By Margaret White
Ten years ago, a Finnish friend taught me a game that little girls played in Europe. Each girl had a stack of paper cut-outs, with pretty pictures on them like flowers and baby animals. Each girl put one in the middle and then someone would slap them. If they flipped over, the slapper won them. It cost about 10 cents for 10 cute cut-outs.
What does this have to do with POGS? POGS is a new boys game on the North American market, POGS are round cardboard circles with pictures on them like skulls and Power Rangers. Tough boys play this game by “slamming” the POGS with their hands, winning all the ones they flip over. Interesting, it is almost identical to the girl’s game.
But rather than using their bare hands, they need to buy a “Slam Jam,” a piece of round plastic that they hold while they slap. POGS cost $2.49 for 4 and a Slam Jam. Not only do POGS cost 61.5 cents more apiece than the delicate girls toys, but any boy will tell you that POGS is a game for tough, aggressive, strong, powerful boys and not flimsy little females.
Should we tell our brothers, sons and nephews that their game has been played by girls in Europe for decades? Naah!
Leave a Reply