Ooh! "Window Breakers"!

Enough to strike terror into the neighbours! :o

1948 to 1952 I terrorised the whole street!

What about you? Did you enjoy your whip and top? :hihi:

Southey green school in the 60s went through whip and top "Crazes" from time to time. For about 6 weeks each summer these tops could be seen littering the playgrounds as kids whipped them into a speed that can only be dreamed of by todays toys.

I never had one because the lads were into playing mabs and the mabs craze for the lads would co incide with the whip n top craze for the lasses. That used to cause some real bovver as a top would career into a mab circle or a mab would be whipped across the playground by a spiteful lass.

Ooh! "Window Breakers"!

Enough to strike terror into the neighbours! :o

1948 to 1952 I terrorised the whole street!

What about you? Did you enjoy your whip and top? :hihi:

I did, Window Breakers and Donkey top though why it was called adonkey top I don't know as it was shaped like an acorn.

Southey green school in the 60s went through whip and top "Crazes" from time to time. For about 6 weeks each summer these tops could be seen littering the playgrounds as kids whipped them into a speed that can only be dreamed of by todays toys.

I never had one because the lads were into playing mabs and the mabs craze for the lads would co incide with the whip n top craze for the lasses. That used to cause some real bovver as a top would career into a mab circle or a mab would be whipped across the playground by a spiteful lass.

Ooh! Mabs! Yep.....digging a "poggie" 'tween a wall and asphalt pavement......Happy days! :)

I did, Window Breakers and Donkey top though why it was called adonkey top I don't know as it was shaped like an acorn.

Window Breakers were shaped like upright mushrooms, if I recall. Can't remember seeing a donkey top, though.

Great weren't it, though. They should bring it back for the 2012 Olympics. :)

omg.still got mine i was ACE the mushroom one tho. but not bad at the donkey one..

whipt it rite round carrill road .round to keats road and back to carrill road..loved it ..

Do you recall decorating the top of your top with coloured chalks so that they made e terrific pattern as they spun, we used to see who could make the best design. Do you also remember having one with a leather whip? They stung like hell if you copped for it across your leg whilst you were thrashing the top to death. When the leather broke we used to replace it with a shoelace and sometimes made a small knot in the end to get a better whip action.
Health & Safety eat your heart out!!

duffems../ absoloutly spot on we used to put drawing pins on top aswell.

Do you also remember having one with a leather whip? They stung like hell if you copped for it across your leg whilst you were thrashing the top to death.

It was essential to have a leather whip, though.

"La pièce de resistance" if one desired "street cred" as a kid! :hihi:

jennywren/If you had a drawing pin on the top you had to use your thumb to hold the top rather than your knee otherwise it hurt like mad!
Incidentally, the top of the road where I lived was a "blank end" with a wall so it was an ideal place to play whip & top because, if you thrashed the top with all your might and it went haywire then the wall stopped it otherwise it was someone's front door/window which entailed running like the clappers to avoid being caught!

Do you recall decorating the top of your top with coloured chalks so that they made e terrific pattern as they spun, we used to see who could make the best design. Do you also remember having one with a leather whip? They stung like hell if you copped for it across your leg whilst you were thrashing the top to death. When the leather broke we used to replace it with a shoelace and sometimes made a small knot in the end to get a better whip action.
Health & Safety eat your heart out!!

Certainly do - what a great time we had with them! Loved decorating the tops with coloured chalks., I remember the leather whip too, quite painful as you say if you happened to hit your leg!!

I find it strange when I look back to realise that almost everything we played with had an element of danger with it.
The whip & top which could break windows as well as hurt like heck if you got caught with the whip.
Touch burners obviously set fire to everything that came near them.
We were sent out to the park/fishing ponds with glass jam jars and cane fishing nets.
When we played hide & seek it involved going within a mile radius of where we lived, we always got carried away and would finish up in the local park whilst we were supposed to be hiding from someone who was "on". We'd join in a game of rounders whilst we were there and then eventually go back home when it was dark having forgotten all about what we started doing hours earlier.
We'd go down to the local railway bridge where we'd stand on top of the said bridge as the steam train came under.
If we were the first home we'd have to light the fire having first chopped the wood with an axe then held the paper over the shovel which always caught fire then you'd screw it all up and then it went up the chimney.
I really can't think of anything we did which didn't have some danger in it.

everthing you said is tru .the railway bridge one still sends shivers down my spine .ohhhhhhhhhhhh.use to go on back-edge and find bones and sculls and take them back to teacher.who put them in the bin.

I didn't have one :mad: but my kiddies do :D

are titian never mind enjoy your childrens.not made same today

There used to be a heavy duty top called the "Bulldog" it was a brown squat chuncky shape with a steel stud in the point and 3 grooves around the body where you wrapped the whip to start it off...then you kept on lashing at it as it slowed down...and also there was another we called a "peggy top" this one was spear or carrot shaped with a stub on the top of it it was usually decorated with red and blue bands around the middle...Both types were on sale at "Henthorns" in Bellhouse Rd, Shiregreen....This was in the 1940's.

Timbuck, I'd forgotten all about the Bulldog, gosh they were heavy. There was a girl in "our yard" (big lass at that) and she was the only one who could manage to thrash it, I used to be in awe of her! She also had steel-wheeled roller skates when we had the new rubber wheeled design and when she came down our "passage" it was like a blooming steam roller!

never used to put it under my knee.just used to flick it with my wrist .

Mt wife got one last year from Wombwell it is not as good as the bullet.

I haven't thought about tops for years. The one I had was made out of some sort of hardwood, with like a brass pin to spin on. It looked antique, shaped like a small turnip. When I first got it it was highly polished, 'course I ruined it.

they dont make em like there used to /cheaplooking things nowadays/

An advance the "Top" was the toy "Giroscope" ..I remember when my Dad brought one home he threaded some string around the shaft then pulled hard and it started spinning,he then put it on top of the teapot on the table...I was amazed to see this thing just stood there slowly swaying around on top of the teapot...it was just like Magic to a seven year old.

they dont make em like there used to /cheaplooking things nowadays/
you mean you can still buy them

you mean you can still buy them
Here we go they got lights in them nowdays. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Toy-Colorful-Wood-Spinning-Peg-top-Top-260g_W0QQitemZ280219567784QQihZ018QQcategoryZ1039Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

lights or not bet they're not as good as ours were