A year and a half ago(maybe a little longer), Skirmie, my 7-year-old son, began this weird little rite. Whenever he sees a VW Beetle, he’ll punch whoever he’s with (I’m usually driving) and scream:
“Punch buggy green (or whatever color the Beetle is)! No punch backs!”
This phrase apparently “gets” him all of the Beetles of that color for the day. If he didn’t say, “No punch backs,” and I saw the same color Beetle later, I could punch him saying, “Punch buggy green,” and I’d “get” all his green Beetles.
Now I thought this was a little cute. Weird, but cute. I thought it was a game he made up himself or with a little circle of friends.
A couple of weeks ago, I took Skirm to see a movie – the Grinch, 102 dalmations, the Emperor’s new Groove – I forget which. During the ubiquitous ad slides shown in the theater before the trailers on popped up for a local VW dealer.
“Punch buggy yellow! No punch backs,” screamed nearly a hundred kids in unison as popcorn flew and parents were assaulted.
Where did this little “game” come from? What’s up with the punch backs? What do I win if I ever beat him?
Yep, “Slug bug”. It’s been around since my dad owned his VW bug. (It was his first car.) Except the way I know it, you don’t “get” that color for the rest of the day. (I punch you because I see a green one, you can punch me if another green one drives by 20 minutes later even if I do say “No slugs back”.)
Yep, that’s the game as I know it as well… funny, most of the West Coasters I talk to out here have never heard of Punch Buggy!
Where I grew up (Rhode Island), we also had a variation of this that’d we’d play with UPS trucks. Same rules, “UPS truck, no return!” The initials UPS were actually pronounced as the word “ups” rather than U.P.S.
My fiancee and I play this game constantly. She beat me on our trip to Austin, 12-3. It’s easier to spot them if you are not driving. We don’t actually hit each other now, it’s just a matter of scoring. We don’t call ‘no punch back’ or whatever.
An old g/f’s kids would play ‘slug bug, beatle bite, no return’ where they’d punch, pinch, and no one else could get points off the same car. Nothing about ‘getting’ all the colors for that day.
Mr. Jeannie and his brothers apparently played this game a lot when they were kids (Mr. Jeannie is the youngest and is about to turn 27, to give you an idea how long ago this was). I found out this fact while on a road trip. Out of nowhere, he slugs me in the arm, and shouts, “Punch buggy red!” I slugged him back, saying, “Jerk!” and he yelled, “Hey, I’m driving! And there’s no punch backs allowed!” Then he explained the concept of the game.
I am a year younger than my husband, grew up down the block from him, and attended the same grade school. And I had never heard of this “game” before. In his version, only one person can use a car. For instance:
I see a red VW Bug. I slug ChiefScott in the arm and yell “Punch Buggy!” (I don’t say the color). ChiefScott may not use the same VW Bug that I saw (doing so is considered a “Punch back”). However, if he sees another red VW Bug a mile later, he is within his rights to slug me and yell the magic words. Punch backs are not allowed, but you don’t need to say so. You cannot claim a color for yourself for the day.
Seems the game’s rules have evolved over the years.
It was punchbuggy in Florida, too, only with nothing about colors at all. Used to be, you could make a trip and end up with a black and blue arm, just from the number of VW’s you’d see. Now, there aren’t so many, even with the new “bugs” out there. Aaahhhhh, fond memories…
Since I can see my yellow Bug in the driveway–Slug bug, ChiefScott!
I grew up in TN and we played Slug Bug the way it was described by the others here. I lived in coastal NC last year and was interested to hear folks there call Bugs “punch buggys.” Maybe it is an east coast thing?
I’ve heard of this game…I used to play it with my college roommates on roadtrips. Boredome, you know.
We also used to play a driving game called “Podiddle” (I’m making a WAG at the spelling of this, btw). That game centered around spying other cars with one headlight out, and whomever spied it and punched the ceiling of the car first won. Sounds riveting, huh?
Don’t feel so bad, Chief. I’ve never heard of this game, either.
I grew up in New York City, though it doesn’t seem from the responses that Slug Bug is a regional thing. Oh well. I’m sure my father and brothers are glad I never knew about it!
I’m from northeast PA. I’m not sure where this game originated, but it was taught to me by my roommate in college, who was from the Hagerstown, MD area. I’m glad to know that we’re not alone. We still play.
Jadis: Aha–I’m from Montgomery, PA (near Williamsport). Though there was an example in the “paddidle” thread from the Midwest, I think northeast PA might be a paddidle epicenter.
My dad got me hooked on padiddle when we decided to go to the Family Reunion in NC a couple years back. He grew up in southwest Ohio, and apparently that’s a hotbed of padiddle too, Duke. Fast forward 2 years. I now make at least a 4-hour drive once a month with my boyfriend, and we live in a college town where you see cars with lights out at least once every 15 minutes. I’m still nursing a bruise from the last time we drove together
Yep, we play punchbuggy North of 60 too. Basically the same rules Jeannie outlined. A possible regional variation was the addition of the “Elbow Van,” a sharp shove with the elbow upon spotting your standard full-size van. This was part of the rules when I was a teen, but my little bro says it isn’t now.
Of course, there aren’t many of those left anymore…
Familiar with “padiddle” from way back (I’m from upstate New York) - learned about it from one of my favorite babysitters.
Never heard of “punch buggy” till we drove out west to Arizona to see some relatives (I was 8 at the time) and one of my cousins introduced me to it in the car on the way to the zoo. Damn, she hit hard, I cried, she got in trouble. Come to think of it, we haven’t spoken since.
I’ve been putting up with this for 5 years here in Seattle. My daughter quickly learned that if she forgot the “no punchback”, she was in big trouble. She just graduated to a new game last year. The various VW’s are now punchbugs, potato chips (new Beetles), and sweet potatoes (hippy vans).
