There are a whole variety of games which simply involve the throwing
of coins or discs at walls or at holes in a bench, chair, wall or box. This game has been going on
for time immemorial; its origins are lost in time.
"Chuck Farthing" from a children's book published in 1744. The accompanying poem reads "As you value your Pence, At the Hole take your
aim; Chuck all safely in, And you'll win the game".
Toad in the Hole & Pitch Penny
This fantastic example of Penny in the Hole is to be found at a pub called The Viper in
Ingatestone, Essex. Can you see the hole with a drawer underneath?
The most established and oldest example still being played in England (mainly in Norfolk and Essex), is called Pitch Penny, Penny Seat, Penny Slot, Tossing the Penny or Penny in the Hole. Essentially pennies are thrown across the room and into a hole carved in the seat of a high-backed settle or wooden bench.
A modern descendent of Pitch Penny, Toad in the Hole is a terrific Sussex pub game, centred around the town of Lewes, where both a Team and Singles World Championships are held each year. The difference is that a lead-topped dedicated table or box is used instead of a bit of convenient furniture that already lies in the pub.
This is an old pub Toad in the Hole table owned by the author. The central hole has begun to be distorted by the battering of the coins over time.
As at 2024, the game is a growing rapidly with several manufacturers of tables in existence. It's a classic English pub game with hidden depth - see the dedicated Pitch Penny and Toad in the Hole page for more history and information.
Tonspel - The Barrel Game
In the rest of Europe, it's a safe bet that similar games were also quite common throughout the ages. In Belgium, they still play a game that is similar in many respects, the tables from a distance look similar and usually feature a drawer to retrieve scoring disks in the same way. The main differences are that the board surface is wooden instead of lead and the board has multiple holes instead of a single one. The projectiles are thick disks usually made from brass and often feature decorative rings. Multiple targets tend to reduce the skill required to play a game unless the rules require specific holes to be aimed at for some reason, but in this game there are usually 12 disks and the aim is simply to score the most or be first to 50 points, for example.
The most common layout is 4 rows of 3
holes. Sometimes the holes do not have specific scores and on other boards, each hole is ascribed a
number from one to twelve. A common feature is that the front hole in the middle is special, being a
slot rather than a round hole, and this hole being the hardest by far to score in, usually scores 12
or sometimes more than 12.
In Belgium the game is called Pudebak or Tonspel which means 'Barrel Game' and in French it is known as Tonneau which also translates as 'barrel'. There is a theory that this is because the original form of the game used a barrel as the stand/body.
The Augsburg board, dated around 1630. By kind permission of Greger Sundin, Uppsala
University.
A board was found in Augsburg before 1630 that is described in 1694 as belonging to a "Pott-penning spel" (in Swedish, a "pot stake game"). It features 18 holes around 2-3cm diameter but in a diagonal lattice layout rather than the regular layout of modern boards. The Swedish translation implies a betting element which, given that most games prior to the 1850s were gambled upon, is not surprising. A similar game with more holes is described in German under the name "Scheffel-Spiel" in a book published in 1733 about common games played at the time - "Palamedes Redivivus". This translates as 'Bushel Game', a Bushel being an old measure of volume equivalent to around 8 gallons - effectively a small barrel...
The Frog Game / Sapo
A more ubiquitous
relative and perhaps a descendant of such games is
still played in bars and cafes in certain parts of Europe and South America. It consists of a piece
of furniture with several holes in the top surface like Tonspel but has the addition of certain
obstacles to make these targets more challenging and interesting.
An example of "La Grenouille" from Normandy. This was very kindly sent for scanning by Anita Chapman, Liverpool, England. The board features the classic frog in the centre and a hole with a spinner in front of it. Either side of the Frog are holes that are covered with an arch-band to make them a little more challenging and the 2 holes at the front corners both feature a trapdoor and an arch.
This is a version of La Grenouille held by the Centre National
Due Jeu in Beoulogne-Billancourt, Paris. By kind permission of Bruce Whitehill, the big game hunter.
