Ants in the Pants is a

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

Schaper Toys Schaper Toys, or W.H. Schaper Mfg. Co., Inc. as it was originally known, was a game and toy company founded in 1949 by William Herbert Schaper in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. "Herb" Schaper published a variety of games but was best known for having ...

. In 1986 it was purchased by Hasbro, which still manufactures and markets the game. The name refers to an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...

atic expression in English which asserts that nervous, fidgety people must have " ants in their pants." The English word " antsy" (meaning nervous) also derives from this

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

. The fundamental pieces involved in ''Ants in the Pants'' are a free-standing pair of miniature, usually plastic, pants; and several plastic ants. The ants are color coded - each

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...

uses one color of ants - and designed so that pressing the tail stores elastic potential energy. When the tail is pressed and released, the ants spring into the air. The

object Object may refer to: General meanings * Object (philosophy), a thing, being, or concept ** Object (abstract), an object which does not exist at any particular time or place ** Physical object, an identifiable collection of matter * Goal, an ai ...

of ''Ants in the Pants'' is to spring as many of your ants as possible into the pants. Some versions of ''Ants in the Pants'' include characters which "wear" the pants. These (usually

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light b ...

) cutouts depict the character, and also serve as backboards to deflect the ants into the pants.

Plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

suspenders Suspenders (American English, Canadian English), or braces (British English, Australian English) are fabric or leather straps worn over the shoulders to hold up skirts or trousers. The straps may be elasticated, either entirely or only at attach ...

(or braces) are another common element, which serve as obstacles. This game appeared in the ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'' episode "

Damien Damien is a given name and less frequently a surname. The name is a variation of Damian (given name), Damian which comes from the Greek ''Damianos''. This form originates from the Greek derived from the Greek word δαμάζω (damazō), "(I) con ...

", in which

Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom ''South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main charact ...

receives the game as a gift instead of the toy he wanted, and throws a tantrum.

References

External links

Ants in the Pants
Retroland
Ants in the Pants
Hasbro Board games introduced in 1969 1970s toys Board games of physical skill Children's board games Milton Bradley Company games Schaper Toys games Tabletop games {{game-stub