Ditto for Wisconsin. Man, if you’d slug-bugged someone as a Rabbit drove by, it would have been Revenge To The Max time.
All the other kids would have pummeled you, while screaming out the names of every car that drove past: “Slug-Chevy!” “Slug-Pickup Truck!” “Slug-Edsel!”
Midwest!? MIDWEST!? :mad: Screw you, buddy. I’m a native New Yorker! :mad:
I completely agree with the OP except the use of “punchbuggy” instead of the proper name of the game Slug Bug. Saying punchbuggy instead of slug bug is like saying, “I made sweet sweet rape to my wife last night.”
Here in Chicagoland (also known as “The Midwest? - Really?”), we called it Slug Bug growing up. But I absolutely new what the OP was talking about, and Punchbuggy’s just as good a name in my book.
Sounds like some bizarro version of “sixes no returns”/“saves” for when someone farts. As it involves farting it is clearly much, much cooler.
I don’t mind the commercials, except the one where the guy drives his kids around to watch everyone punch each other. I seriously doubt anyone outside of VW would know to call that color “blue”.
Tell that to Disney. Blue Punch Buggy!
Could those of you who actually recognize this child’s game, please state when and where you played it. I am one of the unfortunates who never heard of this (although I guess there was an oblique reference to this near the end of the Pixar movie “UP”).
FWIW I grew up in NYC and Long Island in the 60’s->70’s.
Hmmmm. After last week’s branding snafu, you might want to run that one by the guys in the head office. 
Never played it but my SO has; it’s “Punch Bug” for her. She’s from southern Virginia with some time in Florida.
Thank you! I knew something was wrong with “punchbuggy” but I couldn’t think of the right phrase.
We used to play punchbuggy in the '70’s - '80s (in New England). They became increasingly rare until the new Beetle came out in the '90s.
Sounds a bit like a game my wife and I play called “sockjaw,” where I dislocate her mandible if she lets my scotch glass go empty without bringing me a refill.
At least Whack Whack Cadillac and Black & Blue Isuzu remain unscathed.
You’re such a romantic.
I’ll agree that VW appropriating punch buggy for all VW models is sacrilege.
But the record for an automobile ad campaign not getting it still stands with Mercedes Benz’ decision to feature Janis Joplin in its ads.
Was it Dunlop tyres that had The Velvet Underground’s “Venus in Furs” in an advert? I’d say that was even more wrong.
And let’s not forget that currently Iggy Pop appears in car insurance ads in the UK. As in, he actually does. Not just his music.
:rolleyes: Whatever dude. You’re just jealous you missed out on the game these last 4 decades.
:eek:
I’d answer you, but I’m afraid someone will tell me I do it wrong.
If you see a Volkswagen Beetle, and you “declare” it first, you get to sock whoever you’re with in the arm. You declare it by saying “Punchbuggy” and then its color–like “Punchbuggy blue!” or “Punchbuggy plaid!”
Then you sock someone in the arm.
A while back I was trying to come up with a new rhyming “assault / rhyming vehicle” combo. I didn’t think of those. All I could come up with was “Bellyacher Studebaker”.
Western Canada, born in the '70’s, punch buggy.
About a year ago I started “smart stab”. When you see a smart car you stab (poke) the other person. It’s actually started catching on. All of my relatives do it now.