History of the BILBOQUET, call " balero " between us

From Argentina: A coleccionar - El balero o bilboquet, CURIOSIDADES CURIOSAS !! http://www.acoleccionar.com.ar/balero.htm

CURIOSA FOTOGRAFÍA DE ÉPOCA QUE MUESTRA UN GRUPO DE PERSONAS DE LA
SOCIEDAD FRANCESA JUGANDO AL BILBOQUET

STRANGE PHOTO DATING BACK MANY YEARS OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM FRENCH HIGH SOCIETY PLAYING THE BILBOQUET

This game of skill called in Castilian " boliche ", and known popularly as " balero", has its origin in France in the XVI century, a favorite toy of King Henry III, he was frequently seen playing in public, followed by other members of his court and his court "jester" Chicot, laughing at his mistakes and celebrating his accomplishments, to the astonishment of passers by. In Paris, everyone played the BILBOQUET to imitate their king but after his death, the game went out of fashion for about one hundred years and was played by only a few enthusiastic ones like Marquess de Biévre. During the time King Luis XIV some remembered him to be so skilful that he could toss the whole toy, ball and handle sent into the air and collected in flight,  the sphere receiving the handle inserted in mid air.

The game went through it's golden period under the the reign of Luis XV. No one was considered anyone or went out anywhere unless he had his "balero" made of ivory. Actors were even more or less allowed the freedom to leave a scene for playing balero on stage with skill. Soon the game was again largely forgotten, at least in Europe. It is good to say here that el "balero" is known in some of the most remote countries in the world. In the forests of Brazil, the Indians use the shell of the turtles to catch the ball of the "balero".

Approximately in the year 1910, interest was born again in this old game and of course, it was in France. Several academies of education started to teach the game and the game was modernized; they found the old form and the size of baleros to be monotonous, so they began to make different forms: the " cup ", the " cube ", the " bottle ", the " hat ", the " bicycle guide ", the " feather ", etc. These names indicated the form of the object that served as ball.

In sizes there was also an immense variety, from the " Terror ", whose elm tree wood ball was as great as a watermelon and weighed more than 5 kilos, to the " Bibí ", small like a cherry, with the cup made from gold plated pearls a handle no greater than a match.

With the " Terror ", it was not difficult to play, but you tired very quickly; by the 15th time you threw the "terror" your arm most likely fell asleep from lack of circulation and was left totally useless. As the " smaller boliche" era grew the difficulties of the game also grew. With the very small " balero", the founder and professor M. Poineau, of the Academy Parisiense de Bilboquet, could only make a small number of catches out of a thousand try's.

Today, fundamentally in Europe, there are collectors of " boliches" or " baleros ". In our country (Argentina) balero has been played by both the young and the old for many years, today many refuse to forget, there are still those that are proud to say they can make 50 in a series of 50 shots.

Historia del BILBOQUET, llamado "balero" entre nosotros
Este juego de destreza llamado en castellano "boliche", y conocido popularmente como "balero", tiene su origen en Francia en el siglo XVI, de agrado de Enrique III, con frecuencia se veía a este frívolo monarca jugar en plena vía pública, seguido de sus favoritos y de su bufón Chicot, excitando con su destreza el asombro de los transeúntes. París todo, jugaba al BILBOQUET para imitar a su rey; pero a la muerte de este, el juego pasó de moda y durante cien años solo se acordaron de él algunos entusiastas como el Marqués de Biévre, contemporáneo de Luis XIV, del que se sabe que era tan diestro que lanzaba hasta el techo el juguete entero bola y mango y lo recogía al vuelo, recibiendo la esfera ensartada en el bastoncito.

El juego se renovó y vivió su época de oro bajo el reinado de Luis XV. Ningún elegante salía a la calle sin su "bilboquet"de marfil y hasta los actores se permitían la libertad de salir a escena jugando al "boliche"con más o menos destreza. Luego el juego volvió a caer en el olvido, al menos en Europa. Es bueno hacer esta aclaración por que el "boliche"es conocido en los países más remotos. En las selvas de Brasil, los indios se servían de una calavera de tortuga como esfera del "boliche".

