Toys & Games

"Spaldeens"
(basically tennis balls without the fuzz; great for stickball and other street games)
Spaldeen

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There are 7 comments for this item.

Posted by Bob Matthews at 2:57 am (PDT) on Tue September 22, 2015   
In NYC we played "Off the crack" "King" and "Potsie" with these among other games.
Posted by chrisbroz at 7:50 pm (PST) on Mon November 24, 2014   
Punchball in the schoolyard at recess...Pensy Pinkies
Posted by Bob Matthews at 4:27 pm (PDT) on Sat April 27, 2013   
Brand new Spaldings looked good enough to eat, because they were the same color as the fragrant pink bubblegum that came inside a package of baseball cards.
Still remember that new Spalding smell...
Posted by paktype at 2:43 pm (PDT) on Mon March 19, 2012   
If you had one of these, you could play just about anything.
Posted by Frankie at 12:52 am (PST) on Sat December 18, 2010   
Same here! Stickball was big on the streets of Brooklyn using broom handles. Couldn't play unless we used spaldeens!
Posted by Pete O at 5:33 pm (PDT) on Tue July 28, 2009   
We'd play baseball with these and broomstick handles on the city streets and in school yards. (Boston area)
Posted by Duff at 4:38 am (PDT) on Wed June 10, 2009   
We used to play a street game we called "War" or maybe "I Declare War" where we'd each choose one brand of car, say, or cigarette. Then the kid with the ball would bounce it hard, yelling, "I declare war on...(bounce)...Salem!" (for instance) and he and all the others would scatter in all directions. But "Salem" would have to double back, retrieve the ball, and yell, "Freeze!" Then he'd locate the nearest opponent and throw the ball at him. (I think maybe he could take seven big steps first.) The kid thus tagged would be "it" for the next round, and would be the one bouncing the ball and declaring war on someone else.

If a ball went into the yard of our next-door neighbors, it was gone forever, 'cause they wouldn't let anyone go in and get it. I always imagined that their attic was crammed full of lost balls of various sorts. Also, they actually called the police a couple of times when kids were playing football in the street in front of their house. Nobody bothered going to their house on Halloween.

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