Jackstraws

For those who are familiar with pick up sticks, this game is played the same way, i.e., the straws are allowed to fall in a pile and then the players take turns removing individual pieces without moving any of the other pieces in the pile. But, the different twist is that, instead of smooth wooden "straws," the pieces being removed are often carved or stamped wooden implements. Although the game comes with a wire hook that can be used to assist in removing pieces, sometimes the way the pieces are intertwined present quite a challenge. You can certainly understand the frustration someone is expressing when they describe a pile of objects "stacked like jackstraws."

Both the smooth style of jackstraws we commonly call pick up sticks and these more complicated pieces were used to play jackstraws in the 1860's. At the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, VA, they have in their collection a set of jackstraws carved from bone scraps by a captured soldier while he was in a prisoner of war camp. Also, although just post war, the first set of jackstraws offered by Milton Bradley was just like this set. It appears that his commercial set was just a case of mass producing something already available but probably dependent upon someone hand carving.

$ 5.85 per set

If you want to look at the previous game in the list,
Graces and Graces Replacement Hoops,
click here

If you want to look at the next game in the list,
Jacks,
click here