Pogs
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Pogs (also Milkcaps) is the name of a game that was popular from the early-to-mid-1990s. It got its name from POG, a brand of fruit juice (made from passion fruit, orange and guava); the caps of POG bottles were originally used to play the game. Pog originated in Hawaii around the 1930s, and was repopularized when the Canada Games Company reintroduced them to the American mainstream public in the mid-1990s, where they became popular with pre-teens. It is possible that the game traced its origins to the Japanese card game called Menko. [link]
Game basics
The classic game involves one player picking a number of pogs (cardboard disks), and the other player matching this number. All the pogs are stacked face down, and then one player throws a Slammer (a thicker, heavier version of a pog often made from plastic or steel - also known as a 'kini') at them with the goal of turning over as many as possible. Those which turn over go to the person who threw the slammer, and the rest stay in the game for the other person's turn. The game continues until all the pogs have been flipped, when a new game begins with the starting player alternating between the two. The game can also be played with more than two players, with both the turns and starting players moving in a predefined order through the group.
Note: The original game in Hawaii in the early 30s did not include a "Slammer." The real pog milk caps had small staples in them which, when stacked, produced a random element to the game. Regular pog milk caps were used to throw at the stack and were able to flip the pile.
History
The game of pogs is said to have originated in the early 1920s in Hawaii. Dairy farmers would play the game using milk caps. Blossom Galbiso, a teacher in Hawaii, started using the milkcaps in her classroom in 1991, and told her students about an old game she used to play by flipping milkcaps to be the first one to get the cream off the bottom. Her students began flipping the milkcaps, and the game of pogs rapidly spread.However, the origin of the game may in fact be much earlier. Menko, a Japanese card game very similar to pogs, has been in existence since the Edo period, or the 17th century.
Pogs became so popular in the 1990s that hundreds of types of Pogs were manufactured, covering a wide array of toys, cartoons, movies, games, sports and images of famous people on the front of the pogs. The popularity of the game spawned knockoffs, such as "Slammer-Whammer," a similar game released under a different brand name. Today the pog craze has tapered off, but pogs can sometimes still be found on eBay and in game and card stores. During the early 1990s, a national pog tournament was held every February 7th in commemoration of the game's inventor's birthday.School banning
Because many children would keep the pogs they won in games from other players, many school districts considered Pogs a form of gambling. Pogs also proved to be major distractions in lessons and the source of various playground arguments. Also, the 'slammers' would often rebound from the floor, hitting other players or nearby persons. These elements eventually led to the banning of pogs from several schools across North America, the United Kingdom and Australia.Educational Pogs
Responding to and capitalizing upon the popularity of pogs, many groups, ranging from Christian charities to government organizations, released their own versions of pogs. These enjoyed marginal successes, and can be seen as novelty items. They can be recognized by the name of the organization that produced them as well as the ideas they promoted. The pogs included versions quoting Bible verses, encouraging healthy activities and sports, even a series based upon health food groups.
Tazos
Tazo, a South American word meaning "Disc," was used to refer to another registered trademark of Frito Lay, with discs that were similar to pogs. Tazos hit their peak in 1996 and 1997 (the same time as the Tamagotchi), with the most popular being the Looney Tunes discs. In the Netherlands these were called "flippos".In the UK, tazos came free with Walkers crisps. Walkers released several series including the very popular Star Wars series.
Tazos very differed from Pogs in that they were generally made from plastic, and had eight slots around the edges. The slots were the width of one Tazo, so that one could slot together multiple Tazos and make structures from them.
Even anime series like Medabots and Dragon Ball Z had tazos in mexico , however the most popular since is Pokémon Tazos.
Trivia
- On the Simpsons episode "Round Springfield," comedian Steve Allen is said to have invented the game, and a large pog with his face on it is created to celebrate the honor. Comic Book Guy sells it at his shop for $500 ("The ultimate pog!"). In another episode, Homer Simpson forms a motorcycle gang and makes pogs with the gang's name on them. In "Bart Sells His Soul," Milhouse buys a piece of paper representing Bart's soul, and later sells the paper and spends his earnings on ALF pogs. (Milhouse: "It's ALF pogs! Remember ALF? He's back... in pog form!")
- A [Flash cartoon] describing the alternative uses for pogs has been animated by Weebls-Stuff.com. Many scenes borrow the ALF pog idea from The Simpsons.
External links
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