Aproximadamente para 1910, renace nuevamente el juego y por supuesto en Francia. Se crean varias academias de enseñanza y el juego se moderniza; como la forma y el tamaño antiguos resultaban monótonos, se comenzaron a hacer de diferentes gustos y formas caprichosas: la "copa", el "cubo", la "botella", el "molde de sombrero", el "guía de bicicleta", el "plumero", etc. Estos nombres indicaban la forma del objeto que servía de bola.

En tamaños había también una variedad inmensa, desde el "Terror", cuya bola de madera de olmo era tan grande como una sandía y pesaba más de 5 kilos, hasta el "Bibí", pequeño como una cereza, y el "Costaud" formado por una perlita dorada y un mango no más grande que un fósforo.

 Con el "Terror", no era difícil jugar, pero cansaba muy rápido; a las 15 veces de lanzar el monstruo se quedaba el jugador con el brazo dormido, totalmente muerto. A medida que el "boliche"era más pequeño crecían las dificultades del juego. Con el minúsculo "Costaud", el mismo M. Poineau, fundador y profesor de la Academia Parisiense de Bilboquet, no hacía más de un tanto, por cada mil veces que lanzaba la bola .
Hoy, fundamentalmente en Europa, hay coleccionistas de los denominados "boliches"o "baleros". En nuestro país el balero hizo la diversión de grandes y chicos durante muchos años, hoy relegado al olvido por la mayoría, sigue teniendo adeptos ocultos que se enorgullecen de acertar una serie de 50 en 50 tiros.

Bilboquet:
Cup and Ball or Ring and Pin Games

History (used with the permission of The Museum & Archive of Games, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada).

The origins of the game of Bilboquet are somewhat obscure. It is known all over the world today as evidenced by the examples from many cultures in this exhibit. In a number of older commercial game advertisements the game is often called a Bilbo Catcher. (Web Surfers take note: Bilbo is the name of one of Tolkien's Hobbits, and that's what surfing will net you!) Some times the game is called Ring and Pin Game. This graphic is a detail from a French print pictured in J. Slocum & J. Botermans, Puzzles Old & New (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1992, p.142) which states that the game was popular in France as early as the 16th century. An observant viewer has pointed out - that the clothes worn by those in the print are from the 18th century - not the 16th century.

The word Bilboquet (a French word) does not appear in most English dictionaries; however English words like bilbo - a kind of iron bar shackle used to restrain the feet of prisoners, or bilbo - a finely tempered sword from Bilboa (Spain) - are defined. Bilboa, Spain is Basque country - an area noted for the origins of Jai Alai - a game which uses a type of "catcher" and a "ball". It is also an area that since ancient times has seen an influx of people from many parts of the world, including Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, and more. The French word Bilboquet is related to the French word bille - translated as either a "little stick" or a child's "glass marble". In any event, those that study the origins of language report that the word Bilboquet appears in the French language as early as 1534ad.

There is evidence of the wide spread play of the game. European paintings indicate that Bilboquet was played in the royal courts of Europe (and probably on the streets as well.) Since the game is found in such diverse areas of the world as Japan, Mexico, the Arctic, and among North American Indian tribes, Bilboquet like many games, was obviously copied from equipment carried by travelers in the years prior to the 20th century.

Playing Bilboquet

The picture on the left is a copy of a 1970 Inuit print by Eyeetowak Toolaaktouk. There are many variations of Bilboquet. As this picture illustrates, the intent of the game is to throw a tethered object or objects into the air and catch it/them on a peg/pin. In general there are two major modes. One mode is with a ball (or ball-like object) that is attached to a handle (or peg/pin) tethered to the ball. A stylized cup-like object is also attached to the handle. Variations exist with respect to the shape of the cup - multiple cups, etc., and the shape of the handle. The second mode uses tethered rings that are to be caught on a peg/pin, and these variations are reflected in the shape of the pin or the number of tethered rings. A general variation is the length of the tether in either mode, or the weight of the object that is to be caught. Many of these variations can be seen in the examples shown in this exhibit. Each example features a handle or peg/pin, and a stylized cup or rings. The mode of play and the eventual outcome varies from game to game. Only one player may play at a time.