# Anyone Remember the Early 80's Domino Craze? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628 "2011-08-30T14:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/1 "2011-08-30T14:45:05Z")
(Not sure if this is better suited to Cafe Society or MPSIMS) A contestant on this season’s _America’s Got Talent_ produces what he calls “Kinetic Sculptures.” His installations are similar to falling-domino sculptures, except he uses popsicle sticks, balls, cans, and a host of other things. It’s actually pretty fun to watch. I remember for a time that domino sculptures were all the rage, at least for a few months in the early 1980’s. You could even go to a toy store and buy domino kits. In the summer day care program I was in (I’d have been 11-12 in the early 80’s), I was looked up to as one of the masters of domino arrangement. 🆒 I even remember a domino sculpture coming to our mall and setting up an installation; took him about four days for about two minutes’ worth of entertainment. IIRC, his name was Bob Spega. Anyone else remember this craze? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/2 "2011-08-30T14:52:19Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Anyone else remember this craze? Sure; domino-setting-up guys were always good for a few minutes of filler on “Real People” or “That’s Incredible” or similar shows. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/3 "2011-08-30T15:00:24Z")
Wow, haven’t thought of those in years! I had this giant kit of smallish, coloured domino-like tiles. Being lighter and smaller than regular dominos, they were kind of a PITA to set up (I think the toy came with some sort of anti-Pez like contraption to set them up, but it didn’t work very well), but there were bajillions of them in the box. Wish I could remember the name of them. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/4 "2011-08-30T15:03:35Z")
Chain Lightning, Chain Lightning, Chain Lightning – you knock 'em all down? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/5 "2011-08-30T15:40:22Z")
[Domino Rally](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_Rally)? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/6 "2011-08-30T15:52:55Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Domino Rally](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_Rally)? I had the Rocket Set, it was bitchin’. Of course, it came out about ten years after the OP’s “domino craze,” so was there a second domino craze in the late 80s or was there not one in the early 80s? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/7 "2011-09-02T01:07:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Domino Rally](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_Rally)? I got a set of those one Christmas and was quite disappointed to discover that instead of dominoes, the box was essentially filled with plastic Tic Tacs. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/8 "2011-09-02T01:11:13Z")
I had another sort of pseudo-domino toy, in the late 1970s. I can’t remember the name of them, but they were the size of dominoes, but with one end heavier than the other (the “light end” had several visible holes). They came with a booklet showing all the special tricks you could do with them, thanks to the odd weighting. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/9 "2011-09-02T01:36:56Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I had the Rocket Set, it was bitchin’. Of course, it came out about ten years after the OP’s “domino craze,” so was there a second domino craze in the late 80s or was there not one in the early 80s? I had that set too. Or at least my brother did and I played with it. I remember that the rocket would launch maybe a foot in the air. And I think the craze lasted into the early 90’s at least. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/10 "2011-09-02T02:02:17Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I got a set of those one Christmas and was quite disappointed to discover that instead of dominoes, the box was essentially filled with plastic Tic Tacs. Holy shit yes. But crushing as that disappointment was, I still managed to play the hell out of them. I also remember the frustration aptly described in the wiki link: > [@](#): > > The injection molding process used to make them also tended to leave protrusions on the standing edge. As such, they tended to fall over easily, particularly when being set up on the stepped staircases and bridges that came with the set. ETA: If you thought the cake was a lie, check out the [commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CodjSio8rf8). Clever editing made everything seem as large as the bridge-mounted tiles. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/11 "2011-09-02T02:35:31Z")
