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Chinese Jacks

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Chinese Jacks were made of small plastic rings. One ring was in the center and all the other rings were attached to that center ring. It was like a key-ring with a lot of keys. This created the Chinese Jack.

The way we played Chinese Jacks was a balancing game. You started with one Jack in your hand (palm up) and threw the Jack in the air. The object was to catch the Jack on the back of your hand. If you caught it, you would add one more Jack to your hand and throw both Jacks up. This went until you dropped a Jack.

I remember that when I got good at the game, I didn't have enough Chinese Jacks so I would remove some of the rings off each Jack to create slightly smaller jacks. However, there was a point at which you had removed so many rings that they were no longer even proper Chinese Jacks!

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Do You Remember Chinese Jacks?

Do You Remember Chinese Jacks?

  • Anonymous user
    on
    They are available on www.wackyjax.net!
  • Anonymous user
    on
    Those were my favorite toys and till this day in my adult years still my favorite...Anyone want to play??
  • Anonymous user
    on
    Wow! This brings back so many memories! My sisters and I loved Chinese Jacks. We had a lot of fun collecting them and coming up with different color combinations. We thought they were so beautiful. We played with them on the playground and with other girls in the neighborhood. If you didn't play with Chinese Jacks, you just weren't cool. ^^ We used them to play hop-scotch with them as well as the other versions of jacks already mentioned. Now I've got to get my hands on some!
  • Anonymous user
    on
    I remember collecting chinese jacks and trading them with all my friends at recess. We used ours to play hopscotch. You weren't cool if you didn't! :+) I havent meant too many people who remember them...I was cleaning a lady's house and came across a baggie full of chinese jacks. I got so excited she said I could have them. I dont know what I'll do with them, but I'm very happy to have them again.
  • Anonymous user
    on
    I remember that you would choose your "starting" jack--mine was made up of pink and purple rings. also we had many different "levels" that we would go through when playing. at the beginning, you would start with your "starting" jack, throw it up in the air, scoop up your next jack (how many did we have altogether, five?), then throw that one up and scoop up the next (not catching the one thrown up). then, when you'd gone through all five, you'd throw up your "starting" jack, scoop up all four other jacks, then catch the one you just threw up. the would come the part where you would catch between one and five of your jacks on the back of you hand, then toss them up and catch them all in your hand (how did we keep track of points? were there points? i can't remember what would happen if you tossed all five jacks off the back of your hand, but didn't manage to catch them all)...

Do you remember these?