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Thumb war

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A thumb war

A thumb war or thumb wrestling is a children's game played by two players in a tournament called a thumb-a-war (or thumb war) using the thumbs to simulate fighting.[1] The object of the game is to pin the opponent's thumb, often to a count of three.[2][3] The San Francisco Chronicle called the game "the miniature golf of martial sports."[2]

The players face each other and each holds out their left hand or right hand in a "thumbs up",[4] and they link hands in a monkey grip. The game is typically initiated with both the players uttering the rhyme "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war", and their thumbs passing over each other in time with this rhyme.[5] The rhyme is sometimes extended with "Five, six, seven, eight, try to keep your thumb straight."[6] Another variation of the second half of the rhyme is " Five, six, seven, eight, you are stupid, I am great. " Gameplay has several tactics such as "playing possum", aiming for the knuckle rather than the nail for a pin,[3] going for a quick strike, and waiting for one's opponent to tire.[7] Variations include making the thumbs "bow", "kiss", or both before warring, and to war with both hands at once.[8]

US army MP playing thumb war with an Iraqi boy in Baghdad

Competitive matches on thumb wrestling have been held in Long Island[9] and Lowestoft.[10] The 826 Valencia Foundation holds an annual thumb-wrestling competition, which has been won three times by San Francisco Chronicle book editor Oscar Villalon.[11]

Writer Norman Mailer was passionate about thumb wrestling.[12] Author and humorist Paul Davidson claims that his grandfather Bernard Davidson invented thumb war in the 1940s.[13] American copywriter Julian Koenig claimed to have invented thumb wrestling in 1936 as a boy at Camp Greylock.[14]

The thumb wrestling ring is a popular toy used for thumb wrestling.[15][16] The players insert their thumbs in opposite sides and proceed with the thumb war. This toy was invented by Grant Avalon and his wife Jen Beaumont[citation needed].

Art group monochrom created a ruleset for "Massive Multiplayer Thumb-Wrestling".

See also

References

  1. ^ Dieleman, Hans; Huisingh, Don (2006). "The Potentials of Games in Learning and Teaching About Sustainable Development" (PDF). Journal of Cleaner Production: 18. ISSN 0959-6526.
  2. ^ a b Villalon, Oscar (8 December 2003). "1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a thumb war". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  3. ^ a b Villalon, Oscar (3 December 2006). "THE SEMI-SWEET SCIENCE One, two, three, four. I declare ..." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  4. ^ Beard, Polly (27 June 2009). "Games to play in your tent on rainy days". The Times. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  5. ^ Gunter, Veronika Alice (2005). The Ultimate Indoor Games Book: The 200 Best Boredom Busters Ever!. Lark Books. p. 128. ISBN 1579906257. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Haslam, Nick (2004). Relational models theory: a contemporary overview. Routledge. p. 374. ISBN 0805853561.
  7. ^ Orr, Elizabeth (22 November 2006). "THUMBS UP!". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  8. ^ Collard, Mark (2005). No props: great games with no equipment. Project Adventure, Inc. p. 218. ISBN 0934387052.
  9. ^ Ketcham, Diane (29 November 1987). "LONG ISLAND JOURNAL". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  10. ^ "Thumb wars descend on Lowestoft". The Lowestoft Journal. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  11. ^ Mankiewicz, Josh (26 March 2007). "A real thumbs up for helping kids write well". NBC News. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  12. ^ "A Letter From The Publisher". TIME. 16 July 1973. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  13. ^ "Who Invented The Game Thumb War". Words for my enjoyment. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  14. ^ "This American Life: Origin Story". June 9, 2009.
  15. ^ http://www.dumb-inventions.com/inventions/games/
  16. ^ Tweney, Dylan (30 September 2009). "Pocket Players: 13 Great Portable Games". Wired.com. Retrieved 2009-10-20.

Further reading

External links

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