Texas Toys and Games Page: 4
viii, 253 p. : ill., ports. ; 26 cm.View a full description of this book.
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FOLK TOYS
The Paddle Mrs. George Van Burrows of Nacogdoches tells about her asso-
and Hoop ciation with this toy: "My father made and repaired wagons and
as a result there were always iron hoops off the wagon wheel
hubs available. The hoops were about eight inches in diameter
and an inch-and-a-half wide. My brother and his friends rolled
7 their hoops with paddles which consisted of a handle with a
crosspiece on one end. They rolled these hoops for miles and
sometimes the hoops would be rolled so much they would
shine."
Wheel-hub hoops were the best to roll and were the most
popular hoops, but coming in a close second were barrel hoops,
which were made out of lighter metal. Center hoops on small
casks were favored. The outer hoops on a barrel had the disad-
vantage of being slanted and thus harder to control. Some hoops
were made out of green branches, stripped and circled and tied.
A piece of garden hose circled and doweled together with a stick
also served the purpose, as did old plates, abandoned doll buggy
or Radio Flyer wheels, or anything that was round and would
roll. Someone identified only as TMP wrote: "I don't know what
it was or where it came from, but I had a metal hoop, about as
big around as a car tire, but it was thin-about a half-inch wide.
I rolled that thing for miles with a stick with a shorter stick
nailed across it at the bottom. Some kids used barrel hoops, but
mine was not a barrel hoop. I remember I was most careful every
night to put it up in the garage."
The previously described paddle was one means of rolling
the hoop. Some used any stick or limb handy. A wire with three-
quarters of a loop in the rolling end was common. In countries
unblessed with the presence of Toys R Us and where grandpar-
ents have not the wherewithal to drown a child in every item
out of a Sears toy catalog, the considerable skill of hoop rolling
is still a popular pastime with children.
Chris Wick of Nacogdoches played a game with a larger
hoop: "My grandfather, Fred Winters of Boerne, Texas, taught
us a game with a hoop. All you needed was an old iron wagon
wheel rim and somebody to compete with. We would get the
rim rolling as fast as we could and then try to run through the
hoop as it rolled. The one who could make the most complete
passes through the rim before it was knocked down or fell over
won the game. It was also a good game for one child to entertain
himself with."
Car tires were sometimes rolled as a hoop and were many
times suspended from a limb and swung in. And I was once of a
size that I could ball up in a tire and roll down a hill into a
: hogwire fence. My dog Jack enjoyed the trip as much as I did
I and barked and snapped at the tire as we bounced down the hill.
I think he thought the tire was running away with me, and he
Always greeted me with much relief and happiness when I
y- emerged from the tire and the sagging fence.
The spool tractor is a more complicated toy but was equally
popular. Spool tractors and descriptions were sent in by Elton
Miles, Lee Haile, Ben Capps, Robert Metcalfe, Joseph Jones,
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Texas Toys and Games (Book)
Collected information about popular toys and games relevant to the state of Texas, including folk toys, folk games, sports, dances, songs and other recreations. The index of contributors begins on page 245 and the index of toys and games begins on page 249.
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Abernethy, Francis Edward. Texas Toys and Games, book, 1989; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67661/m1/14/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.