Traditional Games and Toys

[Wilfried]

Traditional Games and Toys - An Introduction


This new thread is certainly not only about the games we used to play as children, but of course also the traditional games we still use to play, occasionally or regularly, with our children or with other adults or both.

It could also be about games you are planning to learn and also about beautiful boardgames or other traditional games you own and eventually collect or would like to purchase.

You are invited to discuss those games and to post pictures of them.

The games that can be discussed here should emphatically be traditional games, like draughts (checkers), halma, chess, sea battle, stratego, table shuffleboard, table bowls or card games to name only a few.

The same goes for toys.

If you could find some spare time to tell us something about the toys you played with as a child -or still play with for that matter- and care to show us some pictures of the toys you still have in your possession, that would be great!

Army men and tin soldiers, Meccano or Lego, paper planes and boats, castles and fortresses, Jumping jacks, yo-yos and toy cars and much more are all welcome subjects.

Also children’s games like Tip you’re it, Hide-and-seek, Marbles, Cops and Robbers or Leapfrog and many others are worthy of our attention. If you ever played those games, than please talk about it.

This is going to be a lot of fun!       

[Pacu]

I was big into GI Joe...had all the men, the 7 foot aircraft carrier, terrordrome, and all the trimmings. All of it is out in dads garage to this day.

I also had muscle men , micro machines, go-bots, shirt tales, snorks, and glow ghosts. Also everything gremlins.

On a more traditional toy path i loved lincoln logs, tinker toys, and my tonka ford bronco.


man, the 80's had the best toys.

[Pacu]

in scouts we played capture the flag, played war games with flour bombs - basically a paper towel filled with flour you tagged another with.

we also had a sadistic game called Hot butter and blue beans...you hide a scout belt and the others try to find it. The one who finds it whoops everyones ass while yelling hot butter and blue beans. You gotta make it to the safe zone before you got beat. Who ever finds it gets their turn at hiding it.

game got banned after a couple years and angry parents...

[Wilfried]

Tangram


Tangram is a game that I began to play around 1976-1977 and have continued to play to this very day.

The tangram (literally "seven boards of skill") is a puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes only, called tans, which are put together to form shapes.

The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape (given only an outline or silhouette) using all seven pieces, which may not overlap. It is reputed to have been invented in China during the Song Dynasty and then carried over to Europe by trading ships in the early 19th century.

The puzzle was originally popularized by The Eighth Book Of Tan, a fictitious history of Tangram.

The puzzle eventually reached England, where it became very fashionable indeed. The craze quickly spread to other European countries. This was mostly due to a pair of British Tangram books, The Fashionable Chinese Puzzle, and the accompanying solution book, Key.

Soon tangram sets were being exported in great number from China, made of various materials, from glass, to wood, to tortoise shell.

I first learned about the game by reading Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee novel The Chinese Nail Murders.

[Monrogue]

I was big into GI Joe...had all the men, the 7 foot aircraft carrier, terrordrome, and all the trimmings. All of it is out in dads garage to this day.

I also had muscle men , micro machines, go-bots, shirt tales, snorks, and glow ghosts. Also everything gremlins.

On a more traditional toy path i loved lincoln logs, tinker toys, and my tonka ford bronco.


man, the 80's had the best toys.

I liked GI Joe as well, but was more of a Transformers guy myself, and still am   I too loved my Lincoln Logs back in the day.  The 80's were good for sure   As for board games, when I was a kid, Aggravation was really fun, and Chinese checkers. 

[Wilfried]

in scouts we played capture the flag, played war games with flour bombs - basically a paper towel filled with flour you tagged another with.

we also had a sadistic game called Hot butter and blue beans...you hide a scout belt and the others try to find it. The one who finds it whoops everyones ass while yelling hot butter and blue beans. You gotta make it to the safe zone before you got beat. Who ever finds it gets their turn at hiding it.

game got banned after a couple years and angry parents...

That must have been a lot of fun!   

[MadPlumbarian]

  hmm, let's see. Mine were He-man, transformers, Legos, and constructs. That was pretty much it, after I out grew all them I went into remote control cars, and that was about it.. JR

[Wilfried]

I was big into GI Joe...had all the men, the 7 foot aircraft carrier, terrordrome, and all the trimmings. All of it is out in dads garage to this day.

I also had muscle men , micro machines, go-bots, shirt tales, snorks, and glow ghosts. Also everything gremlins.

