New York Street Games (film)
Encyclopedia
New York Street Games is a 2010 documentary film
directed by Matt Levy about children's games played by kids in New York City
for centuries. The games are fondly remembered by people who grew up in the city. Current and historical documentary footage shows children playing these games. The story is brought to the present with discussions of the current role of street games and opinions as to what kids lose by not having the freedom to play without adult supervision, most importantly the social skills developed when kids could play in the streets.
Many of the ball games featured are most often played with a pink rubber ball called a Spaldeen
. Anybody who grew up playing these games can be transported back to their childhood just by smelling a Spaldeen.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Matt Levy about children's games played by kids in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for centuries. The games are fondly remembered by people who grew up in the city. Current and historical documentary footage shows children playing these games. The story is brought to the present with discussions of the current role of street games and opinions as to what kids lose by not having the freedom to play without adult supervision, most importantly the social skills developed when kids could play in the streets.
Synopsis
New York Street Games lovingly recalls a central feature of the lives of hundreds of thousands of children who grew up in New York City in the twentieth century: games played in the streets of the city.Many of the ball games featured are most often played with a pink rubber ball called a Spaldeen
Spaldeen
thumb| 250px|Modern-day SpaldeenA Spalding Hi-Bounce Ball, often called a Spaldeen , is a small pink rubber ball, somewhat similar to a racquetball, supposedly made from the defective core of a tennis ball without the felt. It was the more expensive and more popular version of the Pensie Pinkie...
. Anybody who grew up playing these games can be transported back to their childhood just by smelling a Spaldeen.
The Games
- StickballStickballStickball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, typically a spaldeen, pensie pinkie, high bouncer or tennis ball. The...
- RingolevioRingolevioRingolevio is a children's game which may be played anywhere but which originates in the teeming streets of Depression-era New York City. It is one of the many variations of tag. It requires close team work and near-military strategy. In some quarters this game is known as Manhunt which is really...
- Stoopball
- Kick the canKick the canTip 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...
- PunchballPunchballPunchball is a sport spawned by and similar to baseball, but without a pitcher, catcher, or bat.The "batter" essentially plays "fungo" without a bat, bouncing or tossing up the ball and then using a volleyball-type approach to put the ball in play, punching the ball with his closed fist...
- HopscotchHopscotchHopscotch is a children's game that can be played with several players or alone. Hopscotch is a popular playground game.- Court and rules :- The court :...
- Slapball
- Hit the Stick
- SkullySkully (game)Skully is a children's game played on the streets of New York City and other urban areas. Sketched on the street usually in chalk, a skully board allows a game for two to six players...
- Double DutchDouble Dutch (jump rope)Double dutch is a game in which two long jump ropes turning in opposite directions are jumped by one or more players jumping simultaneously.While double dutch began in the inner cities of America, it is growing in popularity throughout the US and the world...
- Johnny on a PonyBuck buckBuck buck is a game with several variants. One version of the game is played when "one player climbs another’s back" and the climber guesses "the number of certain objects out of sight." Another version of the game is played with "one group of players [climbing] on the backs of a second group in...
- Boxball
- Steal the BaconSteal the BaconSteal the Bacon is a tag-based children's game, in which teams try to steal a flag or other item from the field without being tagged.-Rules:...
- Ace-King-Queen
- Red RoverRed RoverRed Rover is an outdoor game played primarily by children on playgrounds. This 19th century children's group game is thought to have originated in Britain and then spread to Australia, Canada and the United States.Røver is a Norwegian word for "pirate", so perhaps the...
- Off the WallOff the wallOff the wall may refer to:*Off the Wall , a 1979 album by Michael Jackson**"Off the Wall" , the title song*Off the Wall , a 1991 arcade game*Off the Wall , a 1989 video game...
- Box Baseball