inscribe it with our name so no one could steal it. When the store ran out we would end up with a pnky which was a dissapointment because the smell, feel and bounce were so different. It was something from my childhood that I will never forget. That rubber smell to this day brings back such great memories. I have been trying to find one for my grandson, now I know they are back I can look a little harder. But in the age of tv video games and romote control everything, will the thrill be the same? I doubt it, but I guess to thier generation, we are the olden days and the balls part of our nostalgia.

variation was “diamond ball”…

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variation was “diamond ball” .Pitcher would pitch a fluke, if it hit the chalk filled diamond and the batter didn’t swing, he was out. each batter only got one strike (except if it was hit foul) per out. played in the street, 3 base + home. Minimum of three players – pitcher, catcher and third baseman. anything over the infield on a fly was out, but going down third base line could net homer.

In Washington Heights (181st…

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In Washington Heights (181st Street)in the late 50’s/early 60’s, you could get both – Spaldeens were harder and cost 25 cents, while the Pennsie Pinky was only 15 cents and a lot softer and smoother. We preferred the Spaldeen for stickball and the Pinkie for punch ball. When they went “dead” and lost their bounce, the game was to “roof” the ball by throwing it onto the roof of a 6 story apartment building. Sid’s candy store on 181st street was the only place in the neighborhood that let you check all of the Spaldeens and Pinkies by giving them the “bounce test” before buying – holding a ball at about chest height and letting it go to see how high up it would bounce. I broke Mrs. Morrison’s living room window with a Spaldeen and hit the super of the building across the street with a Pennsie Pinkie!

I grew up in Woodside, Queens…

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I grew up in Woodside, Queens in the seventies and loved Red Rover, Red Rover, Red Light, Green Light, etc. I remember the boys playing stick ball,etc. Being a girl, we did alot of the jumprope games/rhymes, and also more “girlie” steet games. I recall one being called “germany”, where you needed four concrete “squares” and would have to step for “one”, hop for “two”, Skip for “three”, etc. I think it went up to nine, and you couldn’t touch any “lines” and couldn’t step into “germany”, or the third box. Sound familiar to anyone? WE also played “girls, girls, out” This one used six boxes and had different categories in each box like, colors, girls names, boys names, etc. You would have to hop into the box twice saying “girls, girls out”, then go over each box saying a different girl’s name twice, then go into the next category and do boys names, etc. If anyone has more info on these games, please share. Love this website – it’s so nostalgic!

Anyone know a ball game…

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Anyone know a ball game named “caliente”? It was a combination of “hot piece and butter” and “freeze tag” with a spaldeen! You could play with as many people that could fit into the play ground. You would power bounce the spaldeen as high as possible and everyone rush to catch the ball – but you had to keep your distance as well, because whe the ball was finally caught – everyone would have to freeze. The person with the ball would then try to hit one of the frozen players – you could move your body but one foot had to stay “frozen” to that spot where you stopped. If you were hit you were out, if not everyone would scramble for the ball and the rest would freez – this went on until the last person was out or a tie would be when there were ten throws and no one was hit.. Francisco Valor (Kico/Cubita) – West Side of Manhattan (89th street) – St. Gregory’s – PS 166

In the Bronx, New York,…

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In the Bronx, New York, in the 50’s we played a game called Russian 10 which sounds a lot like the games two of the other posters wrote about. First we would throw the ball up (or against the wall?) Then followed a series of claps. (Some behind the back?) I seem to remember the one hand against the wall position as well. No one I’ve ever mentioned this to had heard about it. I find it fascinating that a similar game with almost the same name was played in Chicago in the 40’s.

Having read online how hard…

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Having read online how hard they were to find, I ordered six spaldeens on e-bay. Then I was buying some groceries at a Fred Meyer store (I’m in SW Washington state) went over to the sporting goods on the off-chance and they had boxes and boxes of spaldeens $1.99 each and boxes of some off-brand ball- not a pensie- for $1 each. So if there’s a Fred Meyer anywhere near you, check it out. Boy was I surprised!