Punch buggy

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A 1967 Volkswagen Beetle

Punch buggy (also called punch bug, slug bug,^[1] or punch beetle^[2]) is a car game generally played by young children in which participants hit each other upon sight of a Volkswagen Beetle.

1 Variants
2 Rules
3 History
4 The New Beetle
5 References

[edit] Variants

In one form of the game, upon sighting a Volkswagen Beetle, a participant will yell, "Punch buggy (color)!" and add "No punch backs!" to lock that color against being called again. An example of this would be to call "Punch buggy green!" upon seeing a green Volkswagen Beetle automobile. Participants can also call out "Punch buggy (color), no punch backs!" or "Punch Buggy (color), no returns!" Once the call is completed, the participant punches another participant of his or her choice, generally in the upper arm. Another (perhaps more common) variation is one in which colors do not matter, and the "No punch back!" call serves only to prevent the victim from slugging the first participant on the same car.

Another variation involves the call out of "Slug bug (color)!" and then "Reserve!". This entitles the participant to reserve a punch to be delivered at a later time. Also, if the correct (exact) color is called, two punches are allowed.

[edit] Rules

The Punch Buggy game is highly unstandardized, with each group of players adopting their own guidelines. The following set of rules should not be considered comprehensive, since each rule will have as many variables as there are people who play the game:

Spotting a pink convertible Beetle earns bonus punches (usually one more, in addition to the regular one).
When calling out lime-green colored Beetles, participants may (or in some cases, must) yell "punch buggy Doublemint!" (similarly, the call for yellow Beetles is "Juicy Fruit"). These names refer to types of chewing gum of the same color, respectively.
When calling out old-style Beetles, the spotter may opt to repeatedly yell "Slug bug, slug bug!" while punching continuously, until another participant calls the correct color.
A Beetle pulled over by a police officer or involved in a wreck earns bonus punches.
A car part that is clearly identifiable as part of a Beetle earns bonus punches.
A VW Bus (known as a double punch buggy or double punch beetle) earns the caller two punches.
Car dealerships are generally considered off limits, although in some areas it is acceptable if a vehicle is spotted with a registration (such as when someone has clearly already purchased the vehicle).
All Beetles in a car hauler (an open-air trailer truck transporting Beetles) are in play.
If there happens to be a Cadillac within sight at the same time as the "slugging", the person getting hit may call "Slap back Cadillac!". This can only be done by the person originally being hit, since it is a slap back.
If a player cheats (for example, calling a Beetle someone else has already played), opponents get three punches and call out "Three for cheating!".
In some areas it is custom to call "false punch buggy (or Beetle)" if the color is called wrong or if someone has already used that color in the game. "False punch buggy" allows for five punches from the victim to the assailant that called the falsehood.
Upon a new car ride, all previously used colors come back into play.
Drivers of a Beetle are usually exempt from the game.

As with most regional, nostalgic, and highly varied games, each group of players tend to claim their own rules as being superior. As one long-time player said:

"As I've mentioned... I've been playing Punch Buggy for at least thirty-four years. That makes me somewhat of an expert on the subject, at least in my opinion."^[3]

In regards to rule variations for the Punch Buggy game, even if smaller points differ by region and players, the general premise upon which the game is built remains the same.

[edit] History

Most references about the game originate from unofficial sources and personal accounts from players. No facts about this game are certain, though top estimates suggest that it has existed since the 1960s.^[4]

One of many suggestions as to the invention of this game includes the original release of the Disney movie, Herbie, The Love Bug in the theatre during which children watching would hit their friends in the arm if they were caught not watching. With the release of another Disney film, Lilo & Stitch, the game experienced new life due to the character Stitch calling out "Punch Buggy!" in the act of swinging the car around.^[5]

In the Simpsons episode Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade Bart and Lisa partake of the game:

Bart: Punch buggy red! (punches Lisa)

Lisa: OUCH! You are such an amateur-punch buggy white! (punches Bart)

Mrs. McConnell: Stop fighting.

Lisa: He started it! He did punch buggy first.

Girl: What's punch buggy?

Bart: When you see a Volkswagen bug, you punch somebody and yell the color.

(The class sees Volkswagen world.)

Kid: Punch buggy blue! (punches kid)

Kid: Punch buggy green! (punches kid)

Kid: Punch buggy toe! (punches kid)

Punch buggy has been the subject of merchandising with baseball caps and t-shirts produced with associated logos of various sorts.

[edit] The New Beetle

The game is considered by some to have lost some of its cachet since Volkswagen's 1998 reintroduction of the New Beetle made Beetles much more common. Some players consider this new model invalid for game purposes;^[6] however, other players (especially younger ones, who find the punching more interesting than the spotting of a Beetle or any associated childhood nostalgia) may accept even Mini Coopers in a pinch, if no "real" Beetles are nearby.