# Tag and other childhood games **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254 "2001-01-16T01:28:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/1 "2001-01-16T01:28:09Z")
Ha ha! You’re it! ---
**Author:** ![St.Attila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@St.Attila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Attila)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/2 "2001-01-16T01:46:33Z")
Damn it! Not again! ::sneak:: You’re it! ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/3 "2001-01-16T01:50:51Z")
This is such a bad idea, [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55115) is why. I’m going to take the liberty of changing this to: **Name your favorite childhood game**. Either army dodge ball or ghost in the graveyard. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/4 "2001-01-16T02:01:36Z")
Speaking of which… Do kids play “kick the can” anymore? ---
**Author:** ![St.Attila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@St.Attila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Attila)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/5 "2001-01-16T02:06:18Z")
Aaaargh!! I knew it! I never win this game! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/6 "2001-01-16T02:10:58Z")
Not to worry. his threrad is not nearly as witty as “Threadkillers” and hence is only going to attract attention from classy people like yourself. No danger of this slowing down the board. Now stop whining or I’ll make you play “Red Rover”, “British Bul;ldog” or “Sardines”. Where were we? ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/7 "2001-01-16T03:30:31Z")
Okay, I’ve broken a wrist playeing “Red Rover”, but what are “British Bulldog” and “Sardines”? And are they a regional thing (I’ve obviously never herd of them)? [Mine was “Red Light, Green Light”] ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/8 "2001-01-16T04:10:48Z")
The alpha-member of the group is selected to play Mother. All the other kids line up on the oposite end of the yard. Mother in turn gives them a complicated series of manuvers to execute in therir quest to be the first to reach Mother. Manuvers include such the jack-knife, spider-hop, telephone pole and anything else that Mother’s sadistic mind can invent on the spot. They had to be performed in the exact sequence as ordered, and if one forgot to ask “Mother May I?” before doing them one was sent to the back. And the winner was always Mother’s best friend, anyway. Good training for adult life. On a lower rung of childhood hell was the Spanking Machine. As many kids as possible lined up and spread their legs. The victim would have to crawl on hands and knees through this gauntlet. This would often devolve in to “Dog Pile,” a variation on the above that featured smothering rather than spanking. Or a simple, savage game of “Open Season,” where the victim was hunted down, de-troused and his pants flown from a flagpole. Bonus points if the victim’s (never Slithy Tove, BTW) naked butt could be shown off to the neighborhood girls (with, on at least one occasion, a leafy twig stuck in his rectum). Again, good training for adult life. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@Farmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/9 "2001-01-16T09:06:45Z")
Wasn’t there something called Cable Tv. I forgot how it goes. Hacky Sack. yeeeah. ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/10 "2001-01-16T09:27:54Z")
Hey Farmer, I’ve got your hackey sak. Here Dr. Paprika, catch… Now we have a good old game of keep away! ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/11 "2001-01-16T10:24:54Z")
At my college, I organized a group of about 12-14 guys to play games like these. We had a nice strenuous game of Manhunt. What is army dodgeball? Is that like Dr. Dodgeball, where if you get hit in the arm, you can’t use that arm, in the leg, can’t use that leg, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/12 "2001-01-16T12:50:33Z")
Yes, that’s what it is. But I never heard Dr. Dodgeball before. Where do you live that doctors randomly remove body parts? Army Dodgeball is a much better name for it. ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/13 "2001-01-16T13:44:13Z")
Now that you mention it, Dr. Dodgeball may have been the version where, when you got hit, you had to lie down where you were, and someone on your team that was still in the game has to drag you to the back of your team’s area, and you would be alive again. Much fun ensued when you got to “accidentally” peg people in the face who had not yet been brought back to life. I don’t know what we called Army Dodgeball. I don’t think we called it anything, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/14 "2001-01-16T14:09:32Z")
I seem to remember playing a variation of Tag called TV Tag where you had one person be “It” and chase the others around, but if the person being chased quickly sat down and named a valid TV show, they were safe until they got back up. I also remember playing a game called “Smear the Queer”. The object was simply to tag the person with the ball. Whoever tagged the one carrying the ball then got the ball and it would start again. Now, who remembers any of the rhymes used to determine who was “It”? I only remember “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe” and “My Mother and Your Mother”. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/15 "2001-01-16T14:41:14Z")
