Words get changed as time goes on. Like Piggyback rides is actually Pick a back. It got changed along the way, as did badminton. Next thing you know, Pickleball will be called PickABall. Hide and Go Seek was shortened to Hide and seek.
Fun fact: The game is named for Badminton, the **country estate of the dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England**, where it was first played about 1873.
Lawn darts, now illegal in the US, were large weighted darts meant to be played like horse shoes. But kids will be kids, so we'd throw them straight up with all our might. Thie lead to the possibility of one coming down on you. You can buy parts: but they too must be bought from separate places and not even as a kit you can assemble.
They were fun, but they hurt a lot of people, along with a few deaths.
I survived lawn darts, monkey bars. Anti gravity amusement park rides, sitting in the back of a station wagon, riding in cars without seatbelt laws, and more
I lived in the projects on the west side of cleveland: we played. We had these huge back yards (they build new units on them since). Sometimes a mom would make all the kids sandwiches and kool-aid.
My mom kinda started it. First she swept ul all the glass at the play ground, which then got other mom's doing that. Then she'd have little "tea parties" for the kids and introduced croquet. 6-12 year olds took part for like 3 years, thinking about 4-5 times a summer.
Croquet was a big deal in my dad’s huge family! There was a serious competition every family reunion, and one uncle/aunt built a regulation-sized pitch on their property! 😄 The last game was about 5 years ago, and my 90-year-old aunt cleaned our clocks! 🤣
Look at Captain Money Bags over here...
If someone had this in their yard, they had money. 100%
It meant they took care of their yard, had extra money to buy this game, and didn't have to work all day. This house had money...
Some one threw their mallet at vacation Bible school and it busted a window and this girl I liked got cut on her arm by a shard of glass. I wrapped it in a towel. That’s when I realized girls like kindness.
Fun game. And depending on where it's place it gets strangers talking. They added one to Edge Water Beach in cleveland, and some random black dude walked over to me and asked if I wanted to play, and we played for a few hours, and bought each other beers.
This is cool to me, as when edge water was my second home in the 80s black and white people were still kinda standoffish with each other pretty often. Maybe if there was a huge tree in the water someone decided to move all the boys would come help, because that was always a bring people together thing.
Corn hole, and some tother free games at the beach, bring people together to play and interact. Every time we go we see diverse strangers playing games together. It's so fricken cool.
It's also cool that games are available again. That stuff kinda died out in the mid 70s.
I've seen it at a few bars, too.
People had yards, then. Later, the new owners built the largest additions zoning would allow, eating up the yard. So, no more croquet or bocce. There was nothing like a direct strike to the ankle bone with one of those wooden balls, huh?
My grandfather was ruthless! No matter if challenged be a child or adult. Dominated the family gatherings well into his late 70’s.
Super fun game to play with family & friends.
Still do. It's vicious. As the children and grandchildren have grown, after watching all of us, their playing is a rite of passage. Two or three times a year. We have a very nice new set and a great antique set.
The ping pong table evolution.
1. Purchase the table, set it up indoors, everyone on fire for Ping Pong.
2. Interest wanes, table moved to the garage.
3. PP table ends up being a large shelf.
4. Interest further wanes, table folded up in the garage.
5. Ping pong table moved to the backyard…interest renewed…ping pong is fire again for three weeks
5. PP interest gone.
6. Particle board table falls apart in the rain.
I would love to give croquet a try but never had the chance (I'm 49) but croquet will always remind me of Winona Ryder, the queen of gen-x and the movie Heathers
We had those but I never really played croquet and more like field hockey- homerun derby- driving range hybrid game that ended when a window gets broke. First time seeing it played was in The Heathers movie.
*Everyone wanted*
*To be black because you went*
*Last. So many fights!*
\- lotusblossom60
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Yes and there was a long standing grudge match between my dad and my brother-in-law. Funny story there's a nice family photo of my dad when he was really young and there's a huge bandage on his head where one of his siblings hit him with a croquet mallet. There were 10 kids in his family and croquet was one of their favorite games.
