OK, some of you may not know the old game of ' Punch Buggy' but those who do probably still have the bruises to show for it. Some of us have been playing for decades, beating the crap out of our best friends in order to get one up in a childish little game. ( He he he...)

So anyway, we've (meaning everyone I've run into that plays this game) agreed on certain rules for fair (Ha!) play. Alot of the guys I know who play, have to do alot of driving as part of their jobs. This helps to pass the time when going from job site to job site.

Letters about Punch Buggy! Each week I get tons and tons, (OK, a few here and there... sniff, sniff) of letters from readers like you. READ THEM HERE.

Volkswagen Beetle Trivia

Geocities will be shutting down all free webpages on October 26, 2009. I will have to find another host and all my pages will re-located. Thanks to everyone who have enjoyed my webpage for 10 years!

Herbie, Fully Loaded - Read on International Movie Date Base about the movie.

Herbie is a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle Ragtop Sedan, and there was four movies up till now: "The Love Bug", "Herbie Rides Again", "Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo" and "Herbie Goes Bananas". There was actually a show called "Herbie the love bug" in 1982, but it didn't do well.

The last old-style Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line in Puebla, Mexico, on July 30 2003. (A very sad day indeed!) IN THE 1930s, Ferdinand Porsche designed the Love Bug as a car that was inexpensive to build, and cheap for consumers to buy and maintain.

Some History on Punch Buggy. I was recently told about the possible history on the game by two old duffers. My dad told me they used to play a similar car game in the 50's. What you would have to do was pick a type of make, (Ford, Buick, Chevy, etc.) and when you saw one, you would have to call it and also get the lic plate. You would get a point for every one you got.

A woman wrote me and stated the Punch Buggy game got started when people used to go to the theater and see "Herbie, The Love Bug" by Disney. They used to watch the movie and hit their friends in the arm if they were caught not watching or something like that. I'm not too sure if that's true, but it sounds like it has merit. Now with the (somewhat) recent release of the Disney movie "Lilo and Stitch" the game has found new life. (In the movie, Stitch grabs a VW bug and exclaims," Punch Buggy!" while swinging the car.) Leave it to Disney to unknowingly start and revive goofy (Pardon the pun!) games.

So now, after all these years, I've gathered and present the 'Unofficial' rules to the infamous game of Punch Buggy!

RULE 1: Old beetles/new beetles. First and foremost, Punch Buggy started with the old beetles but they are becoming very rare. All the buddies I used to play the game with hit on the new ones now, but they are either worth one hit point, (or you can't hit your buddy as hard.) The old ones are worth two hit points. See Rule 2

It just ain't the same with the new ones.

Note: I heard they argued about the punch buggy rules on the Anna Nicole Smith Show. HEY ANNA, I got a big news flash for you, the game is gonna become extinct! Sometimes ya just gotta adapt a little bit, and really, this is a small change. I don't like it either, but if we didn't do this, we'd never get to play anymore. Look at it this way, at least we didn't have to change the type of car we play with, VW just made more new ones!! Basically a VW Beetle is a VW Beetle!

Herbie, the Love Bug

Gregory's beetle

Yep, they're now legal to hit on.

 

RULE 2: Calling a punch properly. To call a punch, you hit 'em, say Punch Buggy, the color of the 'bug' and no returns. (NOTE: You have to specify an 'old' bug, but not a new bug. You also have to state if it's a convertible, but not a Hard top. You can also say 'Rag-top' instead of convertible.)

So let's say a red convertible passes, you'd yell: "Punch buggy, red convertible, no returns. If ya call the wrong color, not state it's a convertible or not specify no returns, prepare to get smacked back. If it's an old convertible bug you'd say:" old Punch buggy, red convertible, no returns.

Yeah, it's a bit of a mouthful, but it's worth three hits.

If three of you are in the car, YOU only need to call it once and you can hit 'em both. Of the two remaining people, one has gotta call a proper punch next to hit the last. You obviously then you can't be hit by by either guy for calling Punch Buggy. If there's a fourth guy then tough luck. If ya didn't hit him when you called a hit, then he's free to hit you. See Rule 3

RULE 3: No Returns. There's a bit of squabbling over the 'No Returns' rule. Number 1: You Can't call 'no returns' if you haven't hit anyone - Hence the words 'NO RETURNS', and 2: You can't hit one guy, call 'No returns' and have it apply to the rest of the people in the car. That will get you labeled as a sissy! If you didn't want to play, then you should have stated that at the beginning. These guys usually end up walking.

