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As in most of Europe, shooting marbles was popular in France. French boys were indeed very fond of marbles! We have at this time little information about shooting marbles in France. We do have one interesting personal account from the turn of the century. We notice French boys during the 1930s shooting within a triangle. American boys always shot within a circle.
The French terms associated with marbles are:
Bille: marble
Calot: Big agate marble
Jouer la tiquette: Means that the shot marble must first touch another marble without touching the ground.
Jouer aux billes: Literally playing with marbles, but Americans would say "shooting" marbles.
Sac billes: Marble bag. It is also an autobiographical novel by the French Jewish author Joseph Joffo. He relates the story of his flight, as a small boy, with his brother Maurice to escape NAZI occupied France to the Vichy Zone Libre.
A French reader reports that in France, marbles ("billes") were made in only one size and have never really changed. They were made with a sort concret and colored. The larger agate marbles ("calots") were made in different sizes, but all were larger than the billes. Today the concret marbles are becoming rare. Probably they are not easy to make and have been replaced by glass.
American boys played marbles in a circle. We think that this was the basic set up for most countries where boys played marbles. Notice the French boys here playing in a triangle. An American reseracher writes, "I am fascinated by the French boys playing marbles in a rectangle! I have not seen that in any country before. I would be very interested in any additional information you or your readers may have about this."
HBC has some information on individual French boys who played marbles.
One French account described a boy's experience in the 1900s at his lycee. Details on the boy's experiences at the Lycee, including his clothes and long hair are available: Paul. Paul was a great marble fan. He shot marbles with his friends and also liked to play sames with them at home. At home his collection of marbles grew amazingly, filling a whole row of cardboard boxes. To him his marbles came to have a sort of identity, almost an existence of their own. Having neither brothers nor sisters nor friends with whom to play, he
peopled his lonely holidays with the throng of marbles.
A French reader tells HBC that he perfectly remembers marbles. It was very popular among boys during 1950-60 and even after. He reports, playng while going-and-returning to school. Marbles came back into popularity during the 1970s and occassionally reappear every now and then. The billes never changed. The marbles of the 1950s are
the same we can find in 1970 or 2000s. All French boys know marbles. Our French reader reports that his son shot marbles in the 1970s.
Boys shot marbles througout France. The rules were the same everywhere. Boys played with them from about 6-14 years of age. They were primarily for boys, but some girls also played with them. A HBC reader whowas a boy in the 1950s tells us that is wife also played with them, as did their daughter in the 1980s. She
My wife says to me , she herself played played with the little neighbour boy.
French boys were very fond of marbles! They were two principal maners for shooting marbles. We notice French boys during the 1930s shooting within a triangle. American boys always shot within a circle. br>
Shooting other marbles: One of the boys shoots a marble ("bille") aiming to hit one already on the ground. If he hits it, he gets to keep it. He then gets to shoot anothr. If he misses then another boy shoots and we continued so on ...
Against walls: Two or more boys would shoot marbles in the schoolyard against a wall. The first boy would shoot bille, trying to touch the wall. Other boys shoot in turn, trying to come closer to the wall. After everyone had shot the boy coming cloest to the wall won all the marbles. The winner could win a lot of billes that way.) This game could be play with a calot (a big agate bille).
Marbles were primarily a boys' game in France. It was not unknown for girls to shoot marbles, girls playing with marble were rather rare.
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