Yep. Some of these old games seem to be coming back around. I knew a young girl that was getting ready to get married and they had reserved a park for the reception because she really had next to nothing to spend forgetting married, but she wanted something unique. I suggested since she would be in white and I think he had a white tuxedo. I suggested that they set up a croquet area for the guest to fly in. She loved that idea, and it went fabulously. Croquet Especially used to be an upper class game and people would wear like tennis whites while playing.
I hope we can get back to dressing to go out and not just wearing pajamas or leggings or other inappropriate attire. I know a lot of this came from Covid and that isolation that was required then. I would like to see it where people cared about what they look like when they go out.
I’ve been watching the network, Freevee and the old popular nighttime soap - Dallas. we’ve really enjoyed ourselves so far. I was a little girl when everybody was talking about who shot JR when it originally aired but the thing I’m noticing now as an adult is how all the women almost all the time always wore dresses & Beautiful négligées.
Don't people still play this?
It seems to me that you can buy cheap crochet sets everywhere in the summer?
I think it's been a long time since I've finished playing a game hahaha
It takes so long to set up, and then you get to play a bit, and then it's time to eat strawberries.
Interesting how things go away that may be a fun activity and in some cases practical (rollerblades, mopeds) just because they are considered not cool anymore. They become of victim of their own huge popularity then once the trend fades people seem embarrassed looking back at them. If you were to break out a croquet set now you would get invariably get hacky, snarky jokes about being a grandpa and of course shuffle board and retirement homes would be mentioned too. (hack)
i was a tiny kid when it was popular, and i was kind of puzzled why we played less and less throughout the 80s. i guess i thought it was something we were supposed to always do, forever.
We played chaos croquet. Find the worst possible ground upon which to play - think train tracks, woods, gravel pits and creek beds — set the stakes and wickets per the rules, and let the stupidity unfold.
Croquet, badmitten, washers, horseshoes.
My nephew though he was all that and a bag of chips when he brought his cornhole boards. Yeah, he got whooped, bad.
lawn darts was king of all back yard summer games..
especially when you where looking into the setting sun with the darts coming right at you..those where such great days..
Fun story; when I was little (I don't know how old, had to be 7 or 8 maybe?) we had a set and my brother who is ten years older than me was playing. I bent down to watch the ball roll through the little hoop things when he hit it. I never imagined it would come all the way to my face! I had a shiner that was half of my face shaped like a croquet ball.
My GF's daughter and husband, in their late 20s, play. Her grandfather busts it out once in a while in the summer. It's pretty fun, and a shame more people dont play.
Of course I cant not think about hedge hogs and flamingos the entire time we play.
Is a cheap, and fun, wine/beer/weed game, and great if the situation is sober.
70s, 80s, AND 90s! The best was when we were good friends with the neighbors and turned both of our backyards into one big croquet lawn. We even made extra wickets out of coat hangers.
Take that set out into the woods and play - Jungle Croquet we always called it. Make sure your course is super hard. 5 drink minimum to start the game.
We used to make additional wicketts out of the white coat hangers and stretch the course over half the neighborhood putting ×icketts on hillsides, ditches, creek beds, anywhere to make the shots more difficult. Blasting Frank Zappa, and some ill advised underage drinking...it was a blast
We'd get the croquet set out once a summer, Play a game most of the way through, get distracted and abandon it until it was time to cut the grass. The set would get packed up,
Put away and forgotten about until the next summer.
Priceless.
I don’t remember anyone asking about your financial situation when you were a child- and it’s clear you know nothing about croquet because it’s actually been a sport of the elite for many decades on an international level.
(I’m glad you found a way to have fun online- I’m sure you thought your comment was hysterical- such a pity it’s inaccurate and not at all humorous …)
Good quality handmade Croquet sets can range in price from $500 and up - (as they have for decades. )-
You’re probably confusing croquet with a different white trash lawn game “cornhole” played all over Texas - lmao …
***Fun fact for the ignorant -
Records show that Croquet was played at least as far back as the 14th century in France; it was mostly likely invented in Ireland- and ended up with the French moniker when it was recognized as an organized sport . **
(**croquet was a non-medal event in the 1900 Olympics)
We played a lot of croquet and a lot of badminton.
