Green Hug, Blue Thumb

Will and I made up the silliest of games.

For the longest time, the game ‘punch buggy‘ always bugged me (no pun intended). Foremost because I was no good at it, and secondly, because I did not like being punched. But most importantly, even at a young age, I had a sinking suspicion that we were all playing into the hands of some money making propaganda, (I was a cynical child). No one knows exactly who invented the game, but advertising firms certainly cashed in on it’s existence. Exposure equals sales and there’s nothing like a healthy competition and (minor) physical violence to please the general public. We only need look at the current phenomena of being ‘iced‘ to see that even the most nonsensical of games can catch success overnight.

Which brings me to my little odd-ball game. Living in a quaint, residential part of Cambridge, I started noticing Prius(s) everywhere. It was not a stunning feat of observation, literally every other house had a Prius parked in front of it. I’ve even found one house that always has 3 in the driveway, and all in blue.  I thought, if any car deserves to be noticed, it’s the environmentally friendly hybrid Prius- one of the first hybrids to hit the mainstream market. And with this game, instead of punching, you ‘thumb’ your victim (push thumb hard pending your personal level of violence, or excitement).  Why thumb?  Because the Prius is ‘Green’. And what goes with Green?  Why a Green thumb!  (I believe it was Will who thought of this part, so blame him). But, if the car is blue, you still say the color (blue) then thumb, while ‘thumbing’ the closest person.

So, what happens if you see a green Prius you ask? Well, by golly you get to yell ‘green hug!’ (not thumb) and give the person a hug- it’s really like hitting the jackpot- you gotta try it. It also means you automatically win for the day, since Will and I prefer to ‘keep score’ by adding our ‘thumbs’ up and wiping the slate clean everyday.

By now you’re probably thinking that we have far too much time on our hands, or far too juvenile of an imagination, but hey, this game has been sticking and we thought it up on a whim.  I thought I’d share, in hopes of a small victory against the Volkswagen campaign of Punch Buggy, and maybe one day- one day- the game ‘Green hug, Blue Thumb’ will catch on and raise global awareness… and save the world!

I also don’t understand being pinched for not wearing green on Saint Patties day.  But, surprisingly enough, I do enjoy the game of ‘Slap Bet‘ from How I Met Your Mother.