Did you play with pirate toys as a child? Perhaps imagined that the sofa was a ship and the yard stick a cutlass? What sort of pirate toys kept your interest?
Well, it wasn't actual pirate toys, and it was more like treasure hunting...
My two boy cousins and me were all born in the same year, so the family always stuck us together to play. My g-g'ma had a huge outbuilding/barn/storage area that had tons of goodies. She had this HUGE trunk that held all sorts of old neat looking stuff (plates, knick-knacks, clothes, etc.) So we'd run all over the place with old paper (the treasure maps) hunting for the hidden treasure.
My brother and I had a Roman galley that actually ran on batteries it would roll along the floor with the row of oars on both sides going back and forth. Belive it or not, our favorite game with it was to reenact the scene in "Ben Hur" where the Roman fleet fights the Silician pirates! The figures that came with the ship were Roman legionaries and we used to use plastic Indians to be the pirates. Those were the days . . .
These are a favorite of mine!
http://www.megolike.com/matchbox.htm
We always re-enacted scenes from 'Goonies', 'Capt. Blood', 'Peter Pan', 'Blackbeard's Ghost', and the occaisional 'Jason and the Argonauts'.
My mom's drying line would be our zipcord to 'fly' down from the top mainsail
(the bench on the porch) down to where the bad guys were invading (the back stoop)
That poor drying line had to be replaced at least a dozen times.
The tree in the front yard was the Never Tree and all the girls would be hold up in the tree as the Lost Boys while the boys were the Pirates. I would like to say we won all the time, but, I will admit most times, we broke even.
In the Autumn, we'd all be out in the fields having 'cannon' fights with dirt clods.
Rocks were so against the rules, yet, one always found the side of my head.
I will say I kicked Blackbeard's butt in one glorious battle where Captain Anne beat out Blackbeard and his legion of the living dead!!
Ah.. memories..
The toys kids have today for cosplay pirates are much better than what I had growing up. However Mom let us play in the woods near a lake alone. That doesn't happen as much today!
Many decades ago, city 'o Long Beach had a Parks N Rec program whereby kids from 1st grade thru whatever could make sailboats at the local waterhole. Parts was mostly precut and the kids did the filin', gluein', sandin' an paintin'. 6 different sizes was available rangin' from 12" to 40". This one be an 18 incher, summer of '66 r '67.
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q42/MikeWithTheEvilBlackHat/18.jpg)
I think the program still runs today.
My grandparents have a weeping willow at the side of their house, and willow switches make the most wonderful rapiers, especially if you can get a bit further up the branch than the very tip, where the switch is more likely to hold it's shape!
Getting hit with one while playing was never much fun, bit it was always preferable to having to go select one for punishment...
Anyone ever see these?
http://www.megolike.com/paco.htm
At Cedar Pines there was a Pirate Ship shaped jungle gym that I used to LOVE play on. Though I doubt that the ship is still there today. It's metal, set in cement and today's child in much to delicate for that.
My sister and I were always fond of the extra-long cardboard tubes that gift wrap comes on - they make EXCELLENT swords, especially when wrapped in aluminum foil (for extra 'shiny')...they are also fun to decorate with markers, crayons, glitter...any other crafty stuff :)
I had a pirate treasure chest bank!I have it still- somewhere.
Yo ho!
I loved playing pirates when I was young!
Why, Queen Bonnie... I do believe you're as young as you feel... and I know you still love playing Pirates!!! ;) :D
I made my own sword out of two sticks held together with hemp cord. We also went treasure hunting ... in my grandma's basement. The best thing we found ... some old silver coins, maybe 60 or 80 years old. But the hunt was the best ... I have quite a story for that.
My Evil Twin is the pirate now! She does not let me play!
LOL!
And YES! I feel young!