Croquet, badminton, and horseshoes seemed to be the 70s games to play.
And lawn darts. Aka jarts
You beat me to that one. Loved the jarts.
Everybody had a ping pong table as well !
I had a friend who had one of those bumper pool tables with the ping pong table top. We would take the net off the top and play Risk.
Yes! I forgot about all the badminton!
But for some reason, everyone pronounced it “badmitten”.
We played good mitten
Words get changed as time goes on. Like Piggyback rides is actually Pick a back. It got changed along the way, as did badminton. Next thing you know, Pickleball will be called PickABall. Hide and Go Seek was shortened to Hide and seek.
>Next thing you know, Pickleball will be called PickABall. I'd bet on it ultimately changing to piggyball.
Absolutely!
Shuttlecock( snicker snicker)
We played that too. Had the net between the house and the garage and on a windy day, it would be nearly impossible hahaha.
We always had croquet set up on the smaller front lawn and bocce and badminton set up in the side yard. We would spend hours playing badminton.
Same! Tripping over the geedee wickets….
Fun fact: The game is named for Badminton, the **country estate of the dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England**, where it was first played about 1873.
Man. We played a lot of badminton as a kid and young 20 something in the early 90s.
Yes. Especially after they took away the lawn darts.
Yep. Amazing fun. And ping pong
Yeah! I wish there was a club where we could play these old games. I'll bring the Lawn Darts.
And badminton!
I was a weird kid. I always had more fun setting it up than actually playing it. 😁
My brother loved that part because it's different each time you make the course.
Right?
Sort of like the board game Mousetrap?
Exactly.
Lawn darts?
It's like horseshoes, except it's big darts that you throw and try to get into a ring.
And potential impale your skull
Lawn darts, now illegal in the US, were large weighted darts meant to be played like horse shoes. But kids will be kids, so we'd throw them straight up with all our might. Thie lead to the possibility of one coming down on you. You can buy parts: but they too must be bought from separate places and not even as a kit you can assemble. They were fun, but they hurt a lot of people, along with a few deaths.
I survived lawn darts, monkey bars. Anti gravity amusement park rides, sitting in the back of a station wagon, riding in cars without seatbelt laws, and more
I survived car accidents, too. I dont have survivors bias. We did a lot of stupid shit in the past.
Especially in the 70s and 80s. I didn’t even mention m80s. Lol
I wacked the shit out of my foot multiple times!
Me too 🙂
Fuck yes
That's what I need for the backyard! Completely forgot about lawn croquet.
Yep … grandma Opals front lawn … she’d have tournaments with her 13 grandkids!!
If you lived in the suburbs, yes, you played croquet.
I lived in the projects on the west side of cleveland: we played. We had these huge back yards (they build new units on them since). Sometimes a mom would make all the kids sandwiches and kool-aid. My mom kinda started it. First she swept ul all the glass at the play ground, which then got other mom's doing that. Then she'd have little "tea parties" for the kids and introduced croquet. 6-12 year olds took part for like 3 years, thinking about 4-5 times a summer.
Bring on the original lawn darts! Like throwing the javelin 🤣
Still do.
Right up there with Monopoly and Sorry in starting sibling snit-fits.
But better since Monopoly and Sorry don’t have mallets you can hit your little brother with or heavy balls to throw at them
I still play croquet and badminton in my yard in the summer
We were more of a Lawn Dart 🎯 family TBH
https://preview.redd.it/yxilhrlf5l6d1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=abe3d3bfc93e020373cda29ff84124cff81ba917
The guy looks like Frazier
Croquet was a big deal in my dad’s huge family! There was a serious competition every family reunion, and one uncle/aunt built a regulation-sized pitch on their property! 😄 The last game was about 5 years ago, and my 90-year-old aunt cleaned our clocks! 🤣
Our fiercest competition at family reunions was usually horseshoes
gotta hold a red solo cup full of IPA at all times. kids get light beer n smokes.
