A Cornhole set is more and more often around the corner. Last summer I saw a lot of people of all ages playing the Bean Bag Toss game or "Baggo" in the parks, gardens, sports clubs and parties! So Cornhole was one of the few games that was still found to be Corona-proof. Cornhole is rapidly gaining popularity in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe and after an intense and competitive game the same question is often asked: "Where did that Cornhole come from? As the starting point of Cornhole in the Netherlands, it was our task to delve further into this!

Roots of Cornhole
To find out the roots of Cornhole we have to make an overseas trip to the United States. If there is one city that is completely under the spell of Cornhole, it is Cincinnati, located in the state of Ohio. It is therefore not surprising that the city claims to be the home of the game Cornhole. The city claims to be the first where the inhabitants filled bags with corn grains and tried to throw them in holes.

Cincinnati faces competition from the Midwest of America. Cornhole is immensely popular in the state of Kentucky. Meanwhile part of the mid-western culture is the story of pioneer Jebediah McGillicuddy, who is said to have played the first version of "Baggo" in the characteristic mountains of Kentucky after which the game spread.

Of course, the pioneers from Cincinnati and Kentucky were not the first inhabitants of the American landscape. The legend tells the story of resourceful Indians who lived in Illinois. They would make bags from dried bladders (Yes, bladders) and fill them with corn kernels and then play competitively with them. If you happen to wonder how the first balloons were made, you have two more answers now!

German influence on Cornhole
An alternative explanation brings us much closer to home to our friendly German neighbors! America is characterized by gigantic peasant landscapes and these farmers are traditionally mostly from our German neighbors. The story goes that the German pioneer Matthias Kuepermann saw children throwing stones in holes made in the ground. This gave the best man the idea to design bags and wooden boards for safety. The game would then have become very popular in yes: Cincinnati. So far, two points for the pioneers of Cincinnati.

Yet besides stories that generations have survived, there is also hard evidence of the early roots of Cornhole in the United States. In 1883 Heyliger de Windt's applied for a patent for "Parlor Quoits". This game had a square hole instead of a round hole in the board. This game was the first to be recorded where bags filled with corn were thrown to a wooden board with a hole in it.

Cornhole remains popular at all times
After a dip in the history of Cornhole the question remains where exactly the addictive Bean Bag game comes from. Just like agriculture, Cornhole probably originated in several places at the same time, although its origins are pretty sure to be in the United States. What is at least as important is what the different locations have in common and that are: good food, drinks, family, friends and a very pleasant time. Cornhole turns out to be timeless and the game can be enjoyed at any place.