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Milk caps (game)

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File:Pog Collection.jpg
A collection of pogs and a typical pog case
For other uses, see POG.

Pogs is a game that was popular during the 1990s.[1][2][3] 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.[3] The game of pogs possibly originated in Hawaii in the 1920s or 1930s,[1][2] or possibly with origins in a game from much earlier: Menko, a Japanese card game very similar to pogs, has been in existence since the 17th century.[4] Pogs returned to popularity when the World POG Federation and the Canada Games Company reintroduced them to the public in the 1990s. The pog fad soared in the early 1990s before rapidly fading out.[5][6]

Gameplay

Rules may vary among players, but the game variants generally have common gameplay features. Each player 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 game can then begin as followed:

  1. 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]
  2. The players take turns throwing their slammer 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.[4][7]
  3. After each throw, the pogs which have landed 'face down' are then re-stacked for the next player.
  4. When no pogs remain in the stack, the player with the most pogs is the 'winner'.[4]

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 1990s that thousands of types of pogs were manufactured, covering a wide array of toys; cartoons; movies; games; sports; images of famous people on the front of the pogs; images of famous world leaders such as Former U.K Prime Minister Tony Blair & Former U.S President Bill Clinton; PA messages such as First Aid safety, Wildlife Prevention & anti-drug and Fund raising for various charities & organizations such as the Red Cross & Cancer research. The popularity of the game spawned POG prizes at major fast-food chains (see below), as well as knockoffs, such as "Slammer Whammers," a similar game released under a different brand name. Pogs can sometimes still be found on eBay and in game and card stores. During the early 1990s a US national pog tournament was held every February 7 in honor of the game's inventor's birthday.

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[8] and many western European Countries such as Germany and the U.K. Other bannings occurred across Australia.

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.[9] 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, Taco Bell, Del Taco, Carl's Jr. (Hardee's) 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.[10] 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.[11] 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]

World POG Federation & Pogman

The World POG Federation, or WPF for short was probably the biggest brand of pogs in the UK. Most POGs feature the POG mascot, called Pogman.It was also considered the official pogs in North America With all other pog brands being considered imitators.

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

Pog Sets

Series[12]

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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.

Several waves of Playmates' Star Trek action figures came with bonus collectible, numbered "Space Caps", featuring artwork of the figures themselves.

Tazos were also popular in the UK and Australia - 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 licensed properties - notably scenes from Star Wars, Looney Tunes and Pokémon.

Military uses

File:AAFESpogs.jpg
AAFES pogs are double sided and thin. One side has the gift certificate value while the other has a scene from military life.

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).[13] 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 the paper pogs, which are also much thinner than stardard 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.[13]

British military forces that were once deployed in southern Iraq in the vicinity of Basrah utilized their own version of pogs in their establishments. They were constructed of plastic and circulated freely alongside AAFES pogs.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Pennies, POGs -- dollars, cents of setting up shop in a war zone". Air Force Print News Today. 2005-06-06. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  2. ^ a b "POG Is Back!; Funrise Heads to Hawaii Where It All Began to Re-Introduce the International Collectible Craze of the 90s". Business Wire. 2005-12-05. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Tommi: "Pogs: The Milkcap Guide", page 23. Andrews and McMeel, 1994
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Flipping out pogs are popping up everywhere as the game that is sweeping through the nation catches on with South Hampton Roads youngsters". The Virginian Pilot (Landmark Communications, Inc.). 1995-03-07. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  5. ^ DeMasters, Tiffany. "90s pog fad still has a few die-hard fans", Deseret News, July 11, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2009.
  6. ^ Angilly, Paul. "There was some good, some bad from 1993", The New Britain Herald, December 31, 2003. Accessed July 29, 2009.
  7. ^ "How to Play pogs". Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  8. ^ "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Ban 'Em", Stay Free!, no. 13, April 1997{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ Lewis, Tommi: "Pogs: The Milkcap Guide, invented by Laura Donahue chapter 7. Andrews and McMeel, 1994
  10. ^ a b Lewis, Tommi: "Pogs: The Milkcap Guide", page 100. Andrews and McMeel, 1994
  11. ^ Lewis, Tommi: "Pogs: The Milkcap Guide", page 99. Andrews and McMeel, 1994
  12. ^ The World POG Federation
  13. ^ a b "Why pogs and not legal tender?" (website). Stars and Stripes (Pacific Edition). 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
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