Calling Charlie

Charlie Charlie, a new game teenagers play, seems to have parents very worried.

There is a huge uproar about this game in the Cape, and fortunately, as far as we know, it has not reached Gauteng yet.

The game is a modern incarnation of a Spanish paper-and-pencil game called Juego de la Lapicera, literally meaning “the game of the pens”.

Teenage girls in Spain and Hispanic America have played Jeugo de la Lapicera for generations, asking which boys fancy them.

The game was popularised in the English-speaking world in 2015, partly through the hash tag #CharlieCharlieChallenge. Dabbling in the spirit world is not new to South African kids – many have tried their hand at the spooky Ouija board, or played glasie glasie.

These games all involve communicating with the supernatural.

But the biggest mystery now is, who exactly is Charlie? There seems to be quite a few answers, with some saying Charlie either was a child who committed suicide, or the victim of a fatal car accident, or a pagan Mexican deity who now convenes with the devil.

As a child I never played glasie glasie, as it never interested me.

I preferred annoying my brother and playing catchers, clay stick and walking in the field. Although we have not determined the long-term effect of Charlie Charlie, I am sure it is not good.

Most teenagers are at a sensitive age and opening themselves up for this kind of game might be detrimental. That is if you believe in the supernatural.

Have you heard about this game? What are your thoughts?