Kick the can
Encyclopedia
Tip the can is a children's game related to tag
, hide and seek
, and capture the flag
which can be played outdoors, with as many as three to a few dozen players. The game is one of skill, strategy, and stealth as well as fleetness.
One person or a team of people is designated as "it" and a can or similar object—paint can or metal pail or bucket—is placed in an open space: the middle of a backyard, a green, a cove or cul de sac, parking lot or street. The other players run off and hide while "it" covers his or her eyes and counts to a previously decided number. "It" then tries to find and tag each of the players. Any player who is tagged (caught and touched) is sent to the holding pen (jail) which is simply a designated area for all the captured players to congregate, generally in plain sight of the can. Any player who has not been caught can "Tip the can". If they can do this without being caught, then one of the captured players is set free each time the can is Tipped -- the first person caught is the first to be set free, the second caught the second to be set free, etc until the person Tipping the can is tagged or all the captured players are freed. If "it" catches all of the players he or she wins that round and generally a new "it" is designated for the next round. The new "it" is usually the person that has been held the longest by the time round ends.
In another variation, when "it" sees or finds a person hiding, "it" must run back to the can and place one foot on it while saying the found person is in the can (i.e. "Tim is in the can") before the found person is able to reach the can and Tip it. Thus, once a person is found or seen by "it", the game becomes a race to the can between the found person and "it". In order for someone to be caught and put in "jail", "it" must have beat the found person to the can and pronounced that person "in the can". "It" also could say "1–2–3 on.." whoever they found, while touching the can. [This variant is also called "Pan Hoop" in Trinidad & Tobago]
As another variation, more than one can (or milk cartons—easier on bare feet when Tipping them over) is used. The cartons are scattered at the beginning of the game when everyone runs to hide. "It" must gather them and stack them so they don't fall over. Then, when "it" spots someone hiding, "it" must run back and touch the tower of cartons without knocking them down. If they fall, the "caught" hider can run away and hide again. If they remain standing, the hider goes to jail. While "it" is searching for others, someone not yet caught can sneak in and Tip over the cartons, freeing those in jail.
In some cases, if the can is being Tipped by one of the players that was hiding, instead of tagging the Tipper to prevent the Tipper from freeing any more captured players, the "it" must get in a Tip at the can to prevent the other Tipper from freeing any more captured players.
In 1970s Warrington, England, this game was called Tip-can-a-lerky . In Yorkshire in the 1970s it was "Tin can lurgy".
Tag (game)
Tag is a playground game played worldwide that involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to tag or touch them, usually with their fingers. There are many variations...
, hide and seek
Hide and seek
Hide-and-seek or hide-and-go-seek is a variant of the game tag, in which a number of players conceal themselves in the environment, to be found by one or more seekers.-Variants:Numerous variants of the game can be found around the world...
, and capture the flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
which can be played outdoors, with as many as three to a few dozen players. The game is one of skill, strategy, and stealth as well as fleetness.
One person or a team of people is designated as "it" and a can or similar object—paint can or metal pail or bucket—is placed in an open space: the middle of a backyard, a green, a cove or cul de sac, parking lot or street. The other players run off and hide while "it" covers his or her eyes and counts to a previously decided number. "It" then tries to find and tag each of the players. Any player who is tagged (caught and touched) is sent to the holding pen (jail) which is simply a designated area for all the captured players to congregate, generally in plain sight of the can. Any player who has not been caught can "Tip the can". If they can do this without being caught, then one of the captured players is set free each time the can is Tipped -- the first person caught is the first to be set free, the second caught the second to be set free, etc until the person Tipping the can is tagged or all the captured players are freed. If "it" catches all of the players he or she wins that round and generally a new "it" is designated for the next round. The new "it" is usually the person that has been held the longest by the time round ends.
Variations
In some variations "it" merely has to call out a player's name and hiding place rather than tagging him by touch. In some variations, "it" must jump over the can after calling the player's name and location.In another variation, when "it" sees or finds a person hiding, "it" must run back to the can and place one foot on it while saying the found person is in the can (i.e. "Tim is in the can") before the found person is able to reach the can and Tip it. Thus, once a person is found or seen by "it", the game becomes a race to the can between the found person and "it". In order for someone to be caught and put in "jail", "it" must have beat the found person to the can and pronounced that person "in the can". "It" also could say "1–2–3 on.." whoever they found, while touching the can. [This variant is also called "Pan Hoop" in Trinidad & Tobago]
As another variation, more than one can (or milk cartons—easier on bare feet when Tipping them over) is used. The cartons are scattered at the beginning of the game when everyone runs to hide. "It" must gather them and stack them so they don't fall over. Then, when "it" spots someone hiding, "it" must run back and touch the tower of cartons without knocking them down. If they fall, the "caught" hider can run away and hide again. If they remain standing, the hider goes to jail. While "it" is searching for others, someone not yet caught can sneak in and Tip over the cartons, freeing those in jail.
In some cases, if the can is being Tipped by one of the players that was hiding, instead of tagging the Tipper to prevent the Tipper from freeing any more captured players, the "it" must get in a Tip at the can to prevent the other Tipper from freeing any more captured players.
In 1970s Warrington, England, this game was called Tip-can-a-lerky . In Yorkshire in the 1970s it was "Tin can lurgy".