The hoop and stick was a popular game or toy played in Victorian times. Although this toy/game looks very simple, it was very popular and the object of the game was to keep the hoop rolling for as long as possible. The hook at the end of the stick would be used to roll the hoop. The children of working-class families relied for play on home-made toys and street games. They played this game outside and many times it would be played as a competition between several children to see who could roll the hoop the farthest.
Hoop rolling – both a sport and a child’s game has been recorded in Africa, Asia and Europe. Its first recorded use was by the Greeks and Romans, but ancient Egyptian tomb paintings show children played with hoops as long ago as 2,500 BC. In England, children are known to have played the game as early as the 15th century. By the late 18th century, boys driving hoops in the London streets had become a nuisance, but attempts to eradicate the practice failed.
Its popularity continued and it was included as part of the standard physical education for girls in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, girls played with wooden hoops with a wooden stick, whilst boys’ hoops and sticks were made of metal. Often the local village blacksmith made hoops out of iron for the children.
This game is made up of three hoops and a stick. The original owner was from Aberdaron, and possibly it was made by a local blacksmith. One of the hoops and the stick is on display in Gallery 4.