Pendulum

Pendulum is a simple action game for 2 players, each with 7 wooden cylindrical playing pieces (1.25 inches tall). These pieces are placed upright on the wooden playing board (15 x 7 inches), at the center of which there is a pendulum made of a one inch diameter wooden ball affixed to a 10 inch long string. Players take turns pulling back the ball and letting go it, allowing it to free-swing in any direction around the board. A player wins the round by knocking over the opponent's 7 pieces before all of one's own pieces are knocked over by the pendulum.

Variants described in the instruction booklet include St. Louie ("The Pendulum Dice Game"), Tower Tumble (noncompetitive), and Bowling.

Pendulum has a small 16 page instruction booklet which includes 14 black and white photos, most of young children playing the game. There is one picture (from about 1900) of an outdoor game of 'quilles', described as "an early pendulum game developed in France in the 14th century."

According to the booklet, Pendulum's "composition is of a Folk Toy Style." Its board design is "taken from a 12th century A.D. Jain Temple at Kathiawar built to honor Patala, a land devoted to games."

The game book is attributed to Anne Rivers and Carl Chase. The game and package design are attributed to Carl Chase. Pendulum was distributed in the mid-1980's by Pinocchio's, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.