RULE 4: On car colors. We've agreed that if it's a two colored bug you can call: both colors, the predominant color or say "Punch Buggy, two-tone..." If it's more than two colors, then calling it: the predominant color (if it has one), multicolored, or psychedelic will work depending on where you live and who hasn't come out of what era!

RULE 5: Plain sight. The 'bug' has to be in plain sight, or at least, viewable to everyone. None of this you in the back seat spotting a 'bug' two blocks down a side road partly hidden by other cars. That my friends is a free hit back but only by the people you hit on that pathetic call.

RULE 6: There is no rule Six!

RULE 7: How to call a 'Prove it'. If some who got hit didn't see the bug and they call a 'prove it'. Then if ya go back and the bug IS there, then it's another free hit for you. If you're proven wrong, then the guy you hit gets two hits: one to return your hit, and one for being wrong. If the bug is in motion and you can't turn to follow or find it, Then the honor system has apply here to some degree. Hopefully someone else in the car can speak on your behalf if you get that desperate.

RULE 8: No punching the driver in the head! If he kills you for causing an accident, you only have yourself to blame. We generally keep hits to the shoulders, ribs, chest and the upper legs.

An old red convertible worth 3 hits.

Get the color right or get slapped!

A nice custom 67 beetle. It's worth 3 hits as it sits.

 

RULE 9: Lots of beetles. OK this a tough area, but if you pass a garage or body shop that specializes in VW beetles, and there's dozens of 'em in the yard, then at least pull over before ya start swinging 'cause it's gonna be a slug fest!! Some of the guys say dealerships and garages are off limits 'cause you don't know ,say, which red bug you hit on. See Rule 10

RULE 10: No hitting on the exact same bug. If you're driving and a bug is in front of you, and you've just called a hit on it, then it turns a corner and you end up behind it again then you can't hit on it again. If you try, then you deserve to get dumped on the side of the road, or at least thrown a beating for being so foolish! Also see Rule 9.

RULE 11: OK guys, if you're at the mushy stage with your girlfriend you can substitute punches for kisses. (Gawd!)

RULE 12: Local beetles. If there is a local bug, say a neighbor has one, or one you know it's gonna be there every day, then you can only hit on it once a day. None of this circling the block to ' Get 'em back!' See Rule 10

What? Do I have a life? I think so...

 

RULE 13: Calling a time out. The driver can call 'SAFETY' or 'TIME OUT' if say he's holding a cup of coffee, pulled over reading a map, or getting ready to merge at an on ramp. Anyone else can call a 'time out' if say, they're eating or reading, or just not playing. If the guy who called a time out tries to call Punch Buggy, BEFORE he says 'SAFETY OFF!' or 'TIME BACK IN' then it's a free hit back for anyone he hit.

RULE 14: Out driving. OK, this one also has caused some problems but most of us agree that you have to be out driving before you can call a hit. You can't be calling "Punch Buggy" if you are walking down the street, or in the gas station paying for gas. That won't cut it. Pretty much if you are out of the car and you are at one of any, or the main destination, then the game is stopped. Also, Rule 10 still applies no matter how many stops you make.

UPDATE TO RULE 14: Some folks now just play it walking down the street, (What if you don't own a car!?!) that is considered OK, just so long as you obey the other rules.

RULE 15: On a tie: If two say it about the same time, who hits first, is the one that gets the point. If they've hit you and you were first, then you get a free hit back. A third person in the car can take advantage of the confusion and hit 'em both and call Punch Buggy. See Rule 3

RULE 16: On mass transit: Some have asked me "Can you play Punch Buggy on the bus, LRT or subway?" Sure you can, just don't blame me when people start givin' ya weird looks, or get on their cell phones to see if the local hospital is missing any mental patients! Just remember, if you do, all the rules apply.

NEW RULE 17: If you own a Beetle: Someone wrote in and asked me " What happens if you own a VW Bug, what then? Who gets to hit?" Well, I called and wrote 'The Group' and we have decided that the most fair rule is, owners Can't be hit on their own Punch Buggy regardless of who calls what first. The way we see it, the owners are the first one to see the bug (a bit of sarcasm) and with the fact owners are providing the rest of us silly people with gameplay, so this should omit these wonderful owners (OK, good owners??) from being hit on their bug. Tatoos of a VW Beetle on your body (somewhere...) or owning a model or toy doesn't count as owning a Punch Buggy.

Well, there quite simply are the rules and remember, always wear a seat belt!

Thanks to Gregory for some of the 'buggy' pics, and thanks to Angela and buggmann for ideas into rule 17.

Consider yourself lucky to spot a rare 1950's split window bug.

You won't see this one on the road too often.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at the address below.

jar67peri		hotmail.com