Summary
Alternative Name(s): Fiddlesticks, Spillikins, Jack Straws
Made: Moose Enterprise, circa - 1997
Obtained by Susan Barnett, curator of the 'World of Games' exhibition Springvale Historical Society, 1997. Donated by Moose Enterprise, via Springvale Historical Society, 1997.
Game which forms part of the Australian Children's Folklore Collection (ACFC).
The ACFC is unique in Australia, documenting contemporary children's folklore across Australia and in other countries reaching back to the 1870s. The Collection has a strong component of research material relating to Victoria.
The game of Pick-up Sticks is known by several names - in Victorian times it was known as Spillikins or Spelicans, and the sticks were thin pieces of ivory or bone, shaped like various implements - saw, hooks, spears, rakes, etc. Each stick was inscribed with a number, the lowest was 5 and the highest was 40. When the game was finished, players would add the value of each captured piece to see who was the winner. These 'Fiddlesticks' are contemporary adaptions of the playing sticks, and have different 'characters' with faces on the end of each stick. They are part of the range of toys produced by Moose Enterprise, of Melbourne, which all have the same design approach - bright colours, cartoony illustrations, 'characters' for playing pieces.
Physical Description
31 commercially-produced plastic pick-up sticks, in original packaging, unopened. There are 5 of each colour - blue, orange, yellow, pink, purple, green, and one black stick. Each stick has a moulded and painted face on one end. The sticks have a clear plastic carrying case, and there is a small instruction book. They are under a moulded clear plastic cover, attached to green cardboard backing, printed with illustrations of the sticks and coloured lettering. This is a toy in the range made by Moose Enterprise. Acknowledgement: Australian Children's Folklore Collection, Museum Victoria.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
Leisure, Home & Community, Public Life & Institutions, Childhood
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Acquisition Information
Cultural Gifts Donation from Dr June Factor, 18 May 1999
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Acknowledgement
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
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Manufacturer
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Inscriptions
Extensive text on front and rear of backing sheet: Play/Pick-Up Sticks/with the/Fiddle/Sticks/The pick up sticks with all the tricks
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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overall dimensions
25 cm (Length), 4 cm (Width), 31.5 cm (Height)
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References
Cassell's Book of Indoor Amusements, Card Games and Fireside Fun, 1881, facsimile edition published 1973.
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Keywords
Children's Folklore, Children's Play, Games, Marketing, Packaging, Toys, Making History - Australian Childrens Folklore