Tossing a dwarf - the real story! - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Birdland · 03-21-2002, 08:28 AM

Was reading the Fav Quote thread and noticed that the line "Nobody tosses this dwarf" was thought to have some rather unsavory connotations.Here the real story - Back in the excessive 1980s, a lot of bars and clubs in California, New York and other wealthier cities developed a game called "Dwarf Tossing". Actual dwarfs or "little people" were hired so that club patrons could pick them up and throw them. The winner being who could throw them the furthest. I think a variation of the game was "dwarf bowling", where the dwarf would sit on a mat and be slid down a bowling lane into pins.It was a stupid, but very popular game with drunk frat boys and people with more money then sense. It was also very controversial at the time because it was considered to be degrading to "little people" (Though many who were interviewed about at the time took the attitude "Eh...it's a living.")It has NOTHING to do with "tossing" in the British sense of the word. John Ryes-Davies is old enough to remember when when this bar game was popular, and probably thought it was a funny "in-joke" - which it is, if you remember the 80s! (Ahh, the 80s...Birdie has another flashback... )A-hem...No, I've NEVER tossed a dwarf! You had to have money to pay for that privilege. Plus, I thought it was pretty stupid thing to do, also. So there you have it. "Dwarf tossing." If you want to know more, look it up on the Internet under "80's fads".

03-21-2002, 08:28 AM	#1
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Tossing a dwarf - the real story! Was reading the Fav Quote thread and noticed that the line "Nobody tosses this dwarf" was thought to have some rather unsavory connotations.<P>Here the real story - Back in the excessive 1980s, a lot of bars and clubs in California, New York and other wealthier cities developed a game called "Dwarf Tossing". Actual dwarfs or "little people" were hired so that club patrons could pick them up and throw them. The winner being who could throw them the furthest. I think a variation of the game was "dwarf bowling", where the dwarf would sit on a mat and be slid down a bowling lane into pins.<P>It was a stupid, but very popular game with drunk frat boys and people with more money then sense. It was also very controversial at the time because it was considered to be degrading to "little people" (Though many who were interviewed about at the time took the attitude "Eh...it's a living.")<P>It has NOTHING to do with "tossing" in the British sense of the word. John Ryes-Davies is old enough to remember when when this bar game was popular, and probably thought it was a funny "in-joke" - which it is, if you remember the 80s! (Ahh, the 80s...Birdie has another flashback... )<P>A-hem...No, I've NEVER tossed a dwarf! You had to have money to pay for that privilege. Plus, I thought it was pretty stupid thing to do, also. <P>So there you have it. "Dwarf tossing." If you want to know more, look it up on the Internet under "80's fads".