Knocky Door Ginger

Subject: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Bun
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 11:27 AM

As a child, this was a game I enjoyed, much to the annoyance of my neighbors (knock on a door and run away). In a way I am doing the same as I have a half day and have to leave now. But I wondered what games you used to play before things like TV etc took over
Bun

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 11:39 AM

Lots of board games, lots of card games. Outside games of Tag and Hide and Seek. Just thinking on this one a moment brings back stunning flashbacks of being 8 years old in a small midwestern townat dusk. Summertime smells and huge old trees, a group of kids playing hid and seek.........I remember games covering a block, You knew to stay out of some yards, but most people didn't care. Old Man Rectanus and his wife hiding me on their porch and not telling on me.......Man its like yesterday. I don't know if it ever got better than that.......................

Spaw

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: mousethief
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 11:46 AM

Knocking on the door and running away we referred to as "Ding Dong Ditchit."

In my neighborhood we played a LOT of board games, usually in Mikey Sipila's carport (or inside if his mom was home), or my garage. Our faves included Monopoly (of course!) and Life and Mille Bornes.

This was on rainy days (and we're talking Seattle here).

Other days we rode bikes a lot, played in the woods (I lived in a "lollipop" neighborhood that was surrounded on all 4 sides by woods, at least at first), played tag football or baseball or basketball in the street, and such.

Ah. Sweet childhood memories.

I envy children that carefree existence. Like Matt_R, for instance.

Alex

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Bun
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 11:48 AM

Really got to go, but what you said....its like another world being a kid and totally involved in your game - nothing comes close. I too remember summers that lasted too long, with all the smells, ice cream, dust, lonf, long days - and parents had no worries about where you were and who you were with it so much more relaxed.
Sod it I really have to go - check this thread out in aboout 8 hours time.
Bun

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: MMario
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 11:55 AM

Kick the Can; Sardines; How deep is the mudhole?; Dare the Turtle; Shark!!!; Monopoly; MEGA-Monopoly (one board, cards from 4 sets);

we also spent a lot of time wandering around the salt marsh and the swamp next door. also playing tag in the ruins of the grist mill.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Troll
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 12:01 PM

Kick the Can. All the cousins from 5 to 17, outside my grandfathers house in the dark. The yard was about two acres in size with lots of trees and bushes to hide behind "Bogging" in the marsh or exploring tidewater creeks in our row-boats.
Wish I could go back there but it's gone now.

troll

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: mousethief
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 12:15 PM

Oh. Hide and Go Seek. Hours and hours of it.

Alex

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Les from Hull
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 12:31 PM

In Hull we called it 'knocking off Ginger'. Hide and seek was (and probably still is) called 'block'. Our fave kids' game would be eggety budge, which I think was short for 'bad egg if you budge', a game which combined throwing a tennis ball at your friends and spitting. We've always been just that bit different.

Les

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Bardford
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 12:50 PM

Knockadoor Ginger = Nicky Nocky Ninedoors or nocky nocky ninedoors where we played in a small town in the mountains of B.C. I seem to remember it as a late summer/early autumn pasttime. I can almost, but sadly, not quite, smell the leaves of the hedges and the grass next to the rock wall in Terry's yard we used for cover. Daytime we'd go 'bush-honking' on our bikes through a forested area which was destined to progress into a subdivision. They paved paradise...
What about "anti-anti-I-over", wherin a ball was thrown over the roof to palers onm the other side. Do I remember this, or have I made it up?
Thanks for the memories,
Bardford

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: bill\sables
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 01:38 PM

Koncking at the door and running away in my area of Co. Durham England was called knockey nine door. We used to play it in a slightly different way. As most of the houses were occupied by coalminers who used to come home and take off their boots at the door and walk around in their stockings, we used to collect a quantity of dog shit which we would wrap in newspaper and place on the doorstep. We would set the paper on fire and then knock and run to somewhere where we could watch the fun. The miner would find, on opening the door, this burning newspaper and would then proceed to stamp it out with his stockened feet. They were usually furious when they found they had stamped in a load of dog shit.
Bill

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 01:43 PM

Fivestones, otherwise known as Gobs. (Similar to Jacks, but with small clay cubes rather than metal thingies.) There was thread about them recently.

