Car Game- Hinsdale, Illinois

If you are in a car, and see a car with one or both headlights out, you hit the roof of the car and yell “pa-diddle!” The last person to complete this action must remove an article of clothing.

Alex learned this game from his friends while in high school in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. He said he usually played the game with friends to pass to the time or, he said half jokingly, “to see a naked girl.” However, he said one of his friends learned it from his mom. Interestingly, she played with different rules. Instead of having the last person to hit the roof remove an article of clothing, the first person to hit the roof got to kiss anyone they wanted in the car. She also included taillights in her version of the game, with the same rules as headlights, except you would say “pa-dunkle” for a taillight that is out instead of “pa-diddle” for a broken headlight.

Alex doesn’t know how the game evolved to the last person taking off an article of clothing, but he figures that his friends made that rule up. This makes sense, as many times it would be awkward to kiss someone randomly. When his friend’s mom was growing up, it was a little more socially acceptable to be outlandish and kiss random people, but that is not the case in today’s society.

This game is played when there is a mix of boys and girls in the car. It is not fun to play this game when the car is full of guys, as he, nor any of his friends, want to see another guy naked. However, Alex said that rarely has the game gotten as far as somebody being entirely naked.

This game is suited for teenagers as it is an immature game and adults would prefer something more sophisticated. Moreover, many adults who ride in a car together are married and it would be unruly to have a man’s wife remove her clothes in a car.

Another variation of this game can be found in On a Revolution: My Estrus Escapades in the Sexual ’70s by Lauryne Wright (iUniverse, Published 2006, page 53).