On a more traditional toy path i loved lincoln logs, tinker toys, and my tonka ford bronco.


man, the 80's had the best toys.

I liked GI Joe as well, but was more of a Transformers guy myself, and still am   I too loved my Lincoln Logs back in the day.  The 80's were good for sure   As for board games, when I was a kid, Aggravation was really fun, and Chinese checkers.

By Chinese checkers I take it this is what you mean:

[Wilfried]

Electro Junior


Some of you will possibly remember this, from back in the days that you were tiny and everything was a big wonderful miracle… The power of a magical light that glowed up when you had the right answer!

 





   

[ducttapetech]

When we where growing up, we were to poor to pay attention. All we had to play with was a pile of sticks and a rock. And we had to share that rock. Oh yeah we played Chess too.
I played Chess, Checkers and Backgammon. Some card games. I still play Chess every now again.

that's us mobile

[MadPlumbarian]

When we where growing up, we were to poor to pay attention. All we had to play with was a pile of sticks and a rock. And we had to share that rock. Oh yeah we played Chess too.
I played Chess, Checkers and Backgammon. Some card games. I still play Chess every now again.

that's us mobile

I always likes Chess, never was any good at it but always liked it!

Another game my grandmother had that I played with was a barrel full of monkey's, where you had to take one monkey and try to pick up all the others and make like a chain until they were all picked up.. JR

[Monrogue]

I was big into GI Joe...had all the men, the 7 foot aircraft carrier, terrordrome, and all the trimmings. All of it is out in dads garage to this day.

I also had muscle men , micro machines, go-bots, shirt tales, snorks, and glow ghosts. Also everything gremlins.

On a more traditional toy path i loved lincoln logs, tinker toys, and my tonka ford bronco.


man, the 80's had the best toys.

I liked GI Joe as well, but was more of a Transformers guy myself, and still am   I too loved my Lincoln Logs back in the day.  The 80's were good for sure   As for board games, when I was a kid, Aggravation was really fun, and Chinese checkers.

By Chinese checkers I take it this is what you mean:


(Image removed from quote.)

That is correct sir.  Haven't played that in ages.  I'm not really sure I'd remember how actually. 

[jerseydevil]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

[Syph007]

As a kid my family was big on crokinole.

Id like to get a board and play with my son when hes old enough.

[MadPlumbarian]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

More like seven days but no, never into thunder cats, my cousin on the other hand liked them.. JR

[Wilfried]

A few videos showing to some extent what the possibilities of Tangram are:

[Monrogue]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

You're probably right about the age.  I know JR is around my age (I think I'm the older one though).  I used to watch Thundercats, but I don't remember being into the toys.  However, every so often on Facebook, I see that 80's page post toys that I had forgotten I even had.  Oh, of course there were the TMNT as well...can't believe I didn't mention those.  That was my other big one along with Transformers.

[Wilfried]

As a kid my family was big on crokinole.

Id like to get a board and play with my son when hes old enough.

(Image removed from quote.)

I never saw that game before...   

Looked it up on Wikipedia      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crokinole

[jerseydevil]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

More like seven days but no, never into thunder cats, my cousin on the other hand liked them.. JR

Yep it is seven days.  Damn kids.....      

Monrogue, yeah I see those postings and I remember having things I hadn't thought about in 25 years.  At work, one of the products we carry came with a View-Master and a disk instead of a brochure.  A lot of people get a kick out of playing with it!

[Wilfried]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

More like seven days but no, never into thunder cats, my cousin on the other hand liked them.. JR

Yep it is seven days.  Damn kids.....      

Monrogue, yeah I see those postings and I remember having things I hadn't thought about in 25 years.  At work, one of the products we carry came with a View-Master and a disk instead of a brochure.  A lot of people get a kick out of playing with it!

I had one of those too...       

[Monrogue]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

More like seven days but no, never into thunder cats, my cousin on the other hand liked them.. JR

Yep it is seven days.  Damn kids.....      

Monrogue, yeah I see those postings and I remember having things I hadn't thought about in 25 years.  At work, one of the products we carry came with a View-Master and a disk instead of a brochure.  A lot of people get a kick out of playing with it!

Yup.  I remember those as well

[derekmac]

As a kid my family was big on crokinole.

Id like to get a board and play with my son when hes old enough.

(Image removed from quote.)