But mostly trunning around and chasing each other, sometimes formalised into various games like He or British Bulldog. (The Indians have a great variation of this called Kabadi which is played as an adult sport and on the telly and all.)

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 03:41 PM

We called it knock down ginger but were never as wicked as you bill!!!!!I remember fivestones. I was quite good at it! And what about chasing games? We used to play 'it' or'he' which round here is called'tig' ( I lived in Essex as a child and am now in Yorkshire) and if you wanted a rest you could cross your fingers and shout 'veinies' and then you couldn't be 'had'. And then there was two balls. I was good at that as well. Throwing two balls against a wall and singing such rhymes as 'Over the garden wall' and'Archibald king of the jews' and the batteries never ran out!!!!!

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Les from Hull
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 04:22 PM

Mrs Duck - you shout owt like that up 'ere and you'll be shouting to yersen!

Acutally the Opies (Peter and Iona) did a map of Great Britain by children's truce terms. Fainites and the like is very southern. We had 'Kings'. You'll find that 'catters up and down the land had different ones. Weird that.

Les

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 04:27 PM

We're a weird lot Les

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 04:51 PM

Good map.And there's some parts where it's "Barley" (cf parley as in Parliament. In public (ie private) schools it's "pax", which I suppose is what little Romans would say. (And the Romans played fivestones too. Knucklestones is the other name for the game.)

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Gervase
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 05:27 PM

Bill, love it! Used to do exactly the same thing as a kid (No wonder I was the sort of kid my mother told me never to play with!)
We called the knocked game "Knock Down Ginger" and wold sometimes finesse it with a piece of fishing line tied across the road with another piece of line joined to the middle which we'd hold, sitting behind a wall or a hedge. One tug, and two puzzled, pissed off householders (there seemed to be far fewer cars then - you'd never be able to do that today, I'm sure). For much of that, you have to see the Opie's wonderufl book, the Lore and Language of Schoolchildren - it's a nostalgic's dream and a wonderful source of material, some of which must go back hundreds of years.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Gervase
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 05:28 PM

Bill, love it! Used to do exactly the same thing as a kid (No wonder I was the sort of kid my mother told me never to play with!)
We called the knocker game "Knock Down Ginger" and wold sometimes finesse it with a piece of fishing line tied across the road with another piece of line joined to the middle which we'd hold, sitting behind a wall or a hedge. One tug, and two puzzled, pissed off householders (there seemed to be far fewer cars then - you'd never be able to do that today, I'm sure). For much of that, you have to see the Opie's wonderufl book, the Lore and Language of Schoolchildren - it's a nostalgic's dream and a wonderful source of material, some of which must go back hundreds of years.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Gervase
Date: 17 Jan 01 - 05:57 PM

Oops, double post. Must've been that piece of fishing line.
Now just let me get this little flaming parcel off my mouse-mat......

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Fibula Mattock
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 04:54 AM

We called the knocking and running away game "Thunder and Lightning" (knock like thunder, run like lightning).
Then there was kerbsie (throwing a ball at the opposite kerb and trying to get it to bounce back to you - elaborate scoring system involved).
"Sevens" (throwing a small ball against a wall in a variety of different ways, first seven times, then six etc., then repeating all the ways with one hand only).
Queenie-O, Queenie-O, who's got the ball-ee-O? (or "Ali Bali, who's got the ball?).
Hopscotch.
A variety of obstacle courses usually involving a very high wall and a stream.
Skipping to various chants. (Tying one end of the rope to something if there was only me and my sister.)
Playing "Robin Hood" and making bows and arrows (none of us ever wanted to be Maid Marian - we all wanted to be Robin).
Clapping games.

Er, this was only 15 - 20 years ago...

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 05:29 AM

Pretty boring name round near us (Salford, Lancs)- knock-a-door-run - although I have heard the thunder and lightening term before.

