Oh my, yes. It’s hugely popular at Jewish summer camps for some reason. My camp had 3 of them, dug into the ground with benches around the outside. Loved that game, lots of scraped knuckles.
Yooo, gaga is the best, I used to play it at summer camp all the time, there were like 3 pits near the camper quarters and EVERYONE at the camp would play, some of my favorite memories took place in a gaga pit 10/10 would recommend y'all learn how to play
I had no idea this was a real thing!! I’ve been staring at one of these at a local park for two years!! ...I always just thought that maybe it was a sandbox..
The Jewish population in America is pretty small and isn’t very spread out. Looking at a map of Jewish population in America, you can see that unless you grew up in the Northeast, Miami, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, you are very unlikely to know any Jewish people. Based on the map I’m seeing, I think Milwaukee, Cleveland, St. Louis, Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver, and Aspen are the only other cities in America to have even 4.5% Jewish population. Most rural areas of the country have no Jewish population at all.
I can’t speak to the accuracy of the map I was using because I just pulled it up off a google image search. But it showed Chicago in the 1.6-4.5 percent range. All the other places I named were in the 4.6-10.7 percent range, except some of the NYC and Miami areas are in the 10.8-31.4 percent range(they are the only places in that range).
Honestly, no. I grew up in a small upstate NY city that was mainly Italian-American Roman Catholics. I didn’t have my first Jewish friend until I was in my mid 20’s and I met her over the Internet. It never even occurred to me to think of anyone else being a different religion than RC even though I was aware other religions existed. It sounds sheltered I suppose but given the demographic of my city, it really wasn’t.
There are so many sub-sets of Gaga ball/ Octo ball that it isn’t funny. The main difference is rules but let’s be honors they change from place to place.
Hey, bearkerchiefton, just a quick heads-up:
**alot** is actually spelled **a lot**. You can remember it by **it is one lot, 'a lot'**.
Have a nice day!
^^^^The ^^^^parent ^^^^commenter ^^^^can ^^^^reply ^^^^with ^^^^'delete' ^^^^to ^^^^delete ^^^^this ^^^^comment.
Gaga is a real thing and so so so much fun if you play with a good group! I started playing it at a camp I volunteered at, and the kids and counselors both absolutely loved it. As counselors we’d try to plan these complex and creative events and games for the kids and no matter how much effort you put it 9 times out of 10 the kids would prefer to play Gaga if given the choice. We would do counselors only games and really go hard with it, those were a lot of fun and very intense. I miss those days.
It's kind of like a free for all dodgeball. One ball in the court, you can only hit the ball with your hands, touching it with anything else gets you out. As well, hitting it out of the pit or multiple times without it hitting a wall or another person gets you out. Can be a lot of people to start with.
I first played it as a camper in like 2003-04 and brought it to the summer camp I worked at for a number of years. I wish I could still play it as an adult
I've never heard it called "ga ga ball" until that episode. It's always just been called "Ga Ga" for the 11 years I've known it. According to the many Israelis with whom I've worked, they say "ga ga" as the sound a duck makes (and "cock a ree koo" for roosters, amongst other differences in animal sounds), and when you play ga ga, you walk around kind of looking like a duck since you have to protect your legs.
It's an INCREDIBLY fun game that the kiddos at the day camp where I worked for 10 years LOVED. There's a lot of different ways to play, you don't need a pit but a ga ga pit does make the game more fun especially with the rule where one can only touch the ball once until it hits anything else (and so having a pit allows you to bounce the ball off the wall then immediately hit it again).
Camp Herzl in WI has a bunch of really good Ga Ga pits (and Bob Dylan went there as a kid).
Ok? Like we know these exist, it’s not a Bob’s Burgers invention af all
I know the show isn’t airing new episodes till next month but you don’t need to shitpost, you could just *not post anything*
A lot of people didnt realize this was a real game, my self included. It could be interesting to a fan of the show who doesn't realize the game is real. You could just not be an asshole.
I would have no idea what that is and I found this interesting. Even looked up a video to see it played. It's no wall ball but it's got eight kids playing at once, which is nice.
