Steal the bacon (also steal the flingsock, steal the handkerchief, Dog and the Bone, or in India Rumal Jhapatta) is a tag-based traditional

children's game This is a list of games that are played by children. Traditional children's games do not include commercial products such as board games but do include games which require props such as hopscotch or marbles (toys go in List of toys unless the t ...

, in which teams try to steal a flag or other item (the "

bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

") from the field without being tagged. The game is played with players divided into teams and assigned a call-signs, and a referee to call out the call signs. There are variations on gameplay, including rules that increase educational value or physicality.

Description

Steal the bacon is a tag-based traditional

. The object of the game is for players on

teams A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interd ...

to steal a flag or other item (the "

") from the field without being tagged. The same game is known by the alternative names of ''steal the flingsock'', ''steal the handkerchief'', ''Dog and the Bone'', ''Rumal Jhapatta'', ''Rumaal Chori'', ''Cheel Jhapatta'', and others.

Rules

The players are divided into teams, typically two. Players are assigned a call-sign, often a number, which is shared by a member of the opposing team. The teams line up on opposite edges of the playing area, at a distance enough to run across from each other, which has the "bacon" (a small object which can be grabbed and carried) in the center. A referee calls out the call-sign, and the team members who have that call-sign must run to the center, grab the bacon, and return to their teammates without being tagged by the other player(s) with that call-sign. The one that manages to return with the object to his/her team gets a point. If tagged, the other team gets the point. Tagging of a player may not occur before that player has touched the "bacon". The referee may call out more than one call-sign resulting in many pairs of players, each player attempting to steal the "bacon." The referee may also call "steal the bacon" in which all players on both sides may attempt to steal the "bacon."

Variants

The game works well when directed by a teacher or another adult who gives the same chances to both teams and all players. There are also educational variants of this game, in which the players' call sign is not directly called, but is the answer to a history, mathematics, or other educational question. The game thus rewards players ability to solve the question and deduce which answer corresponds to their call-sign. A full contact version of steal the bacon is played at many summer camps, in which the player carrying the bacon is not simply tagged by the opponent, but must be physically kept from crossing back over his team's line. Other full-contact variants for teenagers and adults include versions where items such as tires, fish or greased watermelons are substituted for the "bacon."

Popular culture

* The 2003 video game ''

Crash Nitro Kart ''Crash Nitro Kart'' is a 2003 kart racing game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Universal Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox (console), Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance, with abridged ports later released in 2004 for the ...

'' features Steal the bacon as a Battle mode. It later reappeared in the 2019 video game ''

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ''Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled'' is a 2019 kart racing game developed by Beenox and published by Activision. The game is a Video game remaster, remastered version of ''Crash Team Racing'' (1999), which was originally developed by Naughty Dog ...

''. * A 2010 PBS documentary, '' New York Street Games'', mentions steal the bacon.

References

External links