Simillar to Bills dogsh.. on a paper, a drawing pin (thumb tack) fastened to the thumb latch with dogsh was a favourite. Disgruntled occupier goes back indoors using thumb latch - drawing pin pierces thumb - sucks thumb... yuc!

Better, and more devious, was divil up'th'drainpipe. Wad of newspaper inserted into cast iron downspout and ignited - imagine the roar caused by the updraught!

Best prank as young teens though was refilling a hole in the road dug by council workmen - 3 nights running!

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 05:32 AM

My mother-in-law's cousin, known to all as Uncle Frank, emigrated to US, having met and married a Wellesley girl in the 20s, and worked a as a science teacher in New Jersey . He used to tell the tale of a bright electronics class he had who made a zapper that would work everone's automatic garage doors and they used to cruise down the streets sending everyone's doors up and down- a sort of modern-day version of the game.
RtS

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 05:56 AM

BTW, Bun, (see BS: What do you call your bread? ) are you realy a bun or a balm-cake, bread-cake or tea-cake???

Dave the Gnome (Of whom some say, fruit cake...)

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 06:03 AM

I think we just called it playing Knock. Usually my big brother would initiate it & us sisters would get caught. We didn't do anything with dogshit though - how I wish we'd thought of that!!!
However there is a game of getting dogshit on a stick & flicking it at eachother which has similarly regionalised names. In Reading Berks UK it is called 'Shit-Wanging' whereas in Liverpool I'm told it was 'Shitty Stick'. I remember playing cowboys & indians, & zulus & natives. All probably very politically incorrect. Also a chase-game called Stinky-Pooh, where I always seemed to be the designated poo.
My sister once convinced me we were playing 'Aliens from the planet Moronia' and had me walking around stiffly and mono-toning 'I am a moron' for days..... I'll never forgive her for that!
Childhood is a wonderful thing, full of humiliations and dogshit.....

Kris (oh yeah, and granny played a mean game of pontoon. And my brother had psychic control of the dice in Monopoly).

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Trevor
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 06:23 AM

It was 'Knock-Down Ginger' in the black country where I grew up. My favourite variation was to tie pieces of string to two adjacent doors, line all the milk bottles up just in front of the doors and then bang the knockers simultaneously. Brilliant chaos with neighbours coming out together, bottles rolling down the street and so on.

It was 'ollies' with us when you couldn't be had, and we also used to play 'Hot Rice', which was like Tig with a ball. Whoever was 'on' (decide by everybody standing in a huddle, the ball being dropped in the middle and whoever's foot the ball rolled on to - us wily ones always made sure we were on the uphill side of the playground) threw the ball at people who, when they were hit joined the 'on' team. The ball, usually a tennis ball which had lost all its fur, didn't half hurt when it hit between the knee and bottom of short trousers on a chilly day. Kids of today - don't know they're born!

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Bun
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 07:11 AM

I tried that trick with the dogshite last night............the neighbors are not too happy about it.
Did you ever play with loads of elastic bands tied together?

DTG - I am definitely a french stick!

Bun whi is called bun because he is as cute a bunny wabbit(bollox)

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: JulieF
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 07:37 AM

Lots of elastic bands tied together - Chinese Skipping !!!. I haven't thought about that for years. The elastic bands were tied to make a large loop. Three or four girls ( and it almost always girls ) stood with the loop round the back of their legs ( usually at ankle level or if you moved it up you leg it got harder). This made a sort of square or triange with the girls at the corner. The rest of the girls made their way round by jumping on the band. Very big when I was about 11 or twelve. I don't remember being any good at it al all.

Julie

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Grab
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 07:56 AM

Ball-tig, sure. And it was always "barley" where I grew up.

Our playground was laid out with football/netball courts, which gave rise to a game called "line tig", where you were only allowed to run along the lines. Standard lines were too restrictive though, so someone acquired some chalk and drew in some more lines which made it more difficult for the catcher.

