Playground games

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 6:38 pm

Saw a fascinating film on the Yorkshire Film Archive site showing a variation of leapfrog from the early 1900's we used to play at school in the 1960's. The article claims that the game was mentioned as early as the 1829!Does anyone know what the local name for this was?Also what other games can people recall playing at school - heres a few I remember the kids playing in the 60'sBritish Bull dogsLittle Ladies (Sliding crouched on ice)Whip and top (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QJmkwbjKoE)PegsPiggy back fightingSee the film herehttp://www.yfaonline.com/yfapublic/assetDetail ... yQuoteMade in 1900 Leap Frog is one of several early films held by the YFA made by the Bamforth Company of Holmfirth. Others from this period include Women’s Rights and Kiss in the Tunnel, from 1899, and Boys Sliding and Playing in Snow, also from 1900 – copies of the original nitrate films are all held in the YFA. James Bamforth was one of a small group of early British filmmakers – along with Cecil Hepworth, George Albert Smith, and Robert Paul – and the first to take the music hall tradition into film.Bamforth started in business in 1870 as a studio photographer and began the production of magic lantern slides around 1883, photographed at its studio at Station Road, Holmfirth. At first a small-scale enterprise, Bamforth's production of photographic lantern slides was so successful that by 1898 a factory extension to the studio in Holmfirth was built, enabling production on a larger scale. At first, the company specialised in 'life model' slide sequences in which simple narratives, usually conveying moral, temperance, and religious themes, were photographed in front of a backcloth, painted by James Bamforth himself.The expertise gained in this led the Riley Brothers of Bradford, who had been involved with moving picture technology since 1896 and had already begun to make films of their own, to commission Bamforth in 1898 to produce further films, known as 'RAB' films. The first series of films are from 1899 to 1900. Several films were made featuring children playing; this may be because these were easy to make and entertaining. The title of Leap Frog is something of a misnomer, as although the film starts with leap frog, the main game shown is a variant which has many names, possibly the most common being ‘chip, pie and crust’ and ‘Jimmy Knacker’ (certainly in London). This game was popular at the time in the area, and it was filmed in a local school in Holmfirth. The game has many alternative names in different places – for example, ‘Mountikitty’, and in the Rotherham area it was know as ‘Finger, thumb and dumb (or rusty bum)’. The first full description of it in English is in The Boy’s Own Book, 1829, although references go as far back as the early seventeenth century, and elsewhere in Europe references go back to the early sixteenth century (for a full account and list of names see Opie in Further Information).

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 7:29 pm

Leeds Hippo wrote: Saw a fascinating film on the Yorkshire Film Archive site showing a variation of leapfrog from the early 1900's we used to play at school in the 1960's. The article claims that the game was mentioned as early as the 1829!Does anyone know what the local name for this was?Also what other games can people recall playing at school - heres a few I remember the kids playing in the 60'sBritish Bull dogsLittle Ladies (Sliding crouched on ice)Whip and top (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QJmkwbjKoE)PegsPiggy back fightingSee the film herehttp://www.yfaonline.com/yfapublic/assetDetail ... yQuoteMade in 1900 Leap Frog is one of several early films held by the YFA made by the Bamforth Company of Holmfirth. Others from this period include Women’s Rights and Kiss in the Tunnel, from 1899, and Boys Sliding and Playing in Snow, also from 1900 – copies of the original nitrate films are all held in the YFA. James Bamforth was one of a small group of early British filmmakers – along with Cecil Hepworth, George Albert Smith, and Robert Paul – and the first to take the music hall tradition into film.Bamforth started in business in 1870 as a studio photographer and began the production of magic lantern slides around 1883, photographed at its studio at Station Road, Holmfirth. At first a small-scale enterprise, Bamforth's production of photographic lantern slides was so successful that by 1898 a factory extension to the studio in Holmfirth was built, enabling production on a larger scale. At first, the company specialised in 'life model' slide sequences in which simple narratives, usually conveying moral, temperance, and religious themes, were photographed in front of a backcloth, painted by James Bamforth himself.The expertise gained in this led the Riley Brothers of Bradford, who had been involved with moving picture technology since 1896 and had already begun to make films of their own, to commission Bamforth in 1898 to produce further films, known as 'RAB' films. The first series of films are from 1899 to 1900. Several films were made featuring children playing; this may be because these were easy to make and entertaining. The title of Leap Frog is something of a misnomer, as although the film starts with leap frog, the main game shown is a variant which has many names, possibly the most common being ‘chip, pie and crust’ and ‘Jimmy Knacker’ (certainly in London). This game was popular at the time in the area, and it was filmed in a local school in Holmfirth. The game has many alternative names in different places – for example, ‘Mountikitty’, and in the Rotherham area it was know as ‘Finger, thumb and dumb (or rusty bum)’. The first full description of it in English is in The Boy’s Own Book, 1829, although references go as far back as the early seventeenth century, and elsewhere in Europe references go back to the early sixteenth century (for a full account and list of names see Opie in Further Information). I've never seen a phot of it before, but I certainly remember it, and reading about it in one of the Opie's books. I also posted on here about it a couple of years ago:http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... ight=1It's called "ship and anchor"

jim · Post by **jim** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 8:00 pm

Anyone remember playing kick 't can an' 'oppit? Relievo?

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 8:25 pm

jim wrote: Anyone remember playing kick 't can an' 'oppit? Relievo? Relievo_definitely. Also called Releesha depending where you were. I also rememeber playing marbles ( or Taws) on the cobbled street. Hop scotch of course using the paving slabs.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 9:03 pm

jim wrote: Anyone remember playing kick 't can an' 'oppit? Relievo? kick out can, hot rye (rice) sticks, all games we played in the fifties. Also Poorly, sick, dying, dead - a catching game.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 9:20 pm

Not sure what it was called but as a child in the late 1940's to very early 1950's I used to play a game in which you asked of another player "Farmer farmer may I cross your golden field today". Their response would be something like "Not unless you are wearing something red" or similar sort of thing. If you were not you had to dash over the play area (usually a stretch of pavement) before you got touched and so were out. Simple times. Simple fun.

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 9:57 pm

What was that game the girls played with elastic stretched between the ankles of 2 girls - a sort of skipping game where a third girl would jump on the elastic - was it called French skipping?Then there was all the skipping rhymesAlso recall forming a human chain in the yard where the leader ran and pulled the other kids behind - when the chain changed direction the kid on the end would not be able to run fast enough and would drag the end of the chain down. How we laughed as the entire chain collapsed. Also a lot of boys would play a game with picture cards - these were small cards with popular characters on like Batman and Robin or football players. A few would be stood up against a wall then you would take it at turns to throw cards in a spinning action in an attempt to knock down the standing cards - seem to recall the boy to knock down the last card collected all the cards lying on the floor. Seem to recall the girls would put a ball inside a sock - stand against a wall and swing the sock so the ball would bounce on either side of them and between their legs.Another game comes to mind "Feet off ground" - a variation of tig where you could only tig someone if their feet were on the ground

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 10:14 pm

We played hot rice, killer and british bulldogs in the late 70's / early 80's. As well as football and cricket.Must have been a Leeds thing though as no-one where I work now (Halifax) has ever heard of hot rice...

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 10:23 pm

Doing "Little Ladies" on the iceFrom http://www.yfaonline.com/yfapublic/asse ... owseByThis is a great film from 1957 - the ice scenes are brilliant

Post by **cnosni** » Sat 10 Jul, 2010 11:12 pm

Notsure how you would spell it but what about Release-eoMurder BallWembleyMust strike a chord with the 70's brigade.