I had never even heard of the Marco Polo game until it was featured in an episode of The Sopranos. Even then I thought they made it up for the show as Tony was all about Italian heroes like Columbus.
To be fair we never swam in our family.
Dennis
I just learned about it in the last decade, I wasnt quite sure what it was, maybe still not? :smack::eek:
We had to play it occasionally in swim class in high school, over 50 years ago. I still don’t understand it … something about a llama?
A simple game, really. Similar to blind man’s buff in a swimming pool.
http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/activities-games-and-crafts/marco-polo
I played Marco Polo all summer long in the 70s and early 80s and watched younger kids play it as a lifeguard in the late 80s and early 90s.
Common where I grew up.
Funny story about the compulsion one feels to reply “Polo!” when someone shouts “Marco!” (hint: Not a good compulsion to follow when hiding from police)
http://blogs.herald.com/dave_barrys_blog/2007/11/we-cannot-belie.html
We played it all the time in the 80’s. And, come to think of it, there’s nothing about the game that requires a swimming pool. The only things the pool brings to the game are slower moving players, natural boundaries and no (less) obstacles.
And getting to yell “fish out of water” when someone cheats!!
I never heard of the Marco Polo game either until well into adulthood.
Seems remarkably dumb.
Oh yeah, well if you saw me get out of the water then it means you opened your eyes and we’re cheating too! Cheater cheater pumpkin eater!
So do lots of kids games when seen through adult eyes. I mean, Duck, Duck, Goose:
[ul]
[li]Walk around a circle tapping people on the head saying Duck[/li][li]Eventually say goose instead of duck[/li][li]Be chased by the goose[/li][li]Goose chases It until either Goose catches It or It sits in Goose’s spot. If the former, It stays It, if the latter, Goose becomes It. [/li][/ul]
It seems ridiculous, but kids have fun with it. Same with Marco Polo.
All my life, I thought it was some sort of owl making the sound. Turns out it’s a mourning dove.
I played Marco Polo more than 45 years ago.
Am I the only person here who had to play Marco Polo naked?
HAD to, or GOT to?
Had to, or wanted to?
On the contrary, this was a smart criminal. He saw that the policeman shouting “Marco” had his eyes open, so the case will be dismissed as a violation of his constitutional right to due process.
Couple things about transportation equipment I didn’t know untl I was pretty well along.
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Air brakes are default-on and power-release.
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Diesel locomotives are run by electric motors, with the electricity generated by the diesel engines.
I never heard of it as a kid growing up in the Bronx in the 1950s and 1960s. I was vaguely aware of it when I saw the Sopranos episode, but didn’t know how it was played until I saw the episode.
The games we played in the Bronx usually ended up with someone getting beat up at the end.
Only the “Marco” had his eyes closed. Us “Polos” had eyes open. We were the Marco Polo narcs. Some of us grew up to be message board moderators.
I’d never heard of the Marco Polo game until I saw a “Family Circus” comic where the mom is rushing to the bathroom because the kids were playing it in the bathtub. I assumed it was a game with lots of splashing. I’ve never played it myself and I’m 43. I did see some people playing it in a hotel pool a couple months ago.
I never learned “left” and “right” as a kid. I figured that out myself.