The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

This is a game that was first introduced to me as
a child, by my father. It is played while going
for a long ride in the car. Two or more people
are needed in order to play. The object of the
game is to be the first person to go through the
entire alphabet (letter by letter, starting with 'A')
finding objects that begin with each letter. These
objects can be words on a sign, buildings, people,
sayings on a passing car, or any other things that a
person sees while driving in a car.
For example, a billboard on the side of the road has
an advertisement for an "Apple orchard" that is in
the area. The player who spots the word "apple" on the
billboard yells "Apple" while pointing to it, so
other players can verify his claim. Once it is
verified, this person is now able to look for
something that begins with a 'B', while the other
players must still find something that begins with an
'A'. The game continues in this fashion until all 26
letters are exhausted. The winner is the person who,
after finding the first 25, spots and yells out
something that begins with a 'Z'. Since there is no
repeating what another player has already used, the
game can be quite lengthy. But a good way to keep
kids occupied while going on vacation, as my father
would say.

Submitter comment: The hardest letters to find are Q, X, Y, and Z.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): TRAVEL

Date learned: 00001970S