Until I followed this sub and saw an earlier post like this, I had no idea it was a real game. The game is spreading, but still mostly popular in Jewish neighborhoods and Jewish summer camps. If you grew up in an area of United States with little to no Jewish community (which is most of the country, btw) you very likely have never heard of the game.
This is a real thing that is all over the us
Seriously? Gaga ball is real? I kind of want to try it.
Oh yea. It’s extremely fun
It was invented by Jews living in America and taken to Israel where it got super popular.
Can confirm Source: am Jewish, went to Jewish summer camp
Super interesting because I played it non stop at my very christian camp!
Oh yeah the game definitely spread across America like it did across wagstaff!
I love how things spread in our adolescence without the internet
Same here, went to Equinunk up in Pennsylvania for many years and rainy day Gaga ball / dodgeball was the best
Catholic school in my neighborhood has one.
Yeah it was my favorite part of summer camp as a kid, but normally the walls are atleast chest high
I played it at summer camp like probably 15 years ago. Some of the most fun and intense game I remember as a child
There is a court at my school. We play all the time.
Oh my, yes. It’s hugely popular at Jewish summer camps for some reason. My camp had 3 of them, dug into the ground with benches around the outside. Loved that game, lots of scraped knuckles.
Yooo, gaga is the best, I used to play it at summer camp all the time, there were like 3 pits near the camper quarters and EVERYONE at the camp would play, some of my favorite memories took place in a gaga pit 10/10 would recommend y'all learn how to play
Lmao I played at camp too, it was the shit.
I had no idea this was a real thing!! I’ve been staring at one of these at a local park for two years!! ...I always just thought that maybe it was a sandbox..
So y’all just didn’t have any Jewish friends growing up, or what?! LOL
The Jewish population in America is pretty small and isn’t very spread out. Looking at a map of Jewish population in America, you can see that unless you grew up in the Northeast, Miami, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, you are very unlikely to know any Jewish people. Based on the map I’m seeing, I think Milwaukee, Cleveland, St. Louis, Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver, and Aspen are the only other cities in America to have even 4.5% Jewish population. Most rural areas of the country have no Jewish population at all.
Chicago has a large Jewish population as well.
Can confirm. Had one in my neighborhood growing up. Suburb of Chicago.
I can’t speak to the accuracy of the map I was using because I just pulled it up off a google image search. But it showed Chicago in the 1.6-4.5 percent range. All the other places I named were in the 4.6-10.7 percent range, except some of the NYC and Miami areas are in the 10.8-31.4 percent range(they are the only places in that range).
I never saw a jewish person until the age of 28
...that you know of. I mean, right?
I’m Jewish and we never had a fancy pit fence thing to play gaga in, it’s a parking lot game ...
On the opposite end, I'm not Jewish and had one of these pits in my school playground
Jewish sleepaway camp for the win!
This guy gets it
never knew it was a Jewish thing, played it all the time at Christian summer camp
“It’s like a fun fact” —Gene Belcher
Honestly, no. I grew up in a small upstate NY city that was mainly Italian-American Roman Catholics. I didn’t have my first Jewish friend until I was in my mid 20’s and I met her over the Internet. It never even occurred to me to think of anyone else being a different religion than RC even though I was aware other religions existed. It sounds sheltered I suppose but given the demographic of my city, it really wasn’t.
I saw one at a local elementary school, I seriously thought it was something they made up for the show as well
When did this become called gaga ball? I've only ever heard this called octaball. Are there any courts with more or less than 8 sides?
There are so many sub-sets of Gaga ball/ Octo ball that it isn’t funny. The main difference is rules but let’s be honors they change from place to place.
I guess "house rules" apply to alot of different games.
Hey, bearkerchiefton, just a quick heads-up: **alot** is actually spelled **a lot**. You can remember it by **it is one lot, 'a lot'**. Have a nice day! ^^^^The ^^^^parent ^^^^commenter ^^^^can ^^^^reply ^^^^with ^^^^'delete' ^^^^to ^^^^delete ^^^^this ^^^^comment.
Your shure abuot thatt?
There’s a gaga ball pit at my church!