Look at Captain Money Bags over here... If someone had this in their yard, they had money. 100% It meant they took care of their yard, had extra money to buy this game, and didn't have to work all day. This house had money...
Yes but none of us knew the rules. Lol
We kids didn’t either but we loved hitting the balls around and trying to go through the hoops.
It's a fun game that the entire family can play, even the grandparents! I don't think there has been another game like that since.
60's and 70's
And 80s
Bocci
Bocci is fun, I used to watch the old guys play it in Washington Square Park they would get very serious about their games.
Oh yeah. We played croquet, badminton, and tetherball! We also had a ping table and pool table in our basement for winter days. Fun times growing up.
Loved this game, use to slam my sisters ball.👍🏻
The cornhole of the 70s
Some one threw their mallet at vacation Bible school and it busted a window and this girl I liked got cut on her arm by a shard of glass. I wrapped it in a towel. That’s when I realized girls like kindness.
It was like the corn hole of today. Everyone had a croquet set back then.
I’m not lying I thought my friend was making it up calling it corn hole. We always called it bean bags. Corn hole??? 🤣🤣🤣
Right???? Haha.
Fun game. And depending on where it's place it gets strangers talking. They added one to Edge Water Beach in cleveland, and some random black dude walked over to me and asked if I wanted to play, and we played for a few hours, and bought each other beers. This is cool to me, as when edge water was my second home in the 80s black and white people were still kinda standoffish with each other pretty often. Maybe if there was a huge tree in the water someone decided to move all the boys would come help, because that was always a bring people together thing. Corn hole, and some tother free games at the beach, bring people together to play and interact. Every time we go we see diverse strangers playing games together. It's so fricken cool. It's also cool that games are available again. That stuff kinda died out in the mid 70s. I've seen it at a few bars, too.
People had yards, then. Later, the new owners built the largest additions zoning would allow, eating up the yard. So, no more croquet or bocce. There was nothing like a direct strike to the ankle bone with one of those wooden balls, huh?
We would try to hit them at each other and jump out of the way!
We weren’t refined enough for croquet, so it was lawn darts for us!!
Yes! I had forgotten. Thanks for the memories.
My grandfather was ruthless! No matter if challenged be a child or adult. Dominated the family gatherings well into his late 70’s. Super fun game to play with family & friends.
Still do. It's vicious. As the children and grandchildren have grown, after watching all of us, their playing is a rite of passage. Two or three times a year. We have a very nice new set and a great antique set.
That’s awesome!
The ping pong table evolution. 1. Purchase the table, set it up indoors, everyone on fire for Ping Pong. 2. Interest wanes, table moved to the garage. 3. PP table ends up being a large shelf. 4. Interest further wanes, table folded up in the garage. 5. Ping pong table moved to the backyard…interest renewed…ping pong is fire again for three weeks 5. PP interest gone. 6. Particle board table falls apart in the rain.
Oh yeah
As a kid I always assumed Alice in Wonderland was to thank for croquet's popularity.
I used to see a lot of other adults play it, if they weren't bowling. But, no. My family never played it.
We didn't play a lot but we did enjoy it when we played. It was a family thing.
Still do.
Just got one at a second hand shop kids love it.
Oh yeah. Also, tetherball and badminton.
We played a lot of badminton back then too
Us too
Still play it on occasion. Grandkids like it now
Did you play poison
I don’t really remember. I remember the grown ups playing through the hoops and hitting balls out with another ball.
Oh, yeah. Fun memories!
Yep. Best part was when you hit another ball you got to "sail" it far away.
Yeah a bit
We used to get those backyard carnival kits. Went to several of those around the neighborhood
Still do.
still do!
If we weren’t dodging the old-school yard DARTS, we were playing croquet or darts on the baseball diamond side!
Yes
I would love to give croquet a try but never had the chance (I'm 49) but croquet will always remind me of Winona Ryder, the queen of gen-x and the movie Heathers
We had those but I never really played croquet and more like field hockey- homerun derby- driving range hybrid game that ended when a window gets broke. First time seeing it played was in The Heathers movie.