Our school had a big craze for marbles for a few months, and we got quite a complicated "value" system for the various types of marbles. If someone got a particularly exotic marble then there was always some haggling to work out its value. Eventually they were banned after someone chucked a "dobber" (a big marble - don't know where the name came from) through a window.

Football (soccer) stickers were another one - I suppose this makes it obvious that I was a child of the 80s! :-) Complicated values systems for the stickers there too - a standard player was worth 1, team pictures were 2 (I think) and team badges (which were metal-foil) were 3. But then there were Scottish players where you got 2 small pictures on a sticker, which were worth 1 1/2, and Liverpool stickers were always worth more. And every year had some "special" stickers - somehow we all knew what they were worth without really talking about it.

It's odd how kids will avoid learning rules-based stuff like maths like the plague, but given half a chance they'll invent game rules more complex than anything an adult could come up with!

Grab.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Michael in Swansea
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 07:59 AM

It was 'Bobby Knockers' in Swansea, it still is. Other games Hide and Seek, Devil up the Drainpipe, Dandies (what we called fivestones),lots of others.
Anyone else make throwing arrows? A length of bamboo about 15 ins long with a headless nail stuck down one end cardboard flights at the other and launched using a knotted piece of string, dangerous!
Built a wall across a building site once, not very high only about 4 bricks but across the width of the access road. That was fun.

Mike

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Giac
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 08:19 AM

Interesting about the expression and crossing one's fingers for a rest or a time out. When I was a child in western Arkansas, we would cross our fingers and shout, "King's X." Everyone accepted it, never thinking, or caring, that the gesture was that old or had traveled across an ocean. Thanks, Mrs. Duck and others, for background on one of life's mysteries.

Such a rest was necessary when playing Kick The Can, Red Rover Cross Over, Dare Base, Hopscotch or Skip Rope.

Another summertime 'game' was to see who could sail a dried frog the greatest distance. The frog husks were obtained from the highway after an appropriate mummification period. After a frog had been run over for days, with air temperatures around 90-100 F for several days, it would be lifted (or scraped with a shovel) from the pavement. Then individuals, or 'sides' would take turns sailing the frog. We tried it with cats, but usually they were too icky, what with flying hair and all, but they were good for swinging on a rope (I think Mark Twain mentioned that pastime in Tom Sawyer).

Of course, we also sailed cow chips, and bombarded each other with horse droppings. Dang! I miss all that.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 08:27 AM

I had forgotten all about throwing arrows but I now remember them - exactly as M in S describes. Pretty damned long ranging and accurate they were too. We also made 'gat guns' (gat, for some reason being our term for catapult) out of scrap wood and innertube elastic. Bit difficult to describe but I will send plans to anyone needing a serious assault weapon...

It was 'Barleys' in Swinton btw. We also used to cry 'Two-Ten' if we were touched by anyone with mange - go figure as they say in the US.....

DtG

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 09:10 AM

Elastic bands and rulers - and inky paper-missiles made by folding paper and dunking it in the ink well. Poor little sods don't have ink wells these days. Or desk tops youi can surreptitiously bang, or hide behind.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Snuffy
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 09:18 AM

It was always Barley and cross your fingers when I was a kid - Stockport/Macclesfield area. We played ordinary tick, ball tick, ticky-off-ground (where you were automatically barley if you were off the ground), and another one where everyone who'd been ticked joined on in a big long line. And Kick-Can-1-2-3.

Wassail! V

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 11:56 AM

We used to call it Postmans knock. And I remember playing it in a block of flats. Great... we'd start at the top floor... do the one nearest the stairs... run down one flight and hide in the corner under the stairs... then do the next floor and so on.

If it wasn't that, then we would be in the Rhododendron forest running around being wild... climbing the pine trees... and chasing some wild ponies...

If it wasn't that... then we'd get in the big round metal bins about 6ft tall, that had wheels on them and free wheel down the hill.

Also, british bull dogs - I broke my ankle playing this game...

