The fleeing purse

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The game known as the fleeing purse or finder's reward is an old teasing game that has been practiced by children for generations.

Game thought

The game “The Fleeing Purse” thrives on the malicious joy of tricking someone by deceiving them in their expectations.

Game flow

The players attach a discarded purse to a long, preferably invisible (nylon) thread and place it on the walking distance of passers-by. You then hide behind a privacy screen with the other end of the thread. "If an unsuspecting passer-by bends down to pick up the supposed lucky find, it escapes his grasp as if by magic by a sudden jerk on the thread."

If there is no direct visual contact from hiding behind a wall or from a cellar window, a teammate with a clear view of what is happening gives the command when the stock exchange should evaporate.

Designations

The descriptive name “the fleeing purse” describes the visible process whereby the object of desire evades expectant access by apparently fleeing. The alternative name "Finderlohn" refers as an ironic designation to the disappointed expectation and the embarrassment of having been set up in a joke game.

Game systematic classification

According to research by Warwitz / Rudolf, the game has been known as a popular street game for several generations, i.e. since at least the first half of the 20th century . In terms of the game system, it is one of the so-called heme games , which aim at gaining the joy of playing from duping an unsuspecting person.

Play value

The game initially triggers a moment of shock in the person concerned. It then depends largely on the character of the deceived person whether he reacts to it with humor and self-irony or with anger and aggression. The expectation of such an exciting reaction is part of the gaming life of those who arrange the game.

variant

The game scientist Siegbert Warwitz reports on a variant of the game that he observed with tourists who made the waiting time for the connecting flight in the airport terminal entertaining: An apparently distracted traveler placed a discarded wallet next to him on the bench, which contained nothing but a note. An accompanying person was given the task of registering what was happening with it as inconspicuously as possible. After a while a cleaner approached. She first swept the floor and the seats around the people waiting, but then approached the wallet and pushed it into the box with the sweeper at lightning speed. The horrible fun was watching the expression on the face of the expectant person as he emerged from the toilet opposite. The note said: “Ätsch! Tricked! Are you a thief? "

See also

literature

  • Siegbert A. Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: The fleeing purse (finder's reward) , In: Dies .: From the sense of playing. Reflections and game ideas . 4th edition, Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, ISBN 978-3-8340-1664-5 , p. 160

Web links

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Siegbert A. Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: The fleeing purse (Finderlohn) , In: Dies .: From the sense of playing. Reflections and game ideas . 4th edition, Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, p. 160
  2. ↑ ibid. P. 160
  3. ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: Hämespiele , In: Ders. (Ed.): Games of other times and peoples . Karlsruhe 1998, p. 87