When I was a kid there weren't many collectable card games. By the time Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! came out I was in high-school and past the age of their attraction. I did collect comic book cards as a kid but there was no game to go along with the collecting. Most of these card games are considered to be nothing more than fads. That is arguable, but what is true is that there was a similar fad that I did fall into. I, and I am slightly embarrassed to admit this, was a fan of Pogs. Pogs were small round pieces of cardboard or other heavier materials. The idea was that they can be collected and played with. I liked Pogs. I was good at the game. It was my fad. So I thought Pogs would be perfect for "Tat Tuesday". So let's take a look at the history of this, sadly, short lived fad.
The origin of Pogs, the game itself I mean, is somewhat disputed. The game is very similar to Menko, a Japanese card game that has existed since the 17th Century. Pogs, as they are known today, most likely originated in Hawaii in the 1920s of 1930s. The original Pogs were bottle caps for a passion-fruit, orange, and guava juice drink named Pog.
As you can see Pogs have a long and rather interesting history. None of which would matter had the World Pog Federation ( I swear that is an actual thing and not something I made up.) and Canada Games Company not reintroduced them to the world in the early 90s. Although the beginnings of that revival may have started with Blossom Galbiso. She was a teacher on the island of Oahu who introduced her students to the game. The Pogs used during the reintroduction are different from the older ones. Original Pogs were not as colorful and often had a staple going through them. The new Pogs are more uniform, made of stiffer material, and have more colorful imagery. They also have a glossy finish.
The game of Pogs is quite simple. The players use an equal number of Pogs to create a stack. They then take turns using their Slammer (The coolest part of Pogs. Slammers were Pogs made of harder, heavier materials.). After each throw the Pogs that land face up are kept by that player and the ones that land face down are placed back on the stack. When no Pogs remain the player with the most Pogs wins. Simple, easy to play, but with enough "action" to make it addicting.
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| Pogs and Sailor Moon two of my secret loves. |
Due to the decorated nature of the Pogs it was easy to make licensed versions. Pogs featuring images from popular cultural. Such as The Simpsons, The Tick, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Sailor Moon, Goosebumps, and many other kid friendly franchises. There were also Pogs branded with the logos of popular sports teams and sporting events. Not to mention educational subjects like Black History Month, US geography, and famous world leaders. Thanks to how easily adaptable they were, it was easy for Pogs to integrate themselves into any fandom.
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| Picture borrowed from here. |
With all child centered fads there was a back lash. Most Pogs games were played for keeps. Which meant the game could be classified as gambling,which was bad, and lead to confrontations, which was worse. Of course I'm overlooking the obvious. Pogs were distracting. You wanted to play with your friends and trade them instead of learning. As such Pogs were eventually banned in the schools of North America and many European Countries.
With all fads there has to be a point of over saturation. That moment when things go just a little too far. For Pogs it was the inevitable cartoon show. That show was The Legends of the Hawaiian Slammers. I actually watched a few episodes of the show. I have no idea what it was about of if I even liked it. I just know it existed.
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| These are Yu-Gi-Oh! Metallix. Made to be played with Tazos which were originally Pogs rip offs. |
As with all fads Pogs eventually disappeared. I blame video games. Why would you want to play with pieces of cardboard when you can play with a portable video game system? That doesn't explain the continued success of Pokemon the card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! the card game, or Magic the Gathering. Although a lot of the success of Pokemon comes from the video games and Magic is for a specific type of people. I guess what I am saying is "Why are people still playing Yu-Gi-Oh! the card game?". I digress. I just miss Pogs. Not that it would be that hard to just buy some. Amazon has sets of Pogs for sale at very low prices. Take a look for yourself.
On an interesting side note Pogs are used by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. This means that there are places were Pogs are legal tender. Think about that for a second. Pogs that are actually worth money. Which means that Pogs were a better fad than Beanie Babies.
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