Unfortunately we DO have it in Texas. I grew up hearing slug-bug, but at college I hear it both ways. I don’t remember if we had the no-punchback rule, but it seems we did have a punches-must-leave-a-bruise-to-count rule because I remember people hitting really hard. I hated this game and usually just hit back, regardless. I am more tolerant of it now, as my college friends don’t hit so hard.
I grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, have never heard of this until now, and I think you are all insane.
Grew up near Cincinnati Ohio and we’ve always said the “blue punchbuggy no punch back” thing. Pissed me off to no end because my brother was about 6" taller and a good 60 lbs heavier than me. Needless to say after long car trips my arms were bruised.
Oooh, punch buggy! I live in the Philadelphia area and we play this one all the time. However, I have got in the habit of saying “Punch buggy blue, no punch backs and no pinching the puncher!” But that is only because the people I wind up punching feel the need to do something back to me. It’s all in good fun, though. I’ve noticed that drivers tend to get annoyed when you’re punching them as they drive… but oh well. And we don’t play with an anti- new beetle rule.
Yep, here too for at least 25 years. Bruised arms abounded in our family until my mother modified the game to a points system for bragging rights rather than allowing the punches.
Seeing a punch buggy first one point.
Punch buggy with a backseat passenger two points.
Gold or silver punch buggy five points.
White punch buggy with dented front driver side fender 10 points. (I suspect my mother knew just where to find this one, since it usually made her the winner hands down.)
There’s punch bug, whack whack cadillac and black and blue isuzu.
Can you tell I have a nephew? 
Anyone else get pinched when your carmate spots a Corvette?
I’ve never been pinched hard, I suspect it was an excuse for a certain someone to pinch me on the rear, but this started in my dating years and has continued in our family life. Most likely because until recently VW bugs were pretty rare to spot and Corvettes more plentiful.
Sublight mentioned it resetting the score in punch buggy, I really like that idea better.
I recall playing Punch Bug here in Orlando, FL when I was a kid.
Ms. Web-to-be and her two kids (10 and 12) play “Beaver,” which to me is Punch Bug with an large rodent’s name in place of the bug. Absolutely no idea why. They can’t tell me either. Weirdos.
All of us except the 12 year old strictly adhere to the rule that new beatles don’t count, as they depart from everything that makes the original so endearing. I think the 12 year old is just lazy and wants to pad his score.
In-car conversations can get a tad bit irritating at times: “And then me an’ Jimmy went fishing and he- BEAVER!!!…caught this big bream…”
My daughter (age 12) started doing this this summer. She always does the “no punchbacks” thing, which she says means that if the person who got punched sees the bug, they don’t get to call it and punch the first one. And they’re not really punches, just light slaps.
This makes no sense to me. Where’s the adventure and sport in ALWAYS denying the possibility of reprisal? What is life without risk?
Me, I wait until the bug’s almost out of sight, then I call it as just “slug-bug blue.” My daughter is horrified that I’m taking the terrible risk of getting punched.
I don’t do this often because of a little personal rule I have: anybody who hits me while I’m driving gets to walk home, so it’s not really fair.
My daughter also yells out “banana boat” whenever she sees a yellow vehicle. It was ruled that taxis and school buses don’t count after she almost hurt herself when we drove past a cab company.
Whenever I see a yellow bug, I call it as “banana slug.” My daughter is disgusted with me.
Played while growing up in MA. Color was second, and with 3 older siblings ‘no punchback’ was VERY necessary. 
Also had the car-with-one-headlight thing… anyone else call ‘bediddle’ with the obligitory punch? Mr. Bobkitty was NOT pleased when I introduced him to these games. 
We do punch buggy here in Charleston, too. I’ve never heard the slug-bug, or no punch-backs.
We also do “Popeye”. (Driving at night, see a car with one headlight, you punch the crap outta whoever’s in the car.) The key is to make sure it’s not a motorcycle, because if it is, you get the holy hell beat out of you.
Skerri, who obviously has too much time on her hands this morning…
Yep, that’s the same thing we did in Philadelphia when I was a kid. Aparrently the young 'uns still do it with New Beetles. We can’t restrict it to the old ones because all the old bugs in this part of the country have turned into piles of iron oxide. Rust never sleeps, ya know. . .
I’ve found Punchbuggy in BC, AB, Northern ON and Southern ON. Lately I’ve been having pains in my upper arm, and I attribute it to overzealous participants.
And you can tell dcnewsman that my D.C. born and bred wife has smacked me a few times with the punchbuggy punch, too.