Anatomy of a Throw

Last Mardi Gras post, I promise….Throws have a whole system of their own. No matter how many times we told the kids to just relax and enjoy the parade, it was infectious to try and catch things, and every time a float went by we were out there holding them up and screaming for more! Everyone comes with bags in hand to stash your throws and keep your hands free for catching - and blocking. Kids perch on ladders with homemade seats to put them above the crowd, safely contained and in a great vantage point to see, be seen, and catch more. We had friends with ladders for the kids to try, but they never wanted to go up and felt safer either on the ground or being held.

In front of a house in our neighborhood

Here's what the kids picked up from two parades and a breakdown of some the things you may catch….

Toys - frisbees, balls, swords, spears… the list goes on!
Cups and coozies - Oscar's favorite! We tried to catch a cup from each parade we went to, and managed to get a few coozies as well.

the kids with their favorite throws

Stuffed animals - Yes, there's the array of cheesy fair-type animals that you're just waiting to expel their stuffing, but also a random assortment of animals that look like someone cleaned out their kids toy box to throw. Livi managed to get a Care Bear and a Bunnies by the Bay rattle at one parade!







Flashy things - Anything that glows, usually with beads so you can wear them and keep your hands free for more.

Dubloons - These ended up being my favorite. Each parade each year has at least one coin that's new, some with several. If you look closely, the gold coin is showing the King of the King Arthur Krewe, while the blue one is showing the masked Captain of the Krewe of Morpheus, whose identity is never revealed.

And of course, beads glorious beads!  I assumed that was the big draw, and in some ways they are. But not all beads are created equal and some are definitely cooler than others. Oscar was proud to get the big ones!

While I focused on helping the kids catch things, there was one set of beads that I just had to have. I saw them and screamed to the rider to throw it. He looked down, saw Livi and immediately threw down a stuffed bear. She was very excited but I still wanted those beads! I called out again and he laughingly (and a little exasperatedly) threw it down. Can you see why it spoke to me? 

(This may seem excessive and wasteful, and it some ways it really is. BUT, there are organizations that recycle beads, and lots of companies you can donate them too to use again another year. Beads and plastic litter galore line the streets after a parade, but following each parade is a troupe of cleaners who quickly wipe the streets clean. An hour after the parade, you would never know it had been there! I also heard that the city determines how many people come for Mardi Gras based on the amount of trash they collect.)