hit the penny

stickball

stoopball

a my name is alice

jacks

boxball

punchball

off the wall

dibbs

chips on the ball

down the sewer

     mention any of the above and watch a baby boomer's face      light up with childhood memories of a little pink ball called the "spaldeen"

The spaldeen wasn't just any old ball.

It formed our childhoods.  

It kept us outside in the fresh air from dawn til dusk.  

It taught us how to be resourceful.

It taught us how to get along with others.

It taught us that all we needed was our imagination...

bring some joy to someone special with something so simple as a spaldeen...

                              ...and don't forget to "choose up sides"!

Spaldeens were first sold in 1949.  The originals were just tennis balls that had been rejected for slight defects.  Instead of dumping them in the trash, Spalding, the manufacturer, stamped the words "Spalding High-Bounce Ball" on the rubber rejects and sold them cheaply to wholesalers.

The nickname, "Spaldeen" (now trademarked by the Massachusetts company) came about from the pronunciation of the name on the streets of Brooklyn, NY where they were very popular in the 1950s.  The company eventually stopped using the 'rejects' and set up a separate assembly line for standard pink Spaldeens.

Spalding stopped production of Spaldeens in 1979, but brought them back about 20 years later due to popular demand