I remember having a set of [Disney dominoes](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Disney-Dominoes-1976-Mickey-Mouse-Donald-Goofy-/150558999019)growing up in the early 80’s. They had pictures of Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and the like. I don’t think I ever actually played dominoes, but I did use them as pins for a miniature game of bowling. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/12 "2011-09-02T03:33:36Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I had another sort of pseudo-domino toy, in the late 1970s. I can’t remember the name of them, but they were the size of dominoes, but with one end heavier than the other (the “light end” had several visible holes). They came with a booklet showing all the special tricks you could do with them, thanks to the odd weighting. Found 'em…they were called [Tipovers](http://tipovers.org/tipovers-manual/). ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/13 "2011-09-02T05:13:03Z")
I remember having Sesame Street dominoes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/14 "2011-09-02T13:50:16Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Chain Lightning, Chain Lightning, Chain Lightning – you knock 'em all down? Yeah, that’s the one I had. [Here’s an eBay auction of it.](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chain-Lightning-Domino-Super-Show-Game-Good-Condition-/280701959011#ht_2105wt_1384) Those had the tiniest dominoes (at least they seemed smaller than Domino Rally’s), and it came with a frame in which you could put in any of a number of cardboard templates with domino patterns cut into them, to facilitate setting up complex displays. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/15 "2011-09-02T15:07:28Z")
I remember it, never particularly entertained me, even as a young kid, but I loved setting them up myself. As for the AGT guy, I wonder what his “Vegas act” would be. You walk in, he sets off a display that takes 90 seconds and then says “wasn’t that great, now I’m going to spend the next six hours setting up the next one why don’t you go have a latte or something.” ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/16 "2011-09-02T15:59:55Z")
[QUOTE=kenobi 65] I had another sort of pseudo-domino toy, in the late 1970s. [T]hey were the size of dominoes, but with one end heavier than the other (the “light end” had several visible holes). They came with a booklet showing all the special tricks you could do with them, thanks to the odd weighting. Found 'em…they were called [Tipovers](http://tipovers.org/tipovers-manual/). [/QUOTE] Ah yes, I had those too. Though I’m not sure _why_ I had them actually, because most of our house was carpeted wall-to-wall. Also, the big tables in the kitchen and dining room were usually covered up. That is to say, I didn’t have much in the way of the hard, flat, and open surface you’d need to enjoy this particular toy. I do remember building that big “mountain” or “house of cards” arrangement a few times. (See the last diagram on that web page.) It required delicate balancing and was a real bitch to set up. Much like a real house of cards, it was too easy to destroy it during the process of constructing it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/17 "2011-09-02T16:05:40Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Though I’m not sure _why_ I had them actually, because most of our house was carpeted wall-to-wall. Also, the big tables in the kitchen and dining room were usually covered up. That is to say, I didn’t have much in the way of the hard, flat, and open surface you’d need to enjoy this particular toy. Yeah, we had wall-to-wall shag carpeting in most of the house (it _was_ the 1970s, after all). I know that I had asked for them as a Christmas present (probably had seen them in ads). Due to all the carpeting, I’d set them up on either a sewing board in my bedroom, or on the tile floor in the finished basement. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/18 "2011-09-02T16:44:30Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I remember having a set of [Disney dominoes](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Disney-Dominoes-1976-Mickey-Mouse-Donald-Goofy-/150558999019)growing up in the early 80’s. They had pictures of Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and the like. I don’t think I ever actually played dominoes, but I did use them as pins for a miniature game of bowling. We had those too! 🙂 I’d forgotten all about them. We had a hilarious domino-setting-up thing in the 80’s. It was a little battery-operated train engine that you would load up with little plastic dominos, and it would trundle along and poop dominos out the back! ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/19 "2011-09-02T17:26:14Z")
I thought this thread was going to be about the pizza chain :o ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628/20 "2011-09-03T17:00:12Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > As for the AGT guy, I wonder what his “Vegas act” would be. You walk in, he sets off a display that takes 90 seconds and then says “wasn’t that great, now I’m going to spend the next six hours setting up the next one why don’t you go have a latte or something.” Yeah, I thought that too, which is why I’m glad he’s gone; give someone with an actual 90-minute act a shot in the top 10. I could see a casino hiring him to do installations once a week or so, for the amusement of spectators and to bring in foot traffic. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-early-80s-domino-craze/594628.md?page=2)