childrens games

[sistersue61]

Does anyone know the origin of the game one potato, two potato, where you make a pile with your and a partners fist/hand, pulling the bottom of the plie to thetop, until you get to 7 potato more?
It is mentioned on another thread, but no reply to it.
Dad was playing it with Owen today which is what has prompted the question.
Sue

 

[Stitcher]

I have just googled it and Yahoo says the origin is obscure but it is/was a pagan game.

 

[sylviasayers]

That jogged old memories Sue.

 

[lindaparry19]

we played polly on the mop stick it was good fun happy days in brum regard linda

 

[TOPSYTURVEY]

We could always find some ways of playing in The Street , even the lampost was fun

as the photo shows.

 

[TOPSYTURVEY]

In the 50s does anyone remember The Stilts the kids would play on made from most of their Moms washing props.

 

[maypolebaz]

We played "Polly on the Mopstick" at Wheelers Lane school (all boys), and it was a right brutal affair !

A crowd of us would split into two teams, one of which put one boy against the wall then a second would bend down as in Leapfrog, and put his head against the first kid's belt buckle. The rest of the team would all bend down and form a line behind him.

The other team would then leapfrog, as high as they could, to land heavily on the line. There could be as many as fifteen kids, all piled up on a few unfortunates in the middle of the line. When everyone had jumped on, the team underneath had to yell "Polly on the Mopstick, One Two Three", before being allowed to collapse or they'd lose the game.

The team that was jumping on always kept their fattest kid till last, to force a collapse.

We wore leather shoes with steel tips in those days, it was easy to get hurt.

I bet kids aren't allowed to play it now !

 

[Wendy]

I remember the boys playing Polly on the Mopstick and British Bulldog another brutal game...being a bit of a wimp I preferred to watch!

I preferred skipping or the game with a long tied piece of elastic a girl stood at either end to form an oblong then a girl went in the middle and performed a series of jumps. I can't remember what it was called.

Sue we were always singing One potato, two potato three potato four..five potato six potato seven potatoes more....

 

[maypolebaz]

We used to play a version of British Bulldog at the end of a PE session, in the Army.

They called it "Murder Ball", and it was.

Like being caught in a cattle stampede !

(Cue Old Soldiers !).

 

[rosie]

Hi Wendy, we called it "french skipping" and we used elastic bands knotted together!

My stilts were made from an old wooden clotheshorse, My brother gave me his when I was tall enough. The neighbours used to complain about the noise of us stumping about!!

We played hopscotch on the pavement if a bit of slate had fallen off a roof so that we could use it for chalk.

 

[sistersue61]

Wendy, we called it French skipping too, those elastic bands didn't half hurt if they rolled up your legs!!! When the girls were at junior school, a "new trend game" was released I think by Hasbro and it was a modified version of French skipping with brushed nylon type bands, nowhere near as good as they didn't stretch like the elastic ones.
The pics of the lamp-post remind me of our visit to the Black Country Museum, they had a skipping rope with one end tied to the lamp-post, much to Owens amazement, not only could I turn it, but skip in time and double skip too - luckily didn't fall flat on my face lol
Sue

 

[Old Boy]

Hi All,

We usd to play football in the street. The lampposts were the goalposts. Sometimes windows got broken and we would scatter and run away but someone would know who had been playing and it was usually settled up. I doubt if there are any streets in Birmingham where you could play now. Far too much traffic and cars parked bopth sides of the road.

Old Boy

 

[Oisin]

They still play football in my street because it's a cul-de-sac and the car owners don't half give out about them.