Cup-and-ball (or ball in a cup) or ring and pin is a traditional children's toy. It is generally a wooden handle to which a small ball is attached by a string and that has one or two cups, or a spike, upon which the player tries to catch the ball. It is popular in Spanish-speaking countries, where it is called by a wide number of names (including boliche in Spain, Capirucho in El Salvador and balero in most of Hispanic America), and was historically popular in France as the bilboquet. A similar toy with three cups and a spike called ''
kendama
The is a traditional Japanese skill toy. It consists of a handle (''ken''), a pair of cups (''sarado''), and a ball (''tama'') that are all connected together by a string. On one end of the ''ken'' is a cup, while the other end of ''ken'' is na ...
'' is very popular in Japan and has spread globally in popularity.
History
The game was created in the 14th century and has been improved in different ways since then.
Americas
In North America it was both a child's toy and a gambling mechanism for adults, and involved catching a ring rather than a ball. In some Native American tribes it was even a courtship device, where suitors would challenge the objects of their interest to a polite game of ring and pin. The
Mohave variant of the game included up to 17 extra rings attached to the cord, and game scoring involved differing point values assigned to different rings.
Other variants include those played by the
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
of what is now
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
, with a rabbit's skull in place of the ball, with extra holes bored into it, which had to be caught on the handle like a skewer; and those that used balls of grass or animal hair.
Ring and pin games in general were known as ''ajagak, ayagak, ajaquktuk'' in
Inuit dialects.
France
The cup-and-ball is noted in France as early as the sixteenth century.
The game was played by King
Henry III of France as historical records note, though his playing was considered evidence of his mental instability.
[ - ''"it is lamentable to read of the pitiful imbecility which could induce the king, the day following his indignant protest, to sally forth from the Louvre at the head of a disorderly troop, and to parade the streets of the capital playing with a cup-and-ball.''] After his death, the game went out of fashion, and for a century the game was only remembered by a small number of enthusiasts such as the Marquis de Bièvre.
The game had its golden age during the reign of
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
— among the upper classes people owned baleros made of ivory. Actors also sometimes appeared with them in scenes. The game was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
mentions the game early in his ''
Confessions'' when stating his reservations about idle talk and hands, saying "If ever I went back into society I should carry a cup-and-ball in my pocket, and play with it all day long to excuse myself from speaking when I had nothing to say."
Iberian world
The game is very popular in the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora. The name varies across many countries — in
El Salvador and
Guatemala it is called capirucho; in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
,
Colombia,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
it is called balero; in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
it is boliche; in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
it is called bilboquê; in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
it is emboque; in
Colombia it is called coca; and in
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
the game is called perinola.
In 1960, American lexicographer Charles Keilus (1919-1997) documented the term ''zingo paya'' for a cup-and-ball game in Tijuana, Mexico, and formed the Zingo Paya Society in Los Angeles to promote the toy and its collection.
England
This game was also popular in England during the early 19th century, as
Jane Austen is reputed to have excelled while entertaining her nephew in a game called ''Bilbo Catcher''.
There is one picture at the National Portrait Gallery of a young girl playing the game. It appears to be a copy of a painting from Philip Mercier although the original painting has not been found.
Unlike other 18th century toys, which are found repeatedly in artwork, cup and ball games are rare with only two known pictures, one copied from the other.
There is also picture and set of games, discovered on the
Mary Rose
The ''Mary Rose'' (launched 1511) is a carrack-type warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. She served for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her ...
, currently on display at the
Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, England
Cup_and_ball_game_with_ Cup_and_ball_game_with_nine_men's_morris">nine_men's_morris">Cup_and_ball_game_with_nine_men's_morris
_Japan
The_game_of_
kendama_
The__is_a_traditional__Japanese_skill_toy._It_consists_of_a_handle_(''ken''),_a_pair_of_cups_(''sarado''),_and_a_ball_(''tama'')_that_are_all_connected_together_by_a_string._On_one_end_of_the_''ken''_is_a_cup,_while_the_other_end_of_''ken''_is_na_...
_is_believed_to_have_arrived_in_Japan_in_the_18th_century,_and_the_game_underwent_significant_modernization_and_standardization_in_the_early_20th_century,_becoming_internationally_popular_in_the_21st_century.
In_2011,_a_German_company,_TicToys,_began_to_create_a_toy_with_the_name_Ticayo._Yomega,_an_American_company_which_is_famous_for_their_