Tag, Stuck in the mud, some daft game with a name similar to galloping gut rot... Lazzies - lots of elastic bands tied together to skip in and out of...

Oh... the THE BEST GAME.... Star Wars... I always got to be princess Layah (or however you spell her name)

Also, in another forest, we were explorers of the amazon, and spent hours disturbing big red ants nests... teasing other wildlife, and finding puff balls to stamp on.

Hide and seek, cricket, rounders, footie, riding on our bikes in a big gang... and knocking a load of plastic soldiers over with a football to score points.

Running away from my friends deerhound/irish wolf hound thing that used to floor me everytime it came near me.

And Kerbie... hitting the kerb with a football from the other side of the street.

oh, and running round a ruined old mansion pretending we owned it.

Wow them were the days... thanks for making me remember

And yes I was a bit of a tomboy, when I was younger.. Had to be really, there were not many girls around where I lived...

Oh... one more....

Run across the field before the bull gets you...

oh... dreamy dreamy days

Ella

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Bert
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 12:22 PM

OK, Mrs Duck, What are the RULES for Gobs. Seems like everyone can remember the rules to Knock Down Ginger.

Grab, that's 'cos most math teachers aren't really smart enough themselves to realise that math is all a game. So they get kids trying to believe that it's real, no wonder kids don't like math.

Hey anyone remember 'milk tops' or 'fag cards'. And anyone old enough to remember playing on 'the debris'.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: LR Mole
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 12:42 PM

When they were putting the interstate through, the chunks of dried mud could be thrown at other buddies. They were termed "dirt bombs" and would disintegrate in a Hollywood- war puff of dust. Sub-inquiry: how did YOU make gun noises? My own fave was sort of a preparing-to-spit KKKKKKKkkkh. There was some scorn for those who could only sort of go "dfvv". Worse for those unfortunates who said, "dah!"How long did you have to count before you weren't dead any more?

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Bert
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 12:47 PM

Keeeoooww, or tseeooow. And it was 'lie down dead and count to twenty'

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Les from Hull
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 01:05 PM

Dave the Gnome - yes we had throwing arrows and gat guns as well. And homemade bows and arrows. We also had 'banger guns' which were actually smoothbore muskets (made by stopping up one end of a bit of gas piping, drilling a touch hole and fastening it to a wooden stock) fired with slowmatch. The black powder came from Guy Fawkes bangers.

It's just occurred to me that we were a pretty vicious lot!

Les

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 01:56 PM

Postman's Knock? That was a Kiss Chase game. Girls chasing boys generally.

Gobs/fivestones/knucklestones - started off with onesies, twosies etc, picking up and then the same putting down, (and if you were good enough at catching hem all you could sometimes skip those) but after that I can't remember whether there was an official sequel for the other tricks. I think there was, with the idea being they'd get harder, but it varied. I think every playground and street had a different unchallengably right version.

I can remember some - Nelson's Column, putting it up and taking it down. The Square, making it and then unmaking it. Under the bridge (made with the finger and thumb). Duckpond. I'm sure there were lots more.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: John Routledge
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 02:26 PM

SPLIT THE KIPPER Two boys would stand facing each other 10ft apart each with a throwing knife.Alternately they threw to the side of the others legs and if knife stuck (in ground!) the opponent moved his leg to the position of the knife.

Slowly each players legs became further and further apart. However if you threw the knife exactly between your opponents legs you would get relief by being allowed to put your legs back together again.The name of the game indicates how the game ended.

Little did we realise the danger! Happy Playing GBroon

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Morticia
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 03:19 PM

we called it knock out ginger...it was feinties and crossed fingers....I remember lethal games of conkers ( on a really cold day the skin would split if you caught your opponents fingers) and we had all sorts of recipes for making conkers harder. I remember the elastic game too but we used real elastic rather than rubber bands, and that throwing of two balls against the wall, never could get the hang of that one.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Guest Hull
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 03:42 PM

Knock down ginger,marbles - "forced to follow straight on, no bangs 'ard"- never did know what that meant! Hopscotch,Hopping Johnny, statues

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Guest,Hull
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 03:57 PM

Knock down ginger, sevens, hopscotch,eggif you budge, marbles - "forced to follow straight on, no bangs hard"-I never understood that!, sevens, stilt walking, skates, scooters: it's magic seeing the kids today on their'new' scooters.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 04:20 PM

And it was yo-yo's last year. Next year hoops?

