# Carnival attraction with sledgehammer and bell: What is it called? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 30, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965 "2014-08-30T15:28:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/1 "2014-08-30T15:28:55Z")
I’ve seen depictions of this in movies and such for many years: The player, or sometimes “mark,” takes a sledgehammer and pounds a pivoted lever, to try to make a weight rise up a cable and strike a large bell at the top. What is this device called? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/2 "2014-08-30T15:31:28Z")
> **[High striker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_striker)** > > A high striker, also known as a strength tester, or strongman game, is an attraction used in funfairs, amusement parks, fundraisers, and carnivals. It operates by utilizing the lever where one end holds a puck attached to the tower and the other end is struck by the person or contestant using a hammer or mallet. The aim of players is to ring the bell suspended on top of the tower. If the lever is struck with enough force, the puck will rise high enough to hit the bell, indicating a success. Moder... ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/3 "2014-08-30T15:42:45Z")
Thanx:) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/4 "2014-08-30T16:08:57Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [High striker - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_striker) Oh good, it says an alternative is the strongman game. That’s what I would call it. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/5 "2014-08-30T16:15:37Z")
I thought it was called “Test your Strength”. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/6 "2014-08-30T16:32:20Z")
There was an episode of \* The Adventures of Superman \* in which Clark and Lois went to a carnival. Clark tried his hand at the device, and the force of his sledgehammer swing caused the weight to knock the bell off its mounting! ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/7 "2014-08-30T17:50:17Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > There was an episode of \* The Adventures of Superman \* in which Clark and Lois went to a carnival. Clark tried his hand at the device, and the force of his sledgehammer swing caused the weight to knock the bell off its mounting! That’s a pretty common trope. In particular, if you see a high striker in a cartoon, it’s probably going to get its bell knocked off at some point. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/8 "2014-08-30T18:22:44Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I thought it was called “Test your Strength”. There’s usually a sign that says that at the carnival. I don’t recall any signs that say “High Striker”, or carnies barking “Try the High Striker!” ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/9 "2014-08-30T19:50:05Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > That’s a pretty common trope. In particular, if you see a high striker in a cartoon, it’s probably going to get its bell knocked off at some point. No; this was the live-action series with George Reeves and Noel Neill. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/10 "2014-08-30T20:26:04Z")
Part of the cliche is that the winner gets a cigar. The high striker showed up in at least a couple of Popeye cartoons. In one, he tossed the mallet aside and rang the bell repeatedly by punching the lever with his fist. In another, he bent the tower over and hit the lever so hard that the puck sailed into town and rang some church bells. I’ve also seen a panel cartoon showing a high striker calibrated to different levels of strength, with Superman at the top and Caspar Milquetoast at the bottom. The Wikipedia article says that high strikers used to be “fixed” so that no one could possibly win (except that they would occasionally let someone win to keep players interested), but that they aren’t fixed any more. I don’t know about that, but many carnival games are set up to look a lot easier to beat than they actually are. I’ve heard that the wire on a high striker is tapered so that, the higher the puck goes, the more likely it is that friction will stop it. It is possible to win if the puck is centered and straight as it goes up, but the player has little control over this. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/11 "2014-08-30T23:30:43Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Part of the cliche is that the winner gets a cigar. > > The high striker showed up in at least a couple of Popeye cartoons. In one, he tossed the mallet aside and rang the bell repeatedly by punching the lever with his fist. In another, he bent the tower over and hit the lever so hard that the puck sailed into town and rang some church bells. I’ve also seen a panel cartoon showing a high striker calibrated to different levels of strength, with Superman at the top and Caspar Milquetoast at the bottom. > > The Wikipedia article says that high strikers used to be “fixed” so that no one could possibly win (except that they would occasionally let someone win to keep players interested), but that they aren’t fixed any more. I don’t know about that, but many carnival games are set up to look a lot easier to beat than they actually are. I’ve heard that the wire on a high striker is tapered so that, the higher the puck goes, the more likely it is that friction will stop it. It is possible to win if the puck is centered and straight as it goes up, but the player has little control over this. In an issue of \* Games, \* the description says that the device is rigged this way: The cable is extended in such a way that it appears to be one of the guy wires, supporting the tower, fixed to a stake driven into the ground. To allow anyone to make the weight hit the bell, the dishonest operator leans against the extension of the cable, facilitating the movement of the weight upward. But when cheating the mark, the operator steps away from the cable, slackening it so the weight won’t rise. