Pop-up Pirate
luck-based game
Pop-up Pirate is a popular luck-based game for children manufactured by Tomy. It originated in Japan in 1975 under the name One Shot Blackbeard Crisis (Japanese: 黒ひげ危機一発, Hepburn: Kurohige Kiki Ippatsu) and has seen many iterations over the years.
Rules
The pirate is placed into a spring-loaded barrel and rotated to randomize the unlucky slot. Players must take turns to insert plastic swords into slots in the side of the barrel. If a player inserts the sword into a specific slot (which changes randomly every time the game is played), the pirate is launched out of the barrel, and the player is eliminated. The last player remaining after all others have been eliminated wins.
Educational value
According to Dominic Wyse, a professor of early childhood and primary education at University College London, the game improves children's motor skills, as well as in common with other games promoting turn-taking and having fun together with others.
Variations
Themed version
Alongside a Sanrio-themed variant such as Pop-Up Kuromi, alternate versions replacing the pirate with other subjects have been released. One of the first being a Super Mario World-themed version released exclusively in Japan. Many versions have since followed, including Hard Gay, Monkey D. Luffy, The Good Dinosaur, Like a Dragon, a Buzz Lightyear–themed version to promote Toy Story 4, and many others replacing the pirate with different characters.
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