“Good Tyme Party Games (Stunts and Tricks)” is the title of a party game book I pulled out of an old trunk one day while searching through my mother’s treasures from her teaching days. I put it on my shelf to read at a later time. That later time was this week when I was looking for some party games to play at a family Christmas.

The book with the strange way of spelling time was written by A. K. Becker in 1928 and published by the Minneapolis Novelty Co. The first page put me under its spell. The first instructions in the book advised after putting the coats and the hats of the party guests away each should receive a slip of paper containing the first verse of “America.” The guests sing the first verse of “America,” followed by the chorus of the national hymn of Siam in honor of the anniversary of the king and queen of Siam but using the tune of “America.” I wondered if I could get my family to do that, and then I wondered about Siam in 1928. I looked it up, and at that time, Siam, which is now Thailand, was one of the small states joining the first world war on the side of the Allied Powers. Perhaps that is the reason for the reference in this party book.

I browsed through the book. I decided the ladies might have made up the game, Try This On One Of Your Men Guests.  Apparently in 1928, the men guests wore vests when attending a party. The women challenge the men guests to button up and unbutton the vest inside of a minute. Chances are the men will button it down instead of up, and they will have lost.

Another game is called Can’t Get Up Alone. Inform one guest he can’t get up alone because he has had too much fun. In all seriousness, offer to call him a doctor because he can’t get up alone. Of course he doesn’t want a doctor called. When he stands up, stand up with him, and you prove your point, he can’t get up alone.

It was hard to decide which game we should play at our family Christmas. Here were some of my choices to choose from: Burning a Lump of Sugar, Hat Ball, Snake’s Tail, Wildcat, He Can Do Little Who Can’t Do This, The Mysterious Handkerchief, Sticking A Coin On The Face, and then of course there was the game Naughts and Crosses, which looks like our Tic Tac Toe.

I decided the game Koo Koo might be the game to choose. Slips of paper are put on a table, and a participant must draw a slip. If they are not willing to do what is on the slip of paper they must go to the center of the circle of players and they are a Koo Koo. After all have taken a turn, the ones in the center, the Koo Koos, must do what is on the slip of paper that the others choose and the center Koo Koos must do it together.

Some of the actions sounded fun: Grasp hold of your toes and walk on your heels, get on a chair and bark like a dog, kneel in front of each player and meow like a cat without laughing, pay a compliment to each person in the room, write your name at the same time you spell Mississippi.

This book certainly reminded me our world has changed and the same for entertainment. In 1928 they were satisfied with simple games. It may be hard to believe for the kids living in 2016 that the people back then could have fun and enjoy life without all the gadgets we have today.

There were some things in this book and Koo Koo may be one of them, which would be deemed inappropriate today and seen as making fun of or belittling. I suspect no one thought of that in 1928.

“Good Tymes Party Games” reminded me life can be simple and still be fun. I leave you with a fun riddle and a poem to lighten your day, give you some laughter and some silliness or just plain disbelief of the goings on in 1928.

If three cats catch three rats in three minutes, how many rats will 100 cats catch in 100 minutes? The answer will be on my website http://julieseedorf.com under blogs on Tuesday.

 

What Is It?

Louis had it before

Bill had it behind

Murphy never had it

All girls have it

Boys can’t have it

Old Mrs. Mulligan had it twice in succession

Lowell had it before and behind, but had it twice as bad as before

— From the “Good Tyme Party Games Book” by A.K. Becker 1928

 

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send email to her at hermionyvidaliabooks@gmail.com. Her Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/julie.