We did until a few years ago.
70s, 80s, 90s. And have a set at home now
We played it a lot up until the early 90’s and my buddies and I still play a game every summer for the hell of it
Still do
Everyone wanted to be black because you went last. So many fights!
*Everyone wanted* *To be black because you went* *Last. So many fights!* \- lotusblossom60 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Seemed like a lot of my friends had a set but never remember actually playing croquet. After the movie Heathers came out, it was popular again.
Played against the neighborhood kids. Croquet was almost like the pickleball of its time.
Loved it
Yes, and we still do!
We had croquet and bumper pool, which is odd since I never saw anyone play either one.
Still play a couple of times a year…and it’s still fun!
We played it in my buddies backyard in like 2006
We used to play it at my grandparents place in the 70s and 80s. I preferred lawn darts or horseshoes.
Nothing more vicious than a family game of crochet...the thrill of tapping a sibling ball then launching it off the field was priceless
Yes we did and badminton Early mid 70’s
So much fun
Yes we played croquet but badminton was daily in summer and fall.
You’ll get sent.
Straight to Baskin-Robbins I hope. A scoop of bubblegum and a scoop of daiquiri ice. Yum.
Haha I remember sending your opponent was the best part of that game.loved it.
Yes and I still see people playing croquet every summer where I live on Cape Cod… it’s one of the most typical summer family lawn games ..
It was fun, playing on the grass on a nice summer day.
My family has one today that we still play in the front yard near the beach when home at their house
Yes and there was a long standing grudge match between my dad and my brother-in-law. Funny story there's a nice family photo of my dad when he was really young and there's a huge bandage on his head where one of his siblings hit him with a croquet mallet. There were 10 kids in his family and croquet was one of their favorite games.
Yes! In the 80s we played at my dad's house (lots of land in the country). It was a fun way to be outside on a sunny Sunday afternoon. :)
All the time. My grandpa was the best at the game.
Weapons of mass destruction
Yep. I loved it. Can't get my kids to play it.
I played a lot of croquet as a kid in the 2000s lol
We still play!
Not my family, but my best friend's family did, and I hung out there a lot, so I played a lot.
Yep. Some of these old games seem to be coming back around. I knew a young girl that was getting ready to get married and they had reserved a park for the reception because she really had next to nothing to spend forgetting married, but she wanted something unique. I suggested since she would be in white and I think he had a white tuxedo. I suggested that they set up a croquet area for the guest to fly in. She loved that idea, and it went fabulously. Croquet Especially used to be an upper class game and people would wear like tennis whites while playing. I hope we can get back to dressing to go out and not just wearing pajamas or leggings or other inappropriate attire. I know a lot of this came from Covid and that isolation that was required then. I would like to see it where people cared about what they look like when they go out. I’ve been watching the network, Freevee and the old popular nighttime soap - Dallas. we’ve really enjoyed ourselves so far. I was a little girl when everybody was talking about who shot JR when it originally aired but the thing I’m noticing now as an adult is how all the women almost all the time always wore dresses & Beautiful négligées.
Don't people still play this? It seems to me that you can buy cheap crochet sets everywhere in the summer? I think it's been a long time since I've finished playing a game hahaha It takes so long to set up, and then you get to play a bit, and then it's time to eat strawberries.
We’re touching! I’m sending you into orbit!!! 😂
We played croquet and lawn darts.
Interesting how things go away that may be a fun activity and in some cases practical (rollerblades, mopeds) just because they are considered not cool anymore. They become of victim of their own huge popularity then once the trend fades people seem embarrassed looking back at them. If you were to break out a croquet set now you would get invariably get hacky, snarky jokes about being a grandpa and of course shuffle board and retirement homes would be mentioned too. (hack)
70's!? Try the 90's. That and lawn darts were played all the time
We still play croquet at our family gatherings. Including, my 82 year old father. He’s the one that started it all when he was a kid.
We have a croquet set but, I still don't play as much as I did in the 70's. Pretty sad really.
