Croquet facts for kids
Croquet is a fun game where players use a special hammer, called a mallet. The goal is to hit wooden or plastic balls through small hoops. These hoops are placed on a grass field. Croquet is played just for fun, but it is also a competitive sport.
The Story of Croquet
Croquet seems to have started in Ireland around the 1830s. It became popular in England in the 1850s. Rich people, called the aristocracy, enjoyed playing it. Some people think it came from an older game called pall mall.
From England, croquet traveled to other countries. It reached the United States, Australia, and France. Even though it was never super popular everywhere, many people still enjoy playing it today.
Croquet was even an official sport at the 1900 Summer Olympics. Another game, called Roque, was played at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Roque is thought to be a different version of croquet.
There are also some unique ways to play croquet. These include eXtreme Croquet and Bicycle Croquet.
Images for kids
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Leon Wyczółkowski, A Game of Croquet (1892–1895), National Museum, Warsaw
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Croquet being played at a club in the UK. (Four balls are visible on the lawn - Black, Green, Red, Brown - showing that two games are in progress ("double-banking"): red and black belong to one game, green and brown to the other).
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Croquet being played recreationally in Wetherby, West Yorkshire
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Paille-maille (pall-mall) illustrated in Old English Sports, Pastimes and Customs, published 1891. Original image by Lauthier, 1717.
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Early croquet-like game from The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, first published 1801. Hoop, peg, and two players with balls clearly shown. Such implements in ground billiards games date to classical antiquity.
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Croquet players in Sweden, early 20th century
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A game of croquet being played at Eglinton Castle, North Ayrshire, in the early 1860s
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Backyard croquet being played in rough grass with inexpensive equipment, United States, 2009
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Croquet player in a Michigan front yard, 1959
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The Croquet Game, Édouard Manet, 1873
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Louise Abbéma, A Game of Croquet (Trouville, 1872), private collection
See also
In Spanish: Croquet para niños
