BrainStuff How Did POGs Become a '90s Phenomenon?
May 19, 2025
In the 1990s, POGs became a playground sensation with their collectible paperboard discs. The podcast explores their origins in the traditional Japanese game Menko and the cultural impact they had on childhood play. It traces the meteoric rise of POGs from a simple game to a global phenomenon, highlighting the factors behind their decline, such as school bans and market saturation. The nostalgia surrounding POGs is revisited, reflecting on how this quirky trend still resonates with '90s pop culture today.
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Origins of Pogs Game
- Pogs originated from traditional games like Japan's Menko and Hawaii's milk caps.
- These games involved flipping or knocking over stacked cards or caps to win them.
Teacher Revives Pogs in 1991
- Teacher Blossom Galbizo reintroduced the milk caps game to her students in 1991, sparking a new craze.
- Students switched to using POG juice caps as milk bottle caps became rare.
Commercialization of Pogs
- Alan Rapinski commercialized Pogs by founding the World Pog Federation in 1993.
- His marketing turned Pogs into a multi-million dollar playground craze on the U.S. mainland.