Gilded Age Gaming
Kids will be kids, but being a child in the Gilded Age was quite different than today.
Unlike the Frick children, who had their very own playhouse, most Gilded Age children played outside in the streets or fields. There were no playgrounds—children just played wherever they could find space. There were no video games or tablets either. Imagination was the best entertainment a child could hope for. And imagination is what you needed for some of these fun Victorian era games.
Hoop and Stick
A game that sounds like what it is! Make no mistake though, this simple game was quite popular and could create fierce competition. The object of the game was to keep the hoop rolling as long as possible.
Quotis
Before Jarts threatened the lives of children everywhere, there was Quotis. This game had around nine poles or pegs and several rings. The rings were often made from rope as we hadn’t figured out how to mass produce plastic lawn games quite yet. The object of this game was to score points by tossing the rings over the pegs. Point values increased as pegs got closer to the center of the target.
Diabolo
Diabolo originated in China but became very popular in Great Britain in the 1800’s. The game is made of a wooden spool and two sticks tied together with a string. The object is to toss the spool in the air and catch it on the strings. You were sure to be the envy of your friends if you were able to perform special tricks!
Blindman's Wand
This game involved a large group of children, a blindfold and a stick—what could go wrong? The game was actually quite innocent with one child blindfolded and holding a stick called a wand. The other players took turns holding the other side of the wand while they were asked three questions. The object of the game was to guess the players based on the sound of their voice.
Ball of Wool
Ball of wool started by rolling wool into a ball and placing it in the center of the table. When the game begins, everyone starts to blow as hard as they can at the wool to prevent it from falling off their side of the table. If you fail, the group can require you to do various bizarre things as punishment. Based on what we know about Victorian dentistry, just playing this game would have been punishment enough!
Hoop and Stick
A game that sounds like what it is! Make no mistake though, this simple game was quite popular and could create fierce competition. The object of the game was to keep the hoop rolling as long as possible.
Quotis
Before Jarts threatened the lives of children everywhere, there was Quotis. This game had around nine poles or pegs and several rings. The rings were often made from rope as we hadn’t figured out how to mass produce plastic lawn games quite yet. The object of this game was to score points by tossing the rings over the pegs. Point values increased as pegs got closer to the center of the target.
Diabolo
Diabolo originated in China but became very popular in Great Britain in the 1800’s. The game is made of a wooden spool and two sticks tied together with a string. The object is to toss the spool in the air and catch it on the strings. You were sure to be the envy of your friends if you were able to perform special tricks!
Blindman's Wand
This game involved a large group of children, a blindfold and a stick—what could go wrong? The game was actually quite innocent with one child blindfolded and holding a stick called a wand. The other players took turns holding the other side of the wand while they were asked three questions. The object of the game was to guess the players based on the sound of their voice.
Ball of Wool
Ball of wool started by rolling wool into a ball and placing it in the center of the table. When the game begins, everyone starts to blow as hard as they can at the wool to prevent it from falling off their side of the table. If you fail, the group can require you to do various bizarre things as punishment. Based on what we know about Victorian dentistry, just playing this game would have been punishment enough!