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/12 "2014-08-30T23:45:32Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > There was an episode of \* The Adventures of Superman \* in which Clark and Lois went to a carnival. Clark tried his hand at the device, and the force of his sledgehammer swing caused the weight to knock the bell off its mounting! … And Lois was not the least bit suspicious. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/13 "2014-08-30T23:51:42Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > … And Lois was not the least bit suspicious. :rolleyes: Well, the thing about Lois is, well… Lois is an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/14 "2014-08-31T00:07:28Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, the thing about Lois is, well… Lois is an idiot. Hey, I could live with that! :o [http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/timemachinecollectibles/6789.2L.jpg](http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/timemachinecollectibles/6789.2L.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/15 "2014-08-31T00:48:39Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > No; this was the live-action series with George Reeves and Noel Neill. I did not say otherwise. I said that the event you described was common in fiction, and particularly common in cartoons. I’ve never been a fan of Supes, but I would be surprised if he hasn’t done it in a comic book at some point, too. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/16 "2014-08-31T01:19:53Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > I did not say otherwise. I said that the event you described was common in fiction, and particularly common in cartoons. I’ve never been a fan of Supes, but I would be surprised if he hasn’t done it in a comic book at some point, too. Well, you mentioned cartoons, so that’s what I thought you meant. Of course, it’s easier in cartoons and comics. Speaking of which, in an Archie comic, Moose lifted Jughead so he could ring the bell directly with the hammer! ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/17 "2014-09-01T06:35:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > There’s usually a sign that says that at the carnival. I don’t recall any signs that say “High Striker”, or carnies barking “Try the High Striker!” Exactly. I have seen these machines in operation, but I have never heard the term “high striker” before. I am not convinced it is not just a name some Wikipedian made up (like “[Brazilian aardvark](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732341)”). There is no citation given to support the name “High Striker”. It is a Test Your Strength machine. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/18 "2014-09-01T09:33:11Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Exactly. I have seen these machines in operation, but I have never heard the term “high striker” before. I am not convinced it is not just a name some Wikipedian made up (like “[Brazilian aardvark](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732341)”). There is no citation given to support the name “High Striker”. It is a Test Your Strength machine. It’s a [Hi-Striker](http://bedfordandbowery.com/tag/hi-striker/) or sometimes High Striker. [An ad from 1950](http://books.google.com/books?id=-fUDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq=hi+striker+invented&source=bl&ots=FZuO2X7GU1&sig=qRL4j8o7vPegL5H2QA7QHjfb5hI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EjwEVIyTHozNggTC04CYCA&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=hi%20striker%20invented&f=false) for a High Striker. [1914 Patent application calls it a striking machine](http://www.google.com/patents/US1120518). ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/19 "2014-09-01T10:20:03Z")
I would call it a “test your strength” machine, but perhaps “high striker” is a more ‘official’ name for it. The last time I saw one in operation, the difficulty of the game was decided by the operator moving the pivot point of the lever that causes the weight to shoot up the wire. With the pivot close to the weight (making the lever longer), it was possible to ring the bell with only a moderate strike. With the pivot moved further away (making the end of the lever you hit much shorter), even the hardest hit couldn’t ring the bell. It also seemed to be more about timing and precision than strength, at the harder end of the difficulty level. As this was at a corporate event where you didn’t have to pay for each attempt, the operator was adjusting the machine quite openly, but I can imagine they could easily have done it subtly if the objective were to cheat someone, or make a fool out of them. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965/20 "2014-09-01T12:09:26Z")
Apparently it’s real name is “High Striker”: [Popular Science Monthly September 1933](http://books.google.de/books?id=_CcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59&dq=%22high+striker%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hmAEVNaBFIj_OcKGgfgI&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22high%20striker%22&f=false) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-attraction-with-sledgehammer-and-bell-what-is-it-called/696965.md?page=2)