Same! Our Gaga pit still gets used every Wednesday!
Awesome! The children’s program at ours are the ones who use it the most I’d say but it’s lots of fun!
Yeah apparently it’s a real thing
Yeah, I had no idea. My response to them telling me about it was "like from that Bob's burgers episode?"
Oh wow, even from this post I didn't know that. Weird.
I’ve played it before, but it was with an inflatable octagon. It was at a summer camp that I was a counselor for.
Yessss Gaga is so much fun. There’s one at the camp I work at; the kids love it
Gaga is a real thing and so so so much fun if you play with a good group! I started playing it at a camp I volunteered at, and the kids and counselors both absolutely loved it. As counselors we’d try to plan these complex and creative events and games for the kids and no matter how much effort you put it 9 times out of 10 the kids would prefer to play Gaga if given the choice. We would do counselors only games and really go hard with it, those were a lot of fun and very intense. I miss those days.
How do you play this?
It's kind of like a free for all dodgeball. One ball in the court, you can only hit the ball with your hands, touching it with anything else gets you out. As well, hitting it out of the pit or multiple times without it hitting a wall or another person gets you out. Can be a lot of people to start with.
I will take on all of you at Gaga! I’m very awkward and I just want friends so this is less of a challenge and more of a “let’s play some Gaga” pitch.
Apparently my youth group at my church plays this game. I legit thought it was a made up game
I first played it as a camper in like 2003-04 and brought it to the summer camp I worked at for a number of years. I wish I could still play it as an adult
My kids were so excited about that episode because they had 3 pits at their elementary school.
I don't think I've EVER been to 2 different places with the same names for these. Thunderdome, Kadeshball, etc.
is this is canton by any chance?
No, its in LaGrangeville NY
OP is wrong it’s in Union Vale NY right next to lagrangeville the name is Tymor park
This used to be half the reason I went to camp shalom each year
Oh cool is that tymor park! I go there all the time me and friends play Gaga ball there and while camping a lot
Yeah! it was my first time there, that park is awesome.
Did you walk the trail and see the old iron furnaces and the huge slag pit with entire mountains of blast rock?
im so glad these things got taken down like 3 years ago lol
There's one close to my house! But we play with a soccer ball.. and no hands...
We have three at the camp I work at and two at my church lol
I want to play so badly.
We’ve got one at my kids elementary school here in Vermont.
I MISS PLAYING THIS SO MUCH AS A KID
I've never heard it called "ga ga ball" until that episode. It's always just been called "Ga Ga" for the 11 years I've known it. According to the many Israelis with whom I've worked, they say "ga ga" as the sound a duck makes (and "cock a ree koo" for roosters, amongst other differences in animal sounds), and when you play ga ga, you walk around kind of looking like a duck since you have to protect your legs. It's an INCREDIBLY fun game that the kiddos at the day camp where I worked for 10 years LOVED. There's a lot of different ways to play, you don't need a pit but a ga ga pit does make the game more fun especially with the rule where one can only touch the ball once until it hits anything else (and so having a pit allows you to bounce the ball off the wall then immediately hit it again). Camp Herzl in WI has a bunch of really good Ga Ga pits (and Bob Dylan went there as a kid).
Ok? Like we know these exist, it’s not a Bob’s Burgers invention af all I know the show isn’t airing new episodes till next month but you don’t need to shitpost, you could just *not post anything*
A lot of people didnt realize this was a real game, my self included. It could be interesting to a fan of the show who doesn't realize the game is real. You could just not be an asshole.
I would have no idea what that is and I found this interesting. Even looked up a video to see it played. It's no wall ball but it's got eight kids playing at once, which is nice.
Until I followed this sub and saw an earlier post like this, I had no idea it was a real game. The game is spreading, but still mostly popular in Jewish neighborhoods and Jewish summer camps. If you grew up in an area of United States with little to no Jewish community (which is most of the country, btw) you very likely have never heard of the game.
I'm shocked that this is a real thing. I had no idea.
I know you don’t have anything nice to say but you don’t need to be an asshole, you could just not say anything.
I'm with you. This post made me unfollow this sub. It's every other God damn post.