In 1951, Disney adapted Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland into a movie by the same name. A naïve girl named Alice falls down a rabbit hole into a whole new world, characterized by bizarre creatures, talking animals, and even stranger customs. One such tradition is the Queen of Heart’s game of croquet, with flamingos for mallots, human cards for hoops, and live hedgehogs for balls.

The United States Youth Soccer Association has set the rules for ball size and weight, and follows FIFA rules for material and other regulations.

Although somewhat smaller than most balls, marbles share the same spherical shape, and are a classic pastime. No one knows where they originated, but marbles have nonetheless evolved from simple stones in Egyptian times to artisan and industry crafted spheres.