Pogs

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A collection of pogs and a typical pog case

For other uses, see POG.

Pogs is a game that was popular in a period known as the "Pog Wash" from the early to mid 1990s.^[1] The word "pog" also refers to the discs used to play the game. The name originates from POG, a brand of juice made from passionfruit, orange and guava; the use of the POG bottle caps to play the game pre-dated the game's commercialization.^[2] The game of pogs originated in Hawaii in the 1920s,^{[citation needed]} and returned to popularity when the Canada Games Company reintroduced them to the public in the 1990s.

[edit] Origins

Sources describe the game of pogs as originating in the 1920s or early 1930s in Hawaii.^[3][1] Blossom Galbiso, a teacher at Waialua Elementary School on the north shore of Oahu, is credited with reviving the game and sparking the "Pog Wash" in 1991.^[3] She began using the milk caps in her classroom and applied the game of pog to her mathematics curriculum.^[3] This was the beginning of international popularity and the "Pog Wash" for the game.^[3]

Other sources place the origins of this style of game much earlier: Menko, a Japanese card game very similar to pogs, has been in existence since the 17th century.^[4]

[edit] Rules

The game can be played by two or more players. Each has their own collection of pogs and a slammer (a heavier game piece).^[4]
Before the game, players decide whether to play 'for keeps', or not. 'For keeps' implies that the players keep the POGs that they win, and forfeit those that have been won by other players.
The players each contribute an equal number of POGs to build a stack with the pieces facing down, which will be used during the game.^[4]
The players take turns throwing their slammer (also called a 'kini') down onto the top of the stack, causing it to spring up and the POGs to scatter.
Each player keeps any POGs that land 'face up' after their throw.^[5][4]
After each throw, the POGs which have landed 'face down' are then re-stacked for the next player.
When no POGs remain in the stack, the player with the most POGs is the 'winner'.^[4]
All players keep the POGs which they have collected (if playing for keeps), or redistribute them to their original owners. There are also street rules for those who still play, such as skipping your turn to try and reflip an opponent's POGs into the upright position, and combo moves (catching and rethrowing the slammer). These rules are not used in sanctioned competitions.

[edit] Popularity

Real pog milk caps had small staples in them which, when stacked, produced a random element to the game. Regular pog milk caps were used to throw at the stack and were able to flip the pile.

Pogs became so popular during the "Pog Wash" in the 1990s that hundreds of types of pogs were manufactured, covering a wide array of toys, cartoons, movies, games, sports and images of famous people on the front of the pogs. The popularity of the game spawned knockoffs, such as "Slammer Whammers," a similar game released under a different brand name. The pog craze has since tapered off, but pogs can sometimes still be found on eBay and in game and card stores. During the early 1990s and at the height of the "Pog Wash", a US national pog tournament was held every February 7 in honor of the game's inventor's birthday.

[edit] School banning

Because many children would keep the pogs they won in games from other players, many school districts considered Pogs a form of gambling.^[4] Pogs proved to be major distractions from classes and the source of various playground arguments. These elements eventually led to the banning of pogs from various schools across North America^[6] Another factor in their banning in schools was that there were also some instances of students obtaining pogs with printed pornographic images on them.

[edit] Educational and promotional pogs

Responding to and capitalizing upon the popularity of pogs, many groups, ranging from Christian charities to government organizations, released their own versions of pogs.^[7] They can be recognized by the name of the organization that produced them as well as the ideas they promoted.

Also capitalizing on the success of pogs were corporations and governments. McDonald's, Burger King, Carls Jr. (Hardees) gave away free pogs with the purchase of a menu item. Fox television reportedly released a line of pogs with the debut of "The Tick" animated series.^[8] Disneyland produced limited edition caps for its "Go POG Wild and rollerblade Crazy" event in the spring of 1994. Knott's Berry Farm produced a limited edition set for the 1994 Southern California POG Championship.^[9] In an effort to curb drug use and crime, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in California designed caps with the DARE logo and Scruff McGruff, as well as county sheriff badges.^[10]

[edit] World POG Federation

In the UK, the most popular brand of pogs were those of The World POG Federation.

These pogs featured Pogman and released many series featuring images mostly comical in nature, or parodying skits of famous scenes from movies, or other popular culture.

Series^[11]

• Series 1
• Series 2 (Pogpourri)
• Classics
• Kinis
• Animaniacs
• World Tour
• The Tick
• US Championship
• Easter Eggs
• Micro
• Christmas
• Cadbury's
• Limited Edition
• Batman
• Sailor Moon Pogs
• Ric Flair
• The Original Power Rangers
• Metalix
• Silver
• Cristal
• Mega
• Prismatic

There were World Pog Federation pogs in Canada, the US and Australia too, but were produced by other companies, such as the Canada Games Company, or Crown & Andrews.

Tazos were also popular in the UK - these were effectively pogs with notches along their circumference which meant they could be connected together and used to construct rudimentary 3D shapes. They were given away free in packets of Walkers Crisps and usually featured licenced properties - notably scenes from Star Wars and Looney Tunes.

[edit] Military uses

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the United States Department of Defense's largest and oldest exchange system, distributes pog-like coinage as change at its stores in contingency areas (those supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom).^[12] The reason for adopting pogs as currency was that supply flights overseas had limited capacity and high costs.^[1] Metal coinage weighs significantly more than plastic pogs. However, since only Congress can order US currency made and the pogs stay within the AAFES system, they are "gift certificates" instead of currency.^[1] While they are only issued in contingency areas, they are redeemable at any AAFES store worldwide.^[12]

British military forces deployed in the southern portion of Iraq in the vicinity of Basra utilize their own version of pogs in their establishments. They are constructed of plastic and circulate freely alongside AAFES pogs.

[edit] International Rankings

Funrise, which is the mother company of the World Pog Federation, compiled active pog rankings on their website. While there were not competators from all countries around the world, the rankings were inclusive of many countries and certified by the World Pog Federation, which is the de facto international governing body of pogs. Since minors were included on the list, often times champions were listed by pseudonyms only (ie BlueSharkUS8), with the color and descriptor chosen by the user, and the later codes referring geographically to the user.

The listing of openly named champions is as follows:

* Braden, Sonoma CA, peaked top 100 internationally   
* Cory, Santa Fe NM, peaked top 10 internationally, though Pog certificaton later revoked   
* Franc, Versailles France, peaked top 10 internationally   
* Grant, Tinley Park IL, peaked top 100 internationally   
* Nick, Omaha NE, peaked top 10 internationally   
* Marco, Geneve Switzerland, peaked top 10 internationally   
* Ruwan, Colombo Sri Lanka, peaked top 100 internationally

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Reference site for AAFES pogs, with image galleries