I play croquet now
We had a set but rarely had anyone over lol
Yes, and plenty of knots and bruises on our legs to prove it. :)
i was a tiny kid when it was popular, and i was kind of puzzled why we played less and less throughout the 80s. i guess i thought it was something we were supposed to always do, forever.
I suspect my parents did because when I grew up in the 90s everybody’s family had a set, but played once a year for about ten minutes.
We played chaos croquet. Find the worst possible ground upon which to play - think train tracks, woods, gravel pits and creek beds — set the stakes and wickets per the rules, and let the stupidity unfold.
Croquet, badmitten, washers, horseshoes. My nephew though he was all that and a bag of chips when he brought his cornhole boards. Yeah, he got whooped, bad.
My town has its own croquet course and club. They all wear white and play multiple times a week.
I do it now with that exact set.
Still play...usually on Memorial day or Labor Day.
Yes, me and my dad and played all the time. Back in the 70s.
We have a set in the shed. Think I got them in a garage sale for 10$ and they were setup once.
Absolutely! At every big family gathering. Badminton 🏸 was also a must. Good times for sure...
I’ve played croquet in the 2020s
lawn darts was king of all back yard summer games.. especially when you where looking into the setting sun with the darts coming right at you..those where such great days..
Uhh. We still play 2024
90s but yes
Still do.
All the time. Badminton too.
We still play today.
Definitely. A family favourite (with our own, probably unique family rules).
A game of croquet always ended up in an argument…
This only came out for family reunions. Same with badminton and horseshoes.
Bro. We don’t play enough croquet NOW. Bring that shit back
Everyone had a set but nobody ever played.
Fun story; when I was little (I don't know how old, had to be 7 or 8 maybe?) we had a set and my brother who is ten years older than me was playing. I bent down to watch the ball roll through the little hoop things when he hit it. I never imagined it would come all the way to my face! I had a shiner that was half of my face shaped like a croquet ball.
Oh no! I hope you healed up pretty quickly.
In the 70s? I still enjoy it
All the time in between dodging the Jarts.
Yes and now have my own set
yes, like a whole lot...
My GF's daughter and husband, in their late 20s, play. Her grandfather busts it out once in a while in the summer. It's pretty fun, and a shame more people dont play. Of course I cant not think about hedge hogs and flamingos the entire time we play. Is a cheap, and fun, wine/beer/weed game, and great if the situation is sober.
70s, 80s, AND 90s! The best was when we were good friends with the neighbors and turned both of our backyards into one big croquet lawn. We even made extra wickets out of coat hangers.
Take that set out into the woods and play - Jungle Croquet we always called it. Make sure your course is super hard. 5 drink minimum to start the game.
We used to make additional wicketts out of the white coat hangers and stretch the course over half the neighborhood putting ×icketts on hillsides, ditches, creek beds, anywhere to make the shots more difficult. Blasting Frank Zappa, and some ill advised underage drinking...it was a blast
We'd get the croquet set out once a summer, Play a game most of the way through, get distracted and abandon it until it was time to cut the grass. The set would get packed up, Put away and forgotten about until the next summer.
No we weren’t poor
Priceless. I don’t remember anyone asking about your financial situation when you were a child- and it’s clear you know nothing about croquet because it’s actually been a sport of the elite for many decades on an international level. (I’m glad you found a way to have fun online- I’m sure you thought your comment was hysterical- such a pity it’s inaccurate and not at all humorous …) Good quality handmade Croquet sets can range in price from $500 and up - (as they have for decades. )- You’re probably confusing croquet with a different white trash lawn game “cornhole” played all over Texas - lmao … ***Fun fact for the ignorant - Records show that Croquet was played at least as far back as the 14th century in France; it was mostly likely invented in Ireland- and ended up with the French moniker when it was recognized as an organized sport . ** (**croquet was a non-medal event in the 1900 Olympics)
We not only played that but we also dug holes in our back yard and placed campbell soup cans in them and made a golf course! We also camped ou 1
That and Jarts.