Ball in a cup
Encyclopedia
Cup-and-ball is a traditional children's toy
consisting of a wooden cup with a handle
, and a ball
which is attached to a string
, which is attached to the cup. It is popular in Spanish
-speaking countries, where it is called "boliche". The name varies across many countries — in Argentina
, Ecuador
, Colombia
, and Mexico
it is called "balero"; in Spain
it is "boliche"; in Brazil
it is called "bilboquê"; in Chile
it is "boliche" or "emboque"; in Colombia
it is called "coca" or "ticayo"; and in Venezuela
the game is called "perinola". A variant game, Kendama
, known in English as Ring and Pin, is popular in Japan.
. This frivolous monarch was often seen playing in public. After his death, the game went out of fashion. For 100 years the game was only remembered by a small number of enthusiasts such as the Marquis de Biévre.
The game had its golden age during the reign of Louis XV
— among the upper classes people owned baleros made of ivory. Actors also sometimes appeared with them in scenes. The game was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The main goal of the game is to get the ball into the cup. While the concept is very easy, mastering the game sometimes requires many hours of practice. To play, the player holds the cup by the handle and lets the ball hang freely. The player then tosses the ball upward by jerking the arm holding the toy, attempting to catch the ball in the cup.
There are several styles of gameplay such as “la simple,” “la doble,” “la vertical,” "la mariquita,” “la puñalada,” and “la porteña.” Some tricks that can be done are “capirucho,” “por atrás,” and “media vuelta.”
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
consisting of a wooden cup with a handle
Handle (grip)
A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that can be moved or used by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following tradition...
, and a ball
Ball
A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
which is attached to a string
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
, which is attached to the cup. It is popular in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking countries, where it is called "boliche". The name varies across many countries — in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
it is called "balero"; in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
it is "boliche"; in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
it is called "bilboquê"; in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
it is "boliche" or "emboque"; in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
it is called "coca" or "ticayo"; and in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
the game is called "perinola". A variant game, Kendama
Kendama
A is a traditional Japanese toy which consists of a wooden, hammer-like object with a ball connected to it by a string. In English, kendama may be referred to as ring and pin and bears similarities to the classic cup-and-ball game, known in the Latin American world as balero...
, known in English as Ring and Pin, is popular in Japan.
Construction
A cup-and-ball consists of a small ball (usually made of wood) connected to the handle of the cup by a string of 35 to 40 centimeters. The cup is shaped to fit the ball.History
The cup-and-ball has its origins in Mexico in the sixteenth century. The game was loved by King Henry III of FranceHenry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
. This frivolous monarch was often seen playing in public. After his death, the game went out of fashion. For 100 years the game was only remembered by a small number of enthusiasts such as the Marquis de Biévre.
The game had its golden age during the reign of Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
— among the upper classes people owned baleros made of ivory. Actors also sometimes appeared with them in scenes. The game was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Gameplay
There are several styles of gameplay such as “la simple,” “la doble,” “la vertical,” "la mariquita,” “la puñalada,” and “la porteña.” Some tricks that can be done are “capirucho,” “por atrás,” and “media vuelta.”
Rules
- The player must not use any body part other than their handle-holding arm to catch the ball.
- The player must not purposefully bounce the ball off their body to change its trajectoryTrajectoryA trajectory is the path that a moving object follows through space as a function of time. The object might be a projectile or a satellite, for example. It thus includes the meaning of orbit—the path of a planet, an asteroid or a comet as it travels around a central mass...
.
In popular culture
- The Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode, "The Fat Guy StranglerThe Fat Guy Strangler"The Fat Guy Strangler" is the seventeenth episode of season four of Family Guy, which originally aired on November 27, 2005. Lois discovers she has a long-lost brother, Patrick...
," included a humorous TV commercialTelevision advertisementA television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
featuring the toy, saying it has been Mexico's favorite toy for 340 years. The gag was referred to in a later episode, "Padre de FamiliaPadre de Familia (Family Guy episode)"Padre de Familia" is a season six episode of the FOX animated series Family Guy. Guest starring are Carrie Fisher as Peter's supervisor, Angela, Phyllis Diller as Peter's mother, Thelma Griffin and Gabriel Iglesias as Gerardo....
." - The toy was parodied in The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Marge Be Not ProudMarge Be Not Proud"Marge Be Not Proud" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. In the episode, Marge refuses to buy Bart the new video game Bonestorm, so he steals it from a local discount store...
". - In the "Sign Language!" episode of OobiOobiOobi is an American children's television series. Based on an award-winning short-form series, the show is directed toward preschoolers. It currently airs on Nick Jr. . It was created by Josh Selig and produced by his company Little Airplane Productions.It is currently shown at 2:00am and 2:30am...
, a deaf girl named Amy impresses Oobi and Kako with her technique, to the point of being dubbed "Cup-Ball Queen." She takes a deep breath, then gets the ball into the cup with a brusque flick of her wrist. - In the BlackadderBlackadderBlackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...
episode "Bells", Lord Percy asks Bob if he'd like to play a game of cup-and-ball. Later in the episode Queenie is seen playing with a cup-and-ball. - In The Wise Man's FearThe Wise Man's FearThe Wise Man's Fear is a fantasy book by Patrick Rothfuss released March 1, 2011. It is the second volume in the ongoing trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle.-Plot:...
, a story within a storyStory within a storyA story within a story, also rendered story-within-a-story, is a literary device in which one narrative is presented during the action of another narrative. Mise en abyme is the French term for a similar literary device...
tells of Jax, a boy who is shown many wonderful things, none of which make him happy. Another character interrupts the tale: "Ball and cup doesn't make anyone happy," Marten muttered. "That's the worst toy ever. Nobody in their right mind enjoys ball and cup."