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 05:16 PM

Can you still get hold of Fivestones? It would be a good one to introduce at a gathering. Perhaps we could make our own out of fimo ! And I am definitely issuing a two ball challenge to all comers at the Yorkshire gathering!!!

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: mousethief
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 05:30 PM

Last time I took part in a two-ball challenge I regretted for weeks.

Wait, that's not what you're talking about, is it?

Alex

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Jan 01 - 09:18 PM

I'ver got as set in my drawer, but I haven't seen them for sale ever. They'd be easy enough to make - any old clay would do.

Actually what with yo-yos and scooters, maybe it'll be fivestones soem time. But I can'tr see how you could get a high tech one which cost lots of money. I suppose they could stick little chips inside so that they lit up and squawked, and give them bounce-on parts in Pokemon, and they'd be all the rage.

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Wotcha
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 02:15 AM

Conkers were popular in my patch of London ... don't know if kids still challenge each other with horse chestnuts but it was quite fun: see who had a "Twenty-Twoer" for 22 victories -- probably soaked in vinegar and baked to harden for battle. When I lived in Germany, the Germans thought I was mad picking up horse chestnuts ...
In the late 60s, Airfix kits of airplanes/aeroplanes were popular and we'd have mass formations of kids holding either RAF or Luftwaffe fighters (it seemed the tougher kids had the German planes and would reinforce them with iron filings and thumb tacks) and literally engage in combat ... plastic strewn everywhere afterwards...
Apart from Monopoly, the game "Formula One" caught kids' imagainations hoping to become young Brabhams or Hills.
Since I went to a prep school, the game of "Hic, Haec, Hoc" was very popular -- the American version is "Scissors, Rock, Stone etc." You'd end up with a Chinese burn or slapped wrist for losing the round -- quite a silly game.
Filling out a "Compactum" recording cricket scores must rate with one of the most boring activities for kids ... but budding bankers were clearly earmarked early in life.
Dayboys smuggling candy to boarders probably rated as one of the more interesting activities of 1960s Britain ... many a latter day Spiv found a calling ...

Cheers,
Brian

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: Michael in Swansea
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 04:23 AM

Just remembered another one, "Best Faller". One guy at bottom of hill "shoots" the others as they run down the hill. So there we were running down hill, stopped in our tracks crying "AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH" clutch chest, three steps back,triple somersault and slide down hill on nose. Minor fractures were quite common.

Mike

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: sian, west wales
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 04:48 AM

Would "fivestones" be Jacks? Sounds like the same game.

And in my bit of S. Ontario, Knocky Door Ginger was, I think, Knock Knock Thief.

We used to play variations of tag - like freeze tag, What Time is it Mr. Wolf, Simple Simon Pieman, etc.

There was some other thing - Statues? - where one person would swing the others around by the hand and let go; they then had to freeze into a strange position and were judged as to which was funniest.

And I'm pretty sure our gun-shots were K-pow, K-pow. I'll bet that it depends on your age, and what kind of guns were shooting up the bad guys in your particular era. I'm a Lone Ranger generation, me.

sian

Subject: RE: Knocky Door Ginger
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 05:31 AM

All these posts bring back happy memories of the immediate post-war years.
I (though not a parent) can understand today's parents trying to minimise risk to their kids, but it seems to me most of these games would be outlawed today on health and safety grounds while an element of risk and experiencing consequences is good for personal development.
Building fires, climbing trees, making slides in the ice, using a pen-knife, playing biosterous games with no safety equipment...and all with no risk assessment, made me the person I am today (ah, perhaps, modern parents DO have a poiint!)
RtS ( I probably banged my head too many times as a child!)