thumb|right|250px|A traditional coconut shy run by Albert Harris. This particular stall was established by his mother, Mrs E. Harris, in 1936.

A coconut shy (or coconut shie) is a traditional British game frequently found as a sidestall at funfairs and fêtes. The game consists of throwing wooden balls at a row of coconuts balanced on posts. Typically a player buys three balls and wins when each coconut is successfully dislodged. In some cases other prizes may be won instead of the coconuts.

The word "shy" in this context means to toss or throw.

Origins

The origins of the game are unclear, but early references to it appear in the late 1800s. It probably derives from the game of Aunt Sally, with coconuts being seen as an exotic prize in the late 19th century and into the 20th century. The National Fairground Archive holds a photograph of a coconut shy dating from 1890. The game is mentioned by Graham Greene in The Ministry of Fear in 1943, H. G. Wells in The Invisible Man in 1897, by E. Nesbit in The Story of the Treasure Seekers in 1899, and by P.G. Wodehouse in the short story "The Purity of the Turf". The term is first listed in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1903.

One theory suggests the coconut shy may have originated at the annual Pleasure Fair in Kingston upon Thames in 1867. An image in the lower left corner of A Prospect of Greenwich Fair, from Manners and Cvstoms of ye Englyshe in 1849, no 13, Getty Images, shows the same game with taller poles and the coconuts shown atop them.

According to a source described as an official from the Showman's Guild, coconut shies began at the Cambridge Midsummer Fair with cockerels as the targets rather than coconuts.

Other countries

thumb|German Dosenwerfen

In German-speaking countries the game of Dosenwerfen (throw cans) is popular for school parties, as well as in professional stalls at fairgrounds. It involves throwing balls at stacks of empty tin cans.

In France, a similar game known as Chamboule-Tout is frequently found at fun fairs.

In the U.S. and Canada, milk cans are commonly used.

See also

  • British folk sports

References

  • British National Fairground Archive at Sheffield University