Was just sitting out on my patio of my apartment which overlooks the swimming pool when I heard the ages-old cry of “Marco! Polo!” - as sure a sign of youth and summer as any. Does anyone know how/when/why the name of a long-dead explorer became a kids swimming pool game?
When I was a kid, Marco Polo was a backyard game (related to Hide-and-seek), not a pool game. Maybe it got conflated with the sport of Water Polo?
Also, reporting for move to Game Room
The game is believed to be based upon the expeditions of Marco Polo the explorer to Asia and China. In his 1291 voyage over sea from Quanzhou to Venice, his fleet was beset by thick fog. In order to keep the various ships together, the first boat would shout “Marco”, and the boat behind would shout “Polo”. Then that boat would continue with “Marco” and the third boat behind would reply “Polo”. This would continue until the last ship is reached, where it would start again, only in reverse from the rear. The story has made its rounds in common history and lore, and eventually turned into a child’s game, typically played in a pool with eyes closed.
The above is only one of a couple of dozen explanations. Good luck finding the right one.
When I was a kid we played this game calling “Blindman’s” with the response “Bluff” and the game was called Blindman’s bluff. But at some point during my youth this changed to Marco Polo. I very much doubt that we Clevelanders changed the game’s name in the 1960s, of course.
We used a rule called Fish Out of Water, to catch cheating sneaks who would get out of the pool to avoid capture.
I tried to change it to “Mulder, Scully”. Those two wandered around dark places calling each others names quite often.
Nice one!
I assumed the game took its name just because it’s two short, two-syllable words that naturally go together. We’d play it in the pool all the time when I was a kid.
We did, too. If It called out and you were not in the water,* it was the same as being tagged. If multiple people were out of the water, the person farthest out was it.
*This was defined as barely touching and later modified to leg up to a knee or arm up to an elbow.