We love that game!  I bought that Leevalley one for my wife for Christmas quite a few years ago.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[MadPlumbarian]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

You're probably right about the age.  I know JR is around my age (I think I'm the older one though).  I used to watch Thundercats, but I don't remember being into the toys.  However, every so often on Facebook, I see that 80's page post toys that I had forgotten I even had.  Oh, of course there were the TMNT as well...can't believe I didn't mention those.  That was my other big one along with Transformers.

Ha ha, that makes you the oldest, and me the youngest out of the three of us so boy some how I'm starting to feel real young! lol.. JR

[Wilfried]

LEGO


It will probably not come as a complete surprise to you, that LEGO was one of my favorite toys back in the 1960s.

The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (born 7 April 1891), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932.
In 1934, his company came to be called "Lego", from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means "play well". It expanded to producing plastic toys in 1947.
In 1949 Lego began producing, among other new products, an early version of the now famous interlocking bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding Bricks". These bricks were based in part on the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks, which were patented in the United Kingdom in 1939.

Lego began manufacturing interlocking toy bricks in 1949. Since then a global Lego subculture has developed, supporting movies, games, competitions, and six themed amusement parks. As of 2013, around 560 billion Lego parts have been produced.



LEGO as I remember it...

[Syph007]

LEGO is a classic for sure.

I used to love tinkertoy too.

[Monrogue]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

You're probably right about the age.  I know JR is around my age (I think I'm the older one though).  I used to watch Thundercats, but I don't remember being into the toys.  However, every so often on Facebook, I see that 80's page post toys that I had forgotten I even had.  Oh, of course there were the TMNT as well...can't believe I didn't mention those.  That was my other big one along with Transformers.

Ha ha, that makes you the oldest, and me the youngest out of the three of us so boy some how I'm starting to feel real young! lol.. JR

Yeah, you watch yourself you whippersnapper   Kids these days....

[kkokkolis]

Let's see.
Chess, checkers, 9 men Morris, Monopoly, Stratego (my favorite), Lego, Meccano (another favorite), Playmobile (crazed with it), Subuteo, Fussbal (still have one, I can show pics), toy soldiers both plastic and lead (played war by shooting the plastics with rubber bands), coil football (very popular here and then), ball games (we called one the "German"), yo-yo.
Then the electronics came, starting from Atari, then Amstrad and Commodore.
Played Tangram too. And a lot of others.

[Wilfried]

 

[derekmac]

LEGO


It will probably not come as a complete surprise to you, that LEGO was one of my favorite toys back in the 1960s.

The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (born 7 April 1891), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932.
In 1934, his company came to be called "Lego", from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means "play well". It expanded to producing plastic toys in 1947.
In 1949 Lego began producing, among other new products, an early version of the now famous interlocking bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding Bricks". These bricks were based in part on the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks, which were patented in the United Kingdom in 1939.

Lego began manufacturing interlocking toy bricks in 1949. Since then a global Lego subculture has developed, supporting movies, games, competitions, and six themed amusement parks. As of 2013, around 560 billion Lego parts have been produced.



LEGO as I remember it...

(Image removed from quote.)

Lego was probably my favorite thing to play with, and still today I love helping my son build with it.  I don't think there's a better toy out there to spark the imagination and let the creativity flow.  I would build by the plans, play with it for probably a week or so, then take apart and build from my mind.  I'm happy to say that my 6 year old son does the same.

Monopoly is one of my favorite board games, and we have 3 or 4 different versions of it. 

[ducttapetech]

I have a feeling that Monrogue, Pacu, MadPlumbarian, and I are all about the same age, judging from some of the toys mentioned.    Actually I know that I'm only about four days older than JR.....    No Thundercats guys?  Aside from those toys, checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers were all a part of growing up.  Kickball was another game we'd play in my neighborhood, since there was a school with  a large blacktop area with bases already marked on it just at the end of my block.  Games are still a big part of family get-togethers, though they have evolved with time.  Full-contact Scattergories is always fun, as is Jersey rules Monopoly.  That involves traditional Essex County money making methods - extortion, protection rackets, kickbacks, etc...... 

More like seven days but no, never into thunder cats, my cousin on the other hand liked them.. JR

Yep it is seven days.  Damn kids.....      

Monrogue, yeah I see those postings and I remember having things I hadn't thought about in 25 years.  At work, one of the products we carry came with a View-Master and a disk instead of a brochure.  A lot of people get a kick out of playing with it!

Yup.  I remember those as well

I forgot about those. Those are cool.
Anybody played with Lincoln logs or tinker toys?

that's us mobile