Mumblety-peg...

[Noddy]

but the idea was to make one guy eventually do the splits sos he couldn't stand anymore, or lose his balance and fall over. Last man standing wins,

we used to play a game which meant bringing your feet closer together - like Chicken

 

[purple95]

Another one was to let your knife fall off several different parts of your body starting with your hand, then wrist, then elbow , shoulder, chin, nose, etc.. and the knife had to stick in the ground leaving the handle clear of the dirt or grass. Kind of a game of h.o.r.s.e. with your knife if you will. The same honor of retrieving a peg, usually from under the soil, was awarded to the loser.

This is what we called "mumbley-peg" in the late 50's or so. You had to be able to get your extended index and middle finger under the end of the knife for the drop to count.

We usually played for marbles, tin soldiers, and other like items of great value to young men such as ourselves. I don't ever remember playing for knives.

My "weapon of choice" was a Davy Crockett model Imperial scout with yellow plastic handles. The bail was removed for what I perceived to be better balance and "dropping ability". The knife, a Christmas or birthday present from my parents during the height of the Davy Crockett craze was my EDC for quite some time. The knife is currently retired and lives in my safe.

When I got Davy out this morning for the picture, I was thrilled at re-uniting with an old friend. He will be cleaned up, sharpened, and carried for a few days.

dan

 

[sqoon]

A fond memory from my childhood was playing Mumblety-peg with my dad. Money was tight for him one summer, so he took a job painting a large house. My brother and I used to help him out, and on the hotter days, we took frequent breaks. During these breaks, my dad and I would play several rounds of mumblety-peg with a knife that I no longer recall. I think it might have been an Old Timer.

From what I read online, there are apparently many versions of mumblety-peg around. If I recall, the way we used to play it was where each player would balance the tip of the knife on their finger and flip it off and into the ground. The idea was to get it to stick. If you missed a stick, you got a point. Three points and you lose the game. After flipping it from your finger tip, your next flip would be from your palm, the back of your hand, elbow, etc. I don't know if my dad was making it up as we went along, but it was always fun. The winner would of course get three whacks of a small peg into the ground with the back of the knife and the loser would have to get it out with their teeth.

I'll be thirty this year, and I'm likely one of the younger players of this long forgotten game. My growing interest in traditionals has gotten me thinking a lot about this game and I was wondering it you all ever played it. If so, what variation did, or do you play? Any knife in particular you like playing with more?

Pete

 

[Knife Crazied]

I've heard the guys around here talk about it but I never knew what is was. I'll be watching this thread for sure.

 

[kamagong]

Here's an older thread on this very same topic. You might find it of some interest.

- Christian

 

[DennisStrickland]

we played the game as told by pete & also played stretch in the 50s. with stretch you started in opposed positions & facing each other threw the knife to the other guys side. the one whom could stretch the most without giving up & being able to continue sticking knife in the ground making the opponent reach a maximum of stretch was the winner. of course many feet were stuck but the lightweight inexpensive folders seldom caused real skin damage.--dennis

 

[T. Erdelyi]

we played the game as told by pete & also played stretch in the 50s. with stretch you started in opposed positions & facing each other threw the knife to the other guys side. the one whom could stretch the most without giving up & being able to continue sticking knife in the ground making the opponent reach a maximum of stretch was the winner. of course many feet were stuck but the lightweight inexpensive folders seldom caused real skin damage.--dennis

We played both games also a variation of stretch which went the other way, ya started feet spread apart and got closer together, the one who pulled his foot away first lost.

I didn't say we were smart....

 

[Peregrin]

I grew up in Ohio and Western PA. Mumbly-peg, as described by Flymon and purple95 was what we played. I had two cousins that were like brothers to me, one a year younger, one a year older. We were inseparable and would play this game for hours and hours. Thanks for jogging the old memory. Some of my fondest memories is the trouble we three could get into.

 

[Bumppo]

Played mumbledypeg, and we played "Chicken" too, (Stretch) but started legs wide and narrowed the stance until someone gave.

 

[gruntmedik]

Many fond memories of playing the Chicken version, the Stretch version, and the version Squoon described during the 70's and early 80's.

 

[Phil Gibbs]

I may be misremembering, but didn't this "game" originate in some form with one of the knife companies? IIRC, there were some "games to play with your knife" type premium booklets printed up by at least one of the old knife manufacturers (with most such games being dreadful things to do to any folding knife) -- as with most crimes, you need to first ask "who benefits?"

I believe Camillus held the Mumbly-Peg trademark.
I also remember seeing a small booklet on the topic in the archives too.

 

[RickT57]

A friend of my dad lost an eye playing that as a child. He has a horizontal scar in his eye and has all these years.

 

[jackknife]

I never played any of the knife games when I was a kid. To this day, I still have nightmares about what Mr. Van would have done if he found us throwing our knives into the ground, let alone in the area close to a body part.

Carl.