How the Volkswagen Type 1 Became the Slug Bug
Slug Bug probably started a lot of roadtrip conflict when you were a kid. How did punching someone after seeing a VW Beetle become a thing?
Written by Andrew Koole
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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Table of Contents
If you ever went on a
road trip
as a child, a friend or sibling likely introduced you to a little game that left you with a sore shoulder or two. It required a sniper’s gaze, quick reflexes, and an ability to recognize a particular classic car
—the Volkswagen Type 1 “Beetle.”The game in question has gone by many names. Some call it “Punch Buggie.” Others call it “Slug Bug.” But the story of how the People’s Car became the spark of so many backseat squabbles remains a mystery to most.
Jerry
took out the magnifying glass and put on the detective’s cap to search for the origins of this slightly violent, multigenerational automotive pastime. The results might surprise you.Slug Bug: a history
The legend of “Slug Bug” begins with the car at the center of play. And the Volkswagen Type 1 has a sordid history, indeed. Commissioned by none other than Adolf Hitler, production of the car started in Germany in 1938, one year before World War II broke out.
The car quickly adopted its “Beetle” or “Bug” nickname in its home country, a moniker that continued to be used as it was exported throughout the world, changing only slightly to suit translation. Thanks in part to the friendlier name, the Beetle stayed in production until 2003.
As to how the car became the inspiration for mid-trip shoulder blows, the origins of the “slug bug” game are shrouded in rumor and myth.
East Hills Volkswagen
of Sayville, New York links the origin of the game to the abuse carried out by Nazi soldiers. However, the most reliable sources trace it back to the height of the car’s popularity in the 1960s, explaining that the unique look of the car helped it standing out in a crowd. Still, there is no universally accepted origin story for the game.
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Other, less violent road trip games
MORE: Road Trip Games That Won't Have Your Kids Saying "Are We There Yet?"
Passengers have plenty of modern distractions to keep them entertained on the road, from phones and gaming consoles to built-in entertainment systems. But it’s always a good idea to give everyone’s eyes a break and start some analog fun in the car as well.
Punch Buggie/Slug Bug might seem like a good option, but it’s ripe for starting conflicts that can end up distracting the driver. It’s best to focus on other road trip games that can’t cause
car insurance
claims.- License Plate Collecting is a classic that has participants searching for plates from different states and countries. But a more challenging adaptation combines it with another age-old roadtrip game—alphabet collecting.
- Alphabet collecting normally has players looking for letters from “A” to “Z” on signs and vehicles. But narrowing the search down tolicense platescan occupy a full car for hours. Want to make it even harder? Collecting numbers off plates can captivate a competitive family for years.
Horse is another innocent “I Spy”-like game for roadtripping, though it’s a little region-specific. Passengers call out “Horse!” for each horse they see, keeping tabs on how many they’ve accumulated. But any sight of a cemetery, and any participant can say, “Bury your horses!” forcing all other players to start from scratch.
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