In Portugal the game is called Jogo do Sapo [toad game], in France it is known as La Grenouille [the frog] and in Spain, The Basque country and Catalonia - La Rana [the frog]. It is also popular in South America where it is called Sapo [toad]. The reason for the frog / toad name, is that the common feature for all these games is that the most difficult hole is in the shape of an ornate frog or toad in the centre.
The number of holes, obstacles, size, design of table and the rules all vary from region to region. A popular feature is for the two holes either side of the Toad/Frog to have spinners. Sometimes a pair of holes further back are filled with a trapdoor that swings down if a coin lands on it.
This is a picture of Sapo at a
hotel in Nasca, Peru. This game has a
cluttered looking 20 holes to aim at, one of which is our froggy friend. Courtesy Lucy Worrall and
Matthew Murphy.
Players attempt to throw coins or disks in the holes which score differently according to their difficulty. Disks that land successfully slide down to the front of the table to a compartment at the front of the table showing the score. A quote from the OED refers to the European game as being a charity game - perhaps the greater element of luck in a multi-hole game lends itself to fundraising activities.
Basque La Rana
In spain, versions of La Rana (The Frog) are particularly popular in Northern states such as
Aragon, Navarre, Catalonia and the Basque country. The Basques play the simplest but also the most
skilful version of the game - because it features just the single frog hole.
Pictured are the author's sons playing La Rana in the street outside a bar in Bilbao, capital of the Basque region in 2011. With thanks to his friend Jose Vela.
Here then is a clear similarity with the British Toad in the Hole game. Perhaps the first Toad/Frog international should be organised - The English v. The Basque?
Cornhole
A game which may well be a derivative of Toad in the Hole is the American game of "Cornhole".
It seems to be centred around Cincinnati, Ohio where it is all the rage but it is rumoured to have
begun in Indiana and one person wrote to the author from Minnesota about the game.
A commercial Cornhole board from Masters Traditional Games.
It uses four bean bags per two man team. There are two (4 x 2 feet) ramps with holes apprx 6 inches from the top (high part) of the ramp or board and directly centered. The boards are placed around 30 feet apart and each team has a player placed at each board. Play alternates between players at one end each throwing their teams four bean bags. A typical way to score is that any bag landing on the board without hitting the ground first scores one point. Any bag in the hole scores three points.
In fact, quite a number of people have written to the author asking for rules, board dimensions and so forth but really the game appears to be a bit of an informal craze - without any 'official' rules or regulations. Pundits needn't be concerned - this just makes it easier to construct your own boards without any worries. Many pub games have been without any official rules for centuries and all the better for it...
Holeyboard
A
number of people from North America have written to the author enquiring about a game that is
popular in that region called "Holeyboard" or "Washers" or "Ringers". In this game, large washers
(flat metal rings about 1 - 2 inches diameter) are thrown by a person standing on one box towards
another box 8 feet away. Each box is has 3 holes about 10 inches apart and the holes score 1 point
for the near hole, 3 points for the middle hole and 5 points for the furthest hole. Players go
backwards and forwards, alternating the target box in the same manner as for quoits or bowls. The
objective is to reach exactly 21 points. Various dimensions for the boxes et al have been reported
and it appears to be common to connect the two boxes with cord or rope - presumably so that setting
them at the correct distance is merely a matter of pulling the rope taut. One person reported that
he played with cups instead of holes and another believed that the game was originally played with
holes in the ground - certainly, there do not appear to be any standards.
There is another version of "Washers" in existence which is like a missing ancestor between the game described above and the old game of Quoits. Instead of 3 holes, the object is still to throw washers into a single cup which is set into pits reminiscent of quoit pits. Is this a single hole version of the above game or is it a variation of quoits with a hole instead of a stake?
The origin of this game isn't clear and it's relationship to the other games on this page, if any, is a mystery. If anyone, can shed any light on these matters, the author would be pleased to receive an email from them.
Pubs & Where To Play
Please see the separate Toad in the Hole & Pitch Penny Pubs and Leagues page.
Toad in the Hole Singles World Championship
Rules
Masters Traditional Games publishes free rules for traditional games and also sells a fully-fledged pub-style Toad in the Hole game.
To find the Frog Game in France, search for "Jeu de la grenouille".