A coconut shy (or coconut shie) is a traditional game frequently found as a sidestall at

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s and fêtes. The game consists of throwing wooden balls at a row of coconuts balanced on posts. Typically a player buys three balls and wins when each coconut is successfully dislodged. In some cases other prizes may be won instead of the coconuts. The word " shy" in this context means to toss or throw.

Origins

The origins of the game are unclear, but early references to it appear in the late 1800s. It probably derives from the game of

Aunt Sally Aunt Sally is a traditional English game usually played in pub gardens and fairgrounds, in which players throw sticks or battens at a ball, known as a 'dolly', balanced on top of a stick, traditionally a model of an old woman's head was sometime ...

, with coconuts being seen as an exotic prize in the late 19th century and into the 20th century. The National Fairground Archive holds a photograph of a coconut shy dating from 1890. The game is mentioned by Graham Greene in ‘The Ministry ou Fear’in 1943

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
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'' in 1897, by

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

in ''

The Story of the Treasure Seekers ''The Story of the Treasure Seekers'' is a novel by E. Nesbit first published in 1899. It tells the story of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius (H. O.) Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover ...

'' in 1899, and by P.G. Wodehouse in his short story, "The Purity of the Turf". The term is first listed in the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

'' in 1903. One theory suggests the coconut shy may have originated at the annual Pleasure Fair in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

in 1867. That event took place on the town's Fairfield, not far from a coconut fibre mill on the Hogsmill river. The ''Surrey Comet'' reported how "for the small sum of one penny, you could have three throws with sticks with the prospect of getting a cocoa nut..." The coconuts could have come from nearby Middle Mill, which advertised in the ''Surrey Comet'' as "The Patent Cocoa Fibre Co Ltd the only cocoa nut fibre manufactory in Surrey. All descriptions of mats in cocoa nut fibre made to order wholesale". Today the only reminder of Kingston's association with coconuts is a pub in Mill Street, which was the principal route between Fairfield and Middle Mill for several centuries. Called "The Cocoanut", it is not only spelled the old way but is furthermore the only pub in Britain with that name. However, there is a similar game shown in etchings by Thomas Rowlandson. ''Sketch on York Race Ground'' (1804) shows a carnival game in which sticks are thrown at various shaped objects atop posts; the drawing was etched and printed in 1805 titled ''Gaffers at a Country Fair'', and a revised version was printed in 1808 titled ''Doncaster Fair the Industrious Yorkshirebites''. An image in the lower left corner of ''A Prospect of Greenwich Fair'', from ''Manners and Cvstoms of ye Englyshe in 1849'', no 13, Getty Images, shows the same game with taller poles and the coconuts shown atop them. According to a source described as an official from the Showman's Guild, coconut shies began at the Cambridge Midsummer Fair with cockerels as the targets rather than coconuts.

Popular culture

The game is celebrated in the 1944 music hall song "

I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" is a novelty song composed in 1944 (as "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts") by Fred Heatherton, a songwriting pseudonym for a collaboration of English songwriters Harold Elton Box (1903–1981) and Desmond Co ...

", best known from recordings and performances by

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in the 1950s. More recently the song was used by

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in the film ''

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''. In

Rumer Godden Margaret Rumer Godden (10 December 1907 – 8 November 1998) was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably ''Black Narcissus'' in 1947 and '' The River'' in ...

's short story "

Candy Floss Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifu ...

," the titular Candy Floss is a doll who "assists" in running a coconut shy along with her owner. The story describes the set-up and management of an early 20th century coconut shy and life on the road as the group follows the fair in a van. On ''

The Mighty Boosh The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six-episode radio series, it has since spanned a total of 20 television episodes for BBC Three which aired ...

'',

Howard Moon ''The Mighty Boosh'' is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Recurring characters from the The Mighty Boosh, television series, the The Mighty Boosh (radio series), radio series, and the various stage sho ...

makes a joke to Vince's coconut friend, Precious, about being "coconut shy", in the episode entitled "

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". At the end of the episode, Howard and Vince's heads are balanced on posts, with coconut people throwing balls at them. In the song he wrote as part of the ''

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'' OST, "Hiding Tonight",

Alex Turner Alexander David Turner (born 6 January 1986) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is well known as the frontman and principal songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys, with whom he has released seven albums. He ...

talks about playing the coconut shy, winning a prize even if it's rigged, and not knowing when to stop In the fourth episode of the first series of ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

'',

Lady Mary Crawley This is a list of characters from ''Downton Abbey'', a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece (TV series), Masterpiece for ITV (TV network), ITV and PBS, respectively ...

and Matthew Crawley meet at a coconut shy at the village fair. In the eighth episode of the final season, while discussing whether the unconscious Thomas would mind if his wet clothes were removed, Mrs Hughes remarks, "He's past minding if we put him in a shy and threw coconuts." In the second episode of the second season of ''

Fleabag ''Fleabag'' is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was originally produced by Two Brothers Pictures for d ...

'', a church fundraising event features a coconut shy. As Fleabag is leaving the event, she is seen carrying a coconut (presumably won from the coconut shy) before being stopped by the priest who asks for the coconut back as they are on hire. The 1981 Squeeze song " Vanity Fair" contains the lyrics "Coconut shy but vanity fair". In the episode "Coconut Shy" of '' Mr. Bean: The Animated Series,'' Mr. Bean plays a coconut shy at a funfair, but, after failing to win, he sneaks inside and finds it is a cheat. In the ''

Thomas and Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

'' special '' Calling All Engines!'', the engines start to have nightmares of what their fates will be if they fail to open a new airport to attract holiday makers. James dreams that he is converted to a coconut shy at a funfair as children and the Fat Controller toss balls at him.

Other countries

In German-speaking countries the game of ''Dosenwerfen'' (throw cans) is popular for school parties, as well as in professional stalls at fairgrounds. It involves throwing balls at stacks of empty tin cans. In France, a similar game known as ''Chamboule-Tout'' is frequently found at fun fairs. In the U.S. and Canada, milk cans are commonly used.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* Britis
National Fairground Archive
at

Sheffield University , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

Amusement park attractions Games of physical skill

Origins

Popular culture

Other countries

See also

References

External links