Ah, but it takes some skill to play jacks...garb as many as one can, on
a bounce of the ball....so boys shouldn't have been shamed for playing.

Yo-yos were used by both genders, as I remember.  Would need to view the
old Whamo (?), etc. TV commercials...to see if only boys were shown
playing with them.  Cant remember.  I know I had more than one yo-yo
tho...even tho I never got any good at it.  They're still around, arent
they?  Ah...it was Duncan... They came out with plastic ones in 1955.
http://www.yo-yo.com/history_section/hist_timeline.html   Yep..still
around, even still having championships.  Guess they still sell tops
too.

And remember Clackers? (also called Eskimo yo-yos, I think)...  The
novelty wears off pretty quickly on those...and the noise drives the
parents bonkers.  They might make good bolos tho. Ha!

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Christopher Murphy [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
>Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 5:31 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Archaeological Toys
>
>
>    Its interesting to see the geographical variation and 
>variation over time (and I dare say of personal experience).  
>In Savannah, Georgia in the late forties and early fifties, it 
>was definitely marbles and yoyos for boys.  Girls played jacks 
>and hopscotch, both could play dodgeball, but a guy messing 
>with jacks was setting himself up to be called a "sissy".
>