In this essay, I will explore the origin and meaning of one of the most popular slang words on the internet: pog. Pog is a term that can be used as an adjective, an interjection, or a verb to express excitement, admiration, or surprise. The word pog has a long and fascinating history that traces back to a game of flipping cardboard disks in Hawaii.


The game of pogs originated from a Japanese game called menko, which involved flipping over cards with different designs. Menko was brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants in the 1800s. In the early 20th century, Hawaiian children adapted the game to use cardboard inserts from milk bottle caps. They called these caps pogs, after the acronym for a popular juice blend made of passion fruit, orange, and guava. The juice was produced by Haleakala Dairy, which also distributed the caps as promotional items.


The game of pogs became a huge craze in the 1990s, when a teacher named Blossom Galbiso introduced it to her students. The game spread quickly across the United States and other countries, and soon millions of kids were collecting and trading pogs with different designs and themes. Some pogs featured characters from cartoons, movies, or video games, while others had slogans, logos, or jokes. Some pogs were also made of metal or plastic and were called slammers. These were used to hit the stack of pogs and flip them over.


The term pog also entered the online culture through a Twitch emote called PogChamp. The emote shows the face of Ryan Gutierrez, a professional gamer and streamer, making an exaggerated expression of shock and awe. The emote was taken from a YouTube video where Gutierrez and another gamer named Mike Ross played a game of pogs using a joystick. The video was titled "Pogs Championship" and was made as an advertisement for MadCatz, a gaming hardware company.


The PogChamp emote became widely used on Twitch and other platforms to react to impressive or unexpected moments in gaming or streaming. The emote also spawned many variations and derivatives, such as Poggers, PogU, PogO, POGGERS, and more. These terms are often used interchangeably with pog to convey excitement or approval.


In conclusion, pog is a slang word that has evolved from a simple game of flipping bottle caps to a versatile expression of emotion on the internet. The word pog reflects the creativity and humor of online communities and their ability to adapt and remix existing cultural elements. Pog is more than just a word; it is a phenomenon that connects generations and cultures through shared experiences and interests.

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