Sunday, May 9, 2010

Children of the 80s: Did You Play This Game?




This is one of the games that I’ll be telling my kids about (if I ever have any) because I don’t think kids play it anymore, it’s such a shame that these games are history now, they’re way more fun than video games if you ask me.

Basically we put a rubber rope around two kids’ feet and jumped between them 10 times, it had many stages and I can’t remember them all, but we’d lift the rope up after completing each level to make the jumping harder. We used to call it “Awwal Tonni”.

I remember our school teachers hating this game, but I still don’t know why, maybe because of the dust resulting from all the jumping, one day our fourth grade teacher Miss Munia took all the ropes and punished everyone who was playing, and rewarded everyone who wasn’t, now I used to be the first to suggest that we play it and the first one to participate when they needed players, but that day I had a stomachache and didn’t play, so I got rewarded instead of being punished! And I got to go on a field trip :P Till this day my classmates hate me for that and they still say I cheated. 14 years later and I still feel guilty about it :(

Have you ever played awwal tonni?

15 comments:

Unknown said...

I did used to play this game in the US as a child. Can't think of the name of it, though. And they still play it in Jordan. My girls went thru the phase of it and then it wore off. The teachers always would confiscate the elastic pieces they were using. Not sure why they care, at least they are playing something nice in the Saha instead of Toshe or something else. Ha.

Anonymous said...

It was seen very much as a girls game in Australia when I was a kid (late 1960's). But, I reckon, it will be re-invented and jazzed up in a few years time and oversold as something new. And then, your kids can make up for an guilty feelings with the kids of those who couldn't make it to the field trip. It's all about human bonding, whatever the circumstances.

Whisper said...

I used to play it too :D

teachers hate it because many accidents happened,specially to those who chase
each other in the school yard, and do not notice the rubber rope and fall down :S

I remember we use to put it in our legs in 3 different height then put it in one leg...sa7?? :D

حمزة الشعراوي said...

Awal Tonne,Tollot Robbo3,5ommos Soddod,Sobbo3 Tommon,Tosso3 3oshor
Thats what we used to say during the game,
God it was such an awesome game !
PS:Not only children of the 80s played it, childten of 90s (us) played it as well :)

enas said...

yeeeeeeeee zaman 3anha,ana w zain kuna nel3abha m3 banat al7ara w lama ma ykoun fee '3airna ,kuna n7ot-ha 3la rejlain al kursii w ndal n2oul la omii kan jebteelek o'7t talteh :)

Rand said...

Nicole I didn't know it was an international game until I searched for images! Yeah I bet the teachers' room was full of elastic ropes :)

Frank Where have you been? I've missed you around here :) you really think it will be re-invented? this generation's games do not include moving, maybe it's because I have one young brother and he's all about video games

Whisper sa7 :) bardo wejhet nazar bel nesbeh lal accidents :)

Sh3rawi I wanted to include children of the 70s and 90s (and according to Frank the 60s too!) but the title would be too long, fa I chose the 80s because I was born then :P

Annous e7na kan 3enna Tala, bas kanat baby so we'd reach level 2 with her and that's it, we couldn't put the rope around her neck it'd be too narrow for us to jump inside :P

KittySigurdardottir. said...

60's were the heydays of Elastic Rope Twist,we would end at having to jump up to the shoulders of the two.I love it that the boy is enjoying playing the game on the pic.I loved playing with all my neighbor children boys and girls probably over 40 or so.60's were a blast to be a child.At supper time the moms would stick their heads out the window and call us home most around 7:00 PM,lol.

sheeshany said...

I played it once! never more :)
I fell on my face, down bottom (outhchy) ,,, interesting to know it`s trans-cultural game :D

*h8 it :(

H.

Rand said...

Barbie, people who were kids in the 60s seem to agree that it's the best decade to be a child, I don't know, I think each person longs for his/her own childhood, still, the older the generation, the more fun it seems to be :)

Haitham be a sport, it's just a fall :D

Marvin said...

Ha, I have never seen this. Interesting.

Anonymous said...

Pfft... Video games are cooler :P

I don't know, I never clicked with any of the "playground games". They just seemed too simple and repetitive.

Rand said...

Marvin looks like you're the only who haven't! where were you?

seleucid either that or the neighborhood kids wouldn't let you play :P

sheeshany said...

la2 ma beddy! :D I want it banned, 4evEr.

H.

History of video games said...

This'll work PERFECTLY for YouTube annotation games!

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