h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thanks, GB, but I'm pretty useless with a camera, so if you have a pair of clackers, and Fizzy has a pair of them, that should be enough material.

Ahem, I think they mean displaying clackers GB.

I hope someone does have a pic cos frankly I have no idea what they are or look like.

Are they known by any other name per chance?

For ease of clacking.........err, loading.


Entry: Clackers - A29141372
Author: Fizzymouse - Your amazing grACE!! - Have you written for the Guide this month?? - U1899683

Shouldn't post when I just wake up. When I mentioned about any other name I meant proper name as opposed to those mentioned in the article, they don't look or sound like 'proper names', if they are then I'm still non the wiser as to what clackers are.






Off for and wake up now.

There you go, ST:

http://www.marlowheights60sand70s.com/clackers.jpg

Thanks Bel. Have to say never seen them as a kid or since. I was picturing them more along the lines of the Bolas as in link below.

http://www.flight-toys.com/bolas.htm

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May I just say that the h2g2 Photographers does not have any experts. We're all amateurs and all are welcome, there's no test to pass. We have the softwear to improve a chosen pic, or we can offer advice on reshooting a good idea that just didn't quite work.

Everyone is welcome to browse the Halls of Fame of the pictures supplied by hootooers, the links are all on the Photographers homepage

<./>Photographers</.>

Thaks, GB, I know that well.
But my lacking skills in addition to a poor camera don't make it worthwhile. It takes me hours if I just want to upload pics from the camera to the pc, so I generally try to avoid it. I can't always ask my son to do it, though.

Nice entry, I remember them well (I too never broke a wrist, but I could clack ambidextrously, with both hands at the same time. I had puple forearms for about 6 months that year)

I'm a little confused by the description of how to start them off. I used to hold them out, then lift one away from the other and let them clack together (like those silver-ball-executive-toy things), as they bounced away you had to do that downward clacker-jerk thing and then they would swing up and hit each other over your hand

Mine were lime green, my brother's were blue (I think, I didn't pay any attention to him at the time)

but oh boy, this entry takes me back to the time of Mungo Jerry, Catweezle and my weekly read of Look-in

Sorry to say I had an entirely clacker-free childhood, but your entry was interesting and has made me think of other childhood toys I could write about...

Catweazle, I just mentioned him in another entry I'm writing

His observances on 20th-century life are engraved on my brain - "electrickery", the old "telling bone" and his diverse range of familiars

Thanks for the memories ...


I'll work on the getting them started section when I come back Sho, just on my way out the door ...

>>like those silver-ball-executive-toy things<<

Sho, I believe they were called either 'Newton's cradle' or 'Einstein's cradle'. Possibly the former was referring to gravity, while the latter was referring to energy. More likely it just depended on who was the supplier to prevent breach of copyright.

Fuzzy, one of the main things I remember about Clackers was that telephone lines around our area were festooned with them, as kids hurled them in the air to get as many looped over the line as possible. There was a certain amount of pride if your street had more than the neighbours' streets.

One street near the 'Ramsgate Academy' actually looked as though it was decked out for a procession or a carnival. (It was a rough estate and may still be!) Most had been 'mugged' off of other younger children.

Yes, aggressive, youth mugging even happened back then...

They were banned from Schools in that area within a relatively short space of time, due to the injuries, and that may also have accounted for the 'strange', and maybe unique, method of disposal!



MMF

I hope that's it fixed up now Sho.


...and I hope you don't mind I quoted you on that method of disposal.

You need to pop the quote into tags

I knew that, I knew that.


Thanks GB.

looking good
I'm off to eat a curly-wurly now - I bought it the other day after I'd read this but they are definitely NOT as long as they used to be!

OOOhhh


... and I could murder a spangle - blackcurrant flavour.

No worries, Fuzzy! In fact, you've tweaked my curiosity and, if I do get back to Ramsgate in a fortnight, I'm going to check the two main areas to see if the remains are still there, and get you a photo! although I'd expect the string to have rotted now...

And your next challenge, should you care to accept it, is the ankle hoop, with string and ball attached, that all girls played with, at that time, while I see if I can knock up a quick entry on Raleighs' Moulton Raleigh, RSW10 (Raleigh Small Wheel?), RSW 14, Chopper, Chipper and Grifter. Unless someone else has the time to do it!

Again, the Chopper was another banned 'toy' due to the number of kids who had broken ribs, punctured lungs and pleuresy after wedging their chest going over the crossbars. Modern versions have a bar going across, for that reason.

Btw, found it! Skip-ball...

http://www.toypost.co.uk/product.php?productid=134&cat=3&bestseller

Well done again, Fuzzy...

MMF

Thanks MMF ... I'd be curious myself.


I got an RSW 14 for Christmas ... it was red with white wheels.


We were soooo poor that I didn't have that skip ball, I had one of mum's stockings with a tennis ball in the toe and the other end tied around my ankle .....

What a curious thing it is when writing a very simple entry opens up all sorts of thoughts from the dim and distant past.

We used to tie a rope to a lampost and set a cushion on it and swing around it ... kept us busy for hours.<