African dodger

African dodger, also known as Hit the Coon and Hit the Nigger Baby, was a carnival game played in the United States, in which an African-American man would stick his head through a canvas curtain, and attempt to dodge objects, such as eggs or baseballs, thrown at him by players.[1] It was popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, despite the obvious brutality of hitting someone in the head with baseballs. The target often suffered serious injuries.[2][3] The game was played as early as the 1880s and as late as the 1950s.[4][5] Smaller kit-based versions of the game were also sold to be played at home. However, African Americans continued to be used for similar games, with Popular Mechanics noting in 1910 that African dodger had become "too old and commonplace" and was being replaced with dunk tanks in which an African American would fall into a tank of water when a target was hit with a ball. The illustration accompanying the article shows a game labeled "Drop the Chocolate Drop" and is captioned "Amusing to All but the Victim".[1]

A wooden African dodger head

African dodger has appeared in comic strips and cartoons, including Donald Duck and Popeye.[6]

Kurt Vonnegut describes the game in his 1973 novel Breakfast of Champions.

Norman Maclean remembers the so-called "game" in "A River Runs Through It" (1976).

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See also

References
  1. "Successor to the "African Dodger"". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 14 no. 5. November 1910. p. 693. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  2. Hughes, Franklin (October 2012). "The African Dodger". Questions for the Museum. Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  3. DeVega, Chauncey (June 12, 2015). "Black men are target practice: America's grotesque history of racist games". Salon. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  4. MacGuill, Dan (February 28, 2018). "FACT CHECK: Was a Violently Racist Carnival Game Once Popular in America?". Snopes. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  5. "Blacks as Targets". Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. June 11, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2020 – via YouTube.
  6. Dewey, Pamela Starr (January 10, 2016). "The African Dodger". AmeriPics. Retrieved July 4, 2020 – via WordPress.
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