# Anyone ever played 'pee-wee' \[stick game\]? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-played-pee-wee-stick-game/776838 "2017-01-10T22:21:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-played-pee-wee-stick-game/776838/1 "2017-01-10T22:21:25Z")
I saw the movie [Babes in Toyland (1934)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babes_in_Toyland_(1934_film)) recently, and there are a couple of references to Stan Laurel’s playing a game called ‘pee-wee?’ I’d never heard of the game. Was this ever a common game in the US? [The Wiki entry on it.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilli-danda) Basically, it looks as though you have a piece of (wood?) several inches long shaped somewhat like one of [these fishing corks](https://www.google.com/search?q=fishing+cork&safe=strict&biw=1347&bih=966&tbm=isch&imgil=Pon5HA2-8rU5nM%253A%253ByoPsEilmneKTFM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.floridasportsman.com%25252F2013%25252F02%25252F05%25252Frattling-corks%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=Pon5HA2-8rU5nM%253A%252CyoPsEilmneKTFM%252C_&usg=__oq61L_sDozMCOjydb52BJf_CHEU%3D&ved=0ahUKEwi4_sz4zbjRAhUI6CYKHZr8AQ4QyjcIJw&ei=1l11WLi7AojQmwGa-Ydw#imgrc=Pon5HA2-8rU5nM%3A), and a long stick. The small piece would be on the ground, and you’d give it a good :SMACK: with the stick sending it flying updwards, then you’d bat it with the same stick as it fell. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-played-pee-wee-stick-game/776838/2 "2020-01-14T19:29:01Z")
So I’ll assume the answer is probably ‘No.’ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-played-pee-wee-stick-game/776838/3 "2020-01-15T05:22:11Z")
Sounds like it has elements of the South African game _[kennetjie](https://shadleyfataarwriter.com/2017/10/09/the-games-we-played-2-kennetjie-6min-read/)_, which is probably derived from an ancient Indian game called [_gillidanda_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillidanda) with some cricket-like rules added. ETA I see you cited it, I thought that was a link to the film. That Wiki article cites pee-wee as the American variant of gillidanda. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-played-pee-wee-stick-game/776838/4 "2020-01-15T05:28:46Z")
Too late to edit: So, as I was going to say… I don’t know about the US, but it was a common game when I was growing up in South Africa. But it’s going extinct. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-played-pee-wee-stick-game/776838/5 "2020-01-16T16:30:57Z")
i always thought it was purely made up. How the hell was the thing supposed to be able to return to the place of origin. It’s not like it was boomerang shaped.