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Home >> Culture >> Article
Unforgettable childhood games for pre-90s generation
By:Zheng Qian  |  From:english.eastday.com  |  2021-06-02 13:44

With no ipads, smartphones or even the internet, the childhood of those born in the 1980s and 1990s was very different but still full of happiness. Here’s a reminder of some of the toys that entertained children before the electronic revolution.

String figure

A string figure was a design formed by manipulating string on, around, and using one's fingers or sometimes between the fingers of multiple people. Various figures including a goldfish, a wallet, or a flower could be formed between fingers.

Chinese jump rope

The game was a favorite of girls. With a long rubber rope looped around two pairs of legs standing opposite, girls hooked their legs into the rope to form loops and patterns in a certain sequence.

Jackstone

Sitting on the floor, children threw a ball or a similar small item straight up, giving it enough height to have time to pick up the jacks.

Hopscotch

Drawing a hopscotch grid on the ground and landing inside the squares was a great test of throwing ability and balance.

Marbles

Marbles was a game most favored by boys. Players often used their fingers to "shoot" one marble to hit the opponent's marble and could acquire it if it was hit.

Beanbags

Homemade by sewing a piece of cloth with sand inside, a beanbag was a popular toy in the 80s. The thrower would try to hit the opponent with a beanbag; the one that was hit would be eliminated from the game. The opponent who catches the beanbag either will choose to "add a life" or "save a teammate's life" from eliminations.

Blind men who touch

One player played as a blind man and touched around them to find the others.

Cockfighting

It was arguably the most “polite”form of contest. The winner could be decided with just one knee.

Leapfrog

It was simple and a little rude, but still enjoyed by boys.

Eagle Catches Chicken

One child played the role of an eagle and one was a hen that protects the other chicks. This game was probably the most exciting and thrilling one, since all the chickens were trying to get rid of the eagle.

Hide-and-seek

An old and popular children’s game in which one player closes his or her eyes for a brief period (often counting to 100) while the other players hide.

Fishing

With a bamboo pole, a fishing line and a plastic bucket, boys enjoyed digging for earthworms as bait for fishing.

Wild fruits

Picking wild fruits like mulberries, peaches, oranges and loquats was a fun memory for many.

Fortune-teller

A fortune teller was a form of origami used in children’s games. Each position of east, west, south or north represented a kind of fortune.

Lyrics copying

Copying lyrics was popular among girls, especially adolescent girls. What was indicated in lyrics usually reflected girls’ moods.

With no computer or WiFi, we sat before the TV with our friends to watch cartoons like Journey to the West, Black Cat Sheriff and Calabash Brothers.

With no refrigerator, we ate popsicles costing only a few cents or enjoyed home-grown watermelon.

Though not rich, we were happy in playing with a rope or several stones.

What we remember is only happiness, although we had no advanced toys.

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