The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

SPOONS

THIS GAME IS TO BE PLAYED WHEN PLAYERS ARE SLIGHTLY
DRUNK, OR IN RATHER GOOD SPIRITS. A MINIMUM OF
FIVE PLAYERS AND A MAXIMUM OF ABOUT 13 CAN PLAY.
PLAYERS SHOULD SIT ON THE FLOOR IN A CIRCLE; THEN
PLACE ONE LESS SPOON THAN THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN
THE CENTER OF THE CIRCLE, E.G., SIX PLAYERS, FIVE
SPOONS. START WITH FOUR CARDS PER PLAYER, ONE OF
EACH SUIT. DEAL EACH PLAYER FOUR CARDS; THEN THE
DEALER STARTS THE GAME BY ASKING THE PLAYERS TO
PASS FROM ONE TO THREE CARDS TO THE PERSON TO HIS
LEFT. IN RAPID SUCCESSION, THE PERSON ON THE DEALER'S
LEFT, BY HIS OWN CHOICE, ASKS THE REST OF THE PLAYERS
TO PASS FROM ONE TO THREE CARDS TO THEIR LEFT. THE
OBJECT BEING TO ACCUMULATE IN A GIVEN HAND FOUR OF
A KIND (SUIT). WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE PERSON
HOLDING THAT HAND SHOUTS "SPOONS," AND EVERYONE
TRIES TO GRAB A SPOON FROM THE CENTER OF THE CIRCLE.
THE ONE WHO IS LEFT WITHOUT A SPOON IS LABELED A
-P- WHICH DENOTES THE FIRST LETTER OF THE WORD PIG.
THE GAME TERMINATES WHEN ANY PLAYER HAS LOST THREE
TIMES, THAT IS, HAS THREE LETTERS WHICH SPELL PIG.

Submitter comment: THE INFORMANT, MR. HOGAN, LEARNED THIS GAME ONLY ONE
WEEK BEFORE HE PASSED IT ON TO ME. HE LEARNED THE
GAME WHILE AT A PARTY IN BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN CONSISTING
MOSTLY OF YOUNG MARRIED COUPLES. THE COUPLE FROM WHOM
HE GLEANED THE SPECIFICS OF THE GAME ARE MR. AND MRS.
JAMES BIRNEY, ALSO OF BIRMINGHAM. THIS GAME IS
APPARENTLY QUITE POPULAR AT THIS TIME, ALTHOUGH I WAS
UNABLE TO TRACE IT ANY FURTHER.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; BIRMINGHAM

Date learned: 12-31-1963