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Summary:: Alternative Name(s): Peg top

Wooden spinning top, conical with a flat base. Bought in 1963 by Dr Dorothy Howard in a public market in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The top is known in Mexico as a 'Trompo'. In Australia it is known as a peg top, or what is sometimes referred to as a 'boy's' top because peg tops were mostly used by boys. Girls usually used whipping tops. To spin the top, the string is wound around the body of the top and the end held while the top is thrown downwards. The string is jerked to set the top spinning.

This object forms part of the Dorothy Howard Collection, contained within the Australian Children's Folklore Collection (ACFC). The ACFC is unique in Australia, documenting contemporary children's folklore across Australia and in other countries reaching back to the 1870s. The Collection has a strong component of research material relating to Victoria. See Supp File 99.01.
Description:: Wooden spinning top, conical with a flat base. The body is decorated with five narrow engraved lines running in concentric circles around the top. At the pointed end of the top, a metal spindle is attached as the spinning mechanism. The wood is not stained or varnished.
Acquisition Information:: Cultural Gifts Donation from Dr June Factor, 1999
Acknowledgement:: Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Discipline:	History
Dimensions:	6.00 cm (Height), 3.50 cm (Length)

Tagged with:	children s folklore, children s play, cultural traditions, toys
Themes this item is part of:	Australian Children's Folklore Collection, Childhood & Youth Collection, Cultural Diversity Collection, Domestic & Community Life Collection, Leisure Collection, Dr Dorothy Howard (1902-1996)
Primary Classification:	GAMES & TOYS
Secondary Classification:	Action Games
Tertiary Classification:	spinning
Place & Date Made:	Guadalajara, Mexico, by 1963