Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 19:39:24 -0500 From: Daniel S Goodman Subject: Re: "Whimmy Diddle" (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 10:15:43 -0500 (CDT) From: Daphne Drewello To: Reference Staff Cc: Stumpers Subject: RE: "Whimmy Diddle" Kandi--- According to the _Encyclopedia of Southern Culture_ (The University of North Carolina Press, 1989) p. 524 (under the heading "Toys"): "Children spent hours rubbing their notched, propeller-ended whimmy-diddle sticks---also called whammydiddle sticks, hooey sticks, or gee-haw whimmydiddles." Volume 20 of _The Family Creative Workshop_ (Plenary Publications International, 1976) pp 2550-2551, gives instructions for a gee- haw whimmy-diddle, which consists of a notched wooden stick with a propeller in the shape of an x on one end. (Traditional ones were made of branches, but dowels can also be used.) There is a skill to rubbing the whimmy-diddle in such a way that the propeller will either spin to the right when you command it to 'gee' and to the left when you command it to 'haw.' Geeing and hawing techniques are also given in the article. I can fax/mail the appropriate pages which will be probably make things clearer than my explanation. In these parts we mostly toss buffalo chips around for fun. These not only are simpler in design, but have the added advantage of coming ready-made, no assembly required. Daphne Daphne Drewello Alfred Dickey Library Jamestown, ND