Maui takes another shot at marbles
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
Move over Yu-gi-oh and Beyblades — marbles are making a comeback.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser
The game is starting to sweep across Maui, and at least one elementary school has plans to build a marble pit to accommodate the craze.
Marbles are enjoying such a resurgence across Maui that one school has plans to build a marble pit.
The trend is so new that many Honolulu toy stores aren't stocking marbles yet, but that's likely to change as word spreads through the Island chain.
Maui kids have a track record for launching new toy trends. Remember POGs?
"It happened all of a sudden and it's big," said Kaipo Jenkins, vice principal at Wailuku Elementary School.
Students are allowed to play the game during recess, and the school instituted a "no keeps" rule to prevent conflicts over whether losers have to forfeit their marbles.
Crystal Dreams in Kahului has always sold marbles, but a steady stream of young customers the past week or two has left the bins nearly empty. One boy even called the store to find out if it was OK if he brought in his pennies to buy marbles.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser
"It's been going crazy," said shop owner Chu Miyahira.
Marble player James Pearson, center, takes a shot while fellow third-graders Zack Kresge, left, and Courtney Elijah Cornis wait their turn.
The most prized marbles are brightly colored glass orbs with names such as ocean spray, bumblebee, chocolate swirl and galaxy.
"We like the colors and it's just a fun sport," said Wailuku third-grader Zack Kresge, who was playing marbles with friends last week during the Kama'aina Kids Winter Camp at the school.
Courtney Elijah Cornis, also 8, said the best part of the game is making difficult shots.
"You just have a cool feeling inside you and you just want to keep playing," he said.
Parents like them because they're cheap — 20 cents each at Crystal Dreams — and about as low-tech as you can get — no batteries required.
Courtney's mother, Mel Cornis, approves because "I don't consider it to be terribly harmful and it's not violent like Yu-gi-oh and Pokemon."
Marbles also are a throwback to simpler times. Many grownups can recall getting down on their knees to fire peewees, shooters and bambuchas in the dirt.
"I'm kind of reliving it through them, although they're not as strict on the rules," said Jenkins, who played the game as a child growing up in Waialua.
A popular version back then was "5 Hole," which used a pentagonal playing area with holes at each point and a hole in the center. Players tried to shoot their marbles into the first hole, then back to the center and on to the second hole, and so on. Opponents were allowed to knock each other's marbles out of contention, and the winner was the first to complete a rotation.
"I'm pretty good. I'm actually beating most of the kids. They don't practice," said Jenkins, who keeps a supply of marbles to reward good behavior.
He said a student club that conducts improvement projects at Wailuku Elementary is planning to build a marble pit.
Reach Christie Wilson at (808) 244-4880 or cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.