Objective: Find belt and beat friends senseless. 🙂 Where: Philadelphia Equipment: Get a nice thick leather belt, the longer and heavier the better. How to Play: To start, someone is designated to “Hide the Belt” in a certain area, like half a city block, or a neighborhood street, etc. The rest of the players close their eyes/turn around, etc. while standing at base (safe area…will become very important later). The hider hides the belt wherever they choose (under a pile of leaves, behind a car wheel, around the base of a tree, in a bush, a mailbox) and announces to the players to start. Players scurry off start looking for the belt, getting getting clues from the hider. Clues such as “Chris is getting warmer…Mike is ice cold…and Joe is Burning up.” Now, the tension mounts because a few people are getting closer and the person who finds the belt gets to chase everyone down and beat the crap out of them until they make it back to base. Well hidden belts draw in a number of people all reaching for it in desperation. Someone could have it, but they might be baiting you. Somtimes the belt would be hidden well, say under a car, maybe near the wheel well, and the person closest and getting the “Hot” cues may or may not know where it’s at. So, if your near him, do you get closer? Maybe he’s got it, but is baiting you in. Maybe it’s worth getting closer because he is on his back reaching under the car and is prone, so if you find it, you can’t whack the hell out of him and anyone else in the area. The finder becomes the Hider for the next round. Injured players are not allowed to quit. Cheaters or those using the buckle to hit others get lashes from all players. Lashes are delivered with the lashee on all fours, face down to the ground, posterior up. This game worked well when we were 10-16 years old. But we all got together for a game of Hide the Belt when we were college-aged and it was a blast. Best game ever. Yeah, we played Kick the Can, Chase, Tag, and a host of other games, but nothing beats “Hide the Belt”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/16 "2001-01-16T14:48:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dragwyr \* > [BNow, who remembers any of the rhymes used to determine who was “It”? I only remember “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe” and “My Mother and Your Mother”. \*\* How 'bout… Engine, engine number nine Running down Chicago line If the train falls off the track Do you want your money back? or… Bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish How many pieces do you wish? Anyone else play Freeze Tag? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/17 "2001-01-16T15:21:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dragwyr \* > **I also remember playing a game called “Smear the Queer”. The object was simply to tag the person with the ball. Whoever tagged the one carrying the ball then got the ball and it would start again.** When I played this, the person with the ball actually got smeared, i.e. dog piled until he gave up the ball. Also called fumblitis. Then there was pickle, which was like as mass pickle play in baseball. But having grown up in Michigan, where snow plows left huge piles of snow in the corners of parking lots and such, the best came was king of the mountain. Where basically one team got on top of the snow pile and defended it against the other team, whose goal was to knock the defenders off the mountain. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/18 "2001-01-16T15:22:57Z")
We used to play this game when I as a wee lad. In the game one person is made a detective and is sent out of the room. Then the light person kills the lights and selects another person to be the murderer. The murderer then (guess what) kills one person and then after the lights come up the detective comes in and questions everyone. If he is wrong he goes back out and the killing spree continues. What always got me about the game is that all of the potential victims actually helped out the murderer and not the cop. If you were not the murderer you tried to make the cop think you were. Lets see there was also Killer the ‘winking card game’ where we killed each other. (learned that one in Catholic school) Army, Sharks and minnows… Boy, we played at killing each other a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/19 "2001-01-16T15:28:58Z")
“British Bulldog” One player starts off as the bulldog; the rest of the players stand on one side of a field. On the bulldogs order, they run across the field while the bulldog tries to tackle them. Anyone who is tackled joins the bulldog and tries to tackle other players during their run. The winner is the last person tackled. Not a game particularly encouraged these days by educators, but enjoyed it enough as a kid. Since my entire childhood was spent playing road hockey with my older brother’s buddies, not that much different. “Sardines” Like “reverse hide and seek”. One person hides, everyone else counts to what3ever and looks for them. The first person to find the hider stays silent and joins the hider, hiding in what is generally a cramped location to begin with (such as inside a bush). The second person to find the hider joins the hider and the first finder. The objective is not to be the last finder to find everyone else hiding in the same cramped location. Do you know the rules for: Red Light, Green Light; What Time is it Mr. Wolf? Frozen tag? ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254/20 "2001-01-16T15:35:09Z")
[quote] Originally posted by Dragwyr [BNow, who remembers any of the rhymes used to determine who was “It”? I only remember “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe” and “My Mother and Your Mother”. [quote] Eenie, meenie,miney, moe Catch a monkey by his toe If he hollers Let him go Eenie meenie, miney, mo My mother told me to pick the very best one and you are IT or how’bout… One potato, Two potato, Three potato, Four Five potato, Six potato, Seven potato More Then you go into the “My mother” bit [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tag-and-other-childhood-games/50254.md?page=2)