Monday, Monday

[fflo]

yup

I just removed "holly" from my info page interests. A little overdue there, I reckon. Though perhaps not as overdue as I'd like to pretend.

Then I e-mailed the people at Playthings Past (where I got the "j" in vjsmom his Whee-Lo recently) about a toy/game I remembered, haven't seen lately, and couldn't figure out how to Google. Does this sound familiar to any of you? It was simple in design: two metal rods anchored about an inch apart on one end & suspended over a series of point-valued holes into which would drop a metal ball, further along for more points. The idea was that you'd carefully pull the bars apart ever so slightly so that the ball would start to fall between the rounded rods, then you'd bring them back together just enough that the momentum would keep the ball coming toward you, but not so much it'd fall. The base was usually made of wood, as I remember. The ball was a little smaller than a golf ball and a little bigger than the stock smallish superball generally sold in gumball-style vending machines.

Root-beer-smellin' pencil for anyone who can find it for me, since lovelikeyeast turned down the prize for her mathematical wizardry here a little while ago.

Comments

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I know just the game you mean, though I'm damned if I can remember what it's called. Although, I wonder if they'd have it in that little generic game section they have at Toys R Overpriced Us.

[infinitepresent.livejournal.com]

yea i know what you're talking about too. i'll be damned if that thing didn't always get the best of me.

no idea where you might find one.

[aabassplayer.livejournal.com]

It's called Shoot the Moon or Space Force....search on google for Shoot The Moon game.

http://www.boardgames.com/spfomoga.html

Here's an interesting twist on the game:

http://www.playthingspast.com/rc705.html

And here's another version:

http://www.unclesgames.com/product_info.php/products_id/7567?osCsid=2947064422e07f40fa8a0177d3a7479d

[aabassplayer.livejournal.com]

Root-beer smellin pencils may be deposited at Weber's Inn for room 116. ;-)

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Toys R Overpriced Us (ha!) didn't even have Whee-Los. The bastahdz.

It actually used to be sold in the sort of catalogs/stores that had what you might think of as the forerunners of ---what's that store called, Brookstone? The establishment in malls that has gadgetry for guys, plus, like, massage chairs & such. Anyway, back in the day I'd peruse the offerings of catalogs a lot, and the same ones that'd have nice bocce balls and other yard-type games for adults like that would have toys like the toy in question. As I recall it, anyway.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

my hero!!

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Are you seriously there? In town, now?

[aabassplayer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am....I'm in town for the week...Though, really I was joking about dropping off the pencil...though I'm a big fan of root-beery smelling writing devices, I usually prefer the gel-extruding variety of scribing implements.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

aw, shucks. i'da delivered, too! wonder if i have some gel-extruding scribing implement at home. (i do love the way you put that)

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Some day, you've got to host a pencil smellin' party.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

you're right! i'm clearly never going to give the thing away as a prize. :}

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Ownership of such a unique artifact would be such a responsibility. We just want to experience it!

[fflo.livejournal.com]

At least there's some passion out there for the root-beer-smellin'ness in this world.