Pooh Sticks

ChiefScott · November 6, 2003, 2:17am

Whilst tramping along the banks of the Naylor’s Run Creek with my extended family this weekend, I was able to introduce two of my nephews to the classic Milne game of Pooh Sticks.

They, like my son before them, were immensely pleased with the game and we had to drag them from the bridge e’re it got to dark to find the car.

I believe this may be the most perfect game in the world. No winners. No losers. Fresh air. And, if done correctly, you may again see the wonders of the world through a child’s eyes.

Now excuse me, I must gather some more sticks…

ChiefScott · November 6, 2003, 2:20am

The previous post should read, of course, too dark.

TJdude825 · November 6, 2003, 2:22am

There are winners and losers, but you’re still right. It’s a great game.

dantheman · November 6, 2003, 2:23am

Excellent game! Of course if one player falls in, the other player better not throw rocks at him to make the waves carry him to shore.

Bear_Nenno · November 6, 2003, 2:29am

What is pooh sticks? How do I play?

LifeOnWry · November 6, 2003, 3:55am

Pooh sticks! sigh It’s things like that that make me miss having a little one. And do you also do your stoutness exercises everyday?

Bear_Nenno - Pooh and his pals throw sticks into the water off one side of a bridge, then race to the other side to see whose stick comes out first. I don’t know if this ever showed up in a Milne book, but it’s on one of the Pooh videos.

NoCoolUserName · November 6, 2003, 4:36am

Chapter VI In Which Pooh Invents a New Game and Eeyore Joins In

Pooh, while carrying a fir-cone, and trying to think of a rhyme for it…

He had just come to the bridge; and not looking where he was going, he tripped over something, and the fir-cone jerked out of his paw into the river.

“Bother,” said Pooh, as it floated slowly under the bridge, and he went back to get another fir-cone which had a rhyme to it. But then he thought that he would just look at the river instead, because it was a peaceful sort of day, so he lay down and looked at it, and it slipped slowly away beneath him…and suddenly, there was his fir-cone slipping away too.

“That’s funny,” said Pooh. “I dropped it on the other side,” said Pooh, “and it came out on this side! I wonder if it would do it again?” And he went back for some more fir-cones.

It did. It kept on doing it. Then he dropped two in at once, and leant over the bridge to see which of them would come out first; and one of them did; but as they were both the same size, he didn’t know if it was the one which he wanted to win, or the other one.

[snip]

And that was the beginning of the game called Poohsticks, which Pooh invented, and which he and his friends used to play on the edge of the forest. But they played with sticks instead of fir-cones, because they were easier to mark.

ruadh · November 6, 2003, 7:24am

They’re a great band, too, the Pooh Sticks.

CrazyCatLady · November 6, 2003, 9:29am

Well, at work we have something we call poo sticks, but they’re far too gross for little kids to play with.

Siege · November 6, 2003, 11:39am

When I was a kid the parking lot to a local fast food joint was across a covered footbridge from the restaurant itself. My brothers and I almost always played Pooh sticks on that bridge, watching them vanish under the bridge, then turning to see who won.

CJ

grimpixie · November 6, 2003, 11:50am

When we played at the bridge down at the local park, after a good rain, half the race was to get to the other side of the bridge before the sticks did!!!

Good times…

Grim

DrMemory · November 6, 2003, 12:43pm

Space Pooh Sticks and a big glass of Tang…

NE_Texan · November 6, 2003, 1:51pm

I didn’t remember my Milne at first, and I was sure this was going to be a lieu style thread…

I like this one better.

lovelyluka · November 6, 2003, 2:09pm

There was a Winnie-the-Pooh special on some channel last night that apparently my SO was half watching while I was studying. Suddenly I heard him exclaim, “Wha? Did they just say they invented a game called Pooh Sticks? What the hell are Pooh Sticks?” I shrugged and replied that I didn’t know.

I’m so glad this thread was here this morning; it’s very timely. Consider us both enlightened.

Fretful_Porpentine · November 6, 2003, 2:33pm

What, you don’t believe in hooshing people to the bank? Where’s the fun of Poohsticks if you can’t get hooshed?

Sigh. I really need to find a bridge around here. And some sticks. And some time.

lieu · November 6, 2003, 3:07pm

As boys we’d try and play Pooh Sticks but invariably by the time the “sticks” had reached the other side it had already deteriorated into a game of Sink Your Buddy’s Battleship.

Jenaroph · November 6, 2003, 3:11pm

Yes it does.

dantheman · November 6, 2003, 3:17pm

It was also used to illustrate a point made in the legendary not-Milne book The Tao of Pooh.

Tapioca_Dextrin · November 6, 2003, 3:21pm

If you happen to be in Oxofrdshire next year, you can enter the Pooh Sticks World Championship, if not, you can play Pooh Sticks on your PC. The rules can be found here.

Homebrew · November 6, 2003, 3:36pm

Chapter VI In Which Pooh Invents a New Game and Eeyore Joins In

That is my absolute favorite Chapter out of both books. I am so happy that my son loves those stories. I get to read them for bedtime stories frequently. In fact, last night we read Chapter VIII In which Christopher Robin leads an Expotition to the North Pole.

Sing Ho! For the life of a Bear!