...How any fingers are up?" When I was growing up, this refrain was heard all over Brooklyn. It came from those who were playing Buck Buck, also known as Johnny On the Pony. The game has apparently been around for hundreds of years. I have to confess, I never played with girls (especially girls who looked like the one pictured in the above/right) and therefore I never really got the game.
Buck Buck was played by two teams consisting of three, four, five or six players on each team. The first team would take the pole (another telephone pole game) or a car bumper, stoop, etc... and the second team would prepare to 'jump'. The 'anchor man' (DAMN that's manly) of the first team would bend over at the waist and put his shoulder into the telephone pole - body parallel to the ground, legs parallel to the pole - and hug the pole. Then the second player on the first team would get behind him and either put his shoulder into the Anchor Man's butt, wrapping his arm around the anchor man's legs, or would get right up behind him, bend over and hug him around the waist. And so on until you had a line of guys bent over hugging each other from behind, looking mighty uncomfortable.
The second team would position themselves directly behind the last member of the first team. The first member of the second team would back up as far as he needed to get a good running start, then take off towards the pile of bent over bodies. His goal was to jump as far as possible towards the front of the line of bent-over opponents and land on top with as much force as possible. He had to get as far in towards the pole as possible so the maximum amount of second team players could 'mount' the pony, adding as much weight as possible and making it difficult for the first team to support their weight.
If they managed to support the first team's weight, the first team captain would hold a number of fingers in the air and yell, "Buck Buck how many fingers are up?" The first team would try to guess the number.
I don't even know how this game was won or lost, because no one ever played long enough to reach the conclusion. Something didn't feel right.
Maybe we were playing it wrong? Maybe we should have gotten Eva May involved?
Anyone have any clarification?
2 comments:
Same way, Lincoln Elementary...we had a steep hill on the asphalt covered playground with a fence where our POST positioned himself...you know...the big fat guy...
I was the last one to jump over all of em etc...
played in Bay 8th street school yard. The kid with the biggest stomach was the "pillow" and protected all of the other team's heads from bouncing off the street pole or brick wall. Fierce game and one of my faves. And i was a skinny little girl 💪🏽💪🏽
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