Dwarf tossing
Encyclopedia
Dwarf tossing is a bar
attraction in which dwarfs
wearing special padded clothing or Velcro costumes are thrown onto mattresses or at Velcro-coated walls. Participants compete to throw the dwarf the farthest. The term "Smeagle throwing" is sometimes used.
, Canada
, the Dwarf Tossing Ban Act, 2003 (also known as Smeagle) was introduced by Windsor West
MPP Sandra Pupatello
. This private member's public bill
did not proceed beyond its introduction to second or third readings, nor did it receive royal assent, and therefore died at the close of the 37th Legislature
. The bill proposed a fine of not more than $5,000, imprisonment of not more than six months, or both. The bill was hastily tabled in response to a dwarf tossing contest that was held at Leopard's Lounge in Windsor
, Ontario with a dwarf nicknamed "Tripod".
of the small French town of Morsang-sur-Orge
prohibited dwarf tossing. The case went through the appeal chain of administrative courts to the Conseil d'État, which found that an administrative authority could legally prohibit dwarf tossing on grounds that the activity did not respect human dignity
and was thus contrary to public order. The question raised legal questions as to what was admissible as a motive for an administrative authority to ban an activity for motives of public order, especially as the conseil did not want to include "public morality" in public order. The ruling was taken by the full assembly and not a smaller panel—proof of the difficulty of the question. The conseil ruled similarly in another case between an entertainment company and the city of Aix-en-Provence
.
The UN High Commissioner on Human Rights
judged on September 27, 2002, that the decision was not discriminatory
with respect to dwarfs. It ruled the ban on dwarf tossing was not abusive, but necessary to protect public order, including considerations of human dignity.
Nevertheless, dwarf tossing is not prohibited outright in France. The Conseil d'État decided that a public authority could use gross infringement on human dignity as a motive of public order to cancel a spectacle, and that dwarf tossing constituted such a gross infringement. However, it is up to individual authorities to make specific decisions regarding prohibition.
members of the Little People of America
, convinced the state's legislators in 1989 that dwarf tossing be made illegal. A measure banning dwarf tossing was passed with a wide margin. New York
later followed suit.
A lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court by Dave Flood, who appears on a morning radio talk show as "Dave the Dwarf," names Governor Jeb Bush
and the head of the state agency that enforces the 1989 law allowing the state to fine or revoke the liquor license
of a bar that allows dwarf tossing. The sport was popular in some Florida bars in the late 1980s.
at the broken bridge in the Mines of Moria
, Gimli
tells Aragorn
, "Nobody tosses a dwarf!" before jumping over a large gap himself. Later, at the Battle of Helm's Deep, Gimli allows Aragorn to throw him over a narrow defile
to battle Saruman
's armies after making Aragorn promise to never mention the act to Legolas
. The director's commentary in the special extended DVD edition of The Fellowship of the Ring debates whether the sport originated in the United Kingdom or Australia. The director's commentary goes on to say that the writing team did not realize that dwarf tossing is not as common in the United States and other regions as it is in New Zealand, and thus did not anticipate that many fans ultimately did not know what the joke was referring to. Neither incident, nor anything like it, appears in the actual book of Lord of the Rings.
Author Hugh Cook
includes a dwarf-tossing scene in his 1992 fantasy novel The Witchlord and the Weaponmaster.
In the 2004 comedic film Dodgeball
, a magazine titled Obscure Sports Quarterly features midget tossing.
American legal drama "L.A. Law" featured a legal dispute revolving around dwarf tossing in an episode aired on 11/23/1989.
In the Steve Jackson Games card game Munchkin, there is a card called "Dwarf Tossing".
In Brett Easton Ellis' Novel American Psycho
main character Patrick Bateman watches a TV show called "The Patty Winters Show". One of the episodes is referred to being "about a new sport called Dwarf Tossing"
Hornswoggle
(AKA "Little Bastard"), a character on WWE
's SmackDown!, is regularly dragged out from under the ring (where he "lives") and is tossed by Finlay
into his opponents.
The music album Midget Tossing
by Yellowcard
.
Wall Street firms (according to a 2005 Wall Street Journal article) furnished private jets and paid female escorts for attendees to a bachelor party for a Fidelity Funds trader Dennis Bruderman who was to marry the daughter of the disgraced Tyco International Ltd. boss L. Dennis Kozlowski. The party featured dwarf-tossing.
The group Bouquet Of Veal released the song "Dwarf Tossin which is available on The Obscurity File and Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes 2.
The Oblongs
, an animated television show, featured an episode with a run down bar showcasing dwarf tossing.
In episode three of the third season of American Dad, Stan and his new friend Brett Morris are seen to be competing in the fictional "Dwarf Toss '07".
In Matthew Harrison
's 1992 feature film Spare Me
, the heroes father runs an underground dwarf bowling operation.
In episode 5 of season 5 of Squidbillies
Early Cuyler wears a hat advising "VOTE YES RE-LEGALIZE MIDGET TOSSING".
Married with Children: Season 6, Episode 16 Rites of Passage = When Al takes Bud to a gentleman's club for his 18th birthday, the sign with the "House Rules" states "NO DWARF TOSSING"
Also in the TV show HellCats they refer in an episode to cheerleading as "dwarf tossing"
In the TV series Life's Too Short
with Warwick Davis
at the beginning of episode 3 a variety of dwarf tossing, dwarf bowling is shown using a greased up little person, a slip-and-slide mat and over sized bowling pins.
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
attraction in which dwarfs
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
wearing special padded clothing or Velcro costumes are thrown onto mattresses or at Velcro-coated walls. Participants compete to throw the dwarf the farthest. The term "Smeagle throwing" is sometimes used.
Canada
In OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Dwarf Tossing Ban Act, 2003 (also known as Smeagle) was introduced by Windsor West
Windsor West
Windsor West is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.The district consists of the part of the city of Windsor lying west and south of a line drawn from the U.S...
MPP Sandra Pupatello
Sandra Pupatello
Sandra Pupatello was a politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2011 as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party, serving as a Minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty....
. This private member's public bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
did not proceed beyond its introduction to second or third readings, nor did it receive royal assent, and therefore died at the close of the 37th Legislature
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
. The bill proposed a fine of not more than $5,000, imprisonment of not more than six months, or both. The bill was hastily tabled in response to a dwarf tossing contest that was held at Leopard's Lounge in Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Ontario with a dwarf nicknamed "Tripod".
France
The mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the small French town of Morsang-sur-Orge
Morsang-sur-Orge
Morsang-sur-Orge is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Inhabitants of Morsang-sur-Orge are known as Morsaintois.-Transport:...
prohibited dwarf tossing. The case went through the appeal chain of administrative courts to the Conseil d'État, which found that an administrative authority could legally prohibit dwarf tossing on grounds that the activity did not respect human dignity
Dignity
Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment. It is an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights...
and was thus contrary to public order. The question raised legal questions as to what was admissible as a motive for an administrative authority to ban an activity for motives of public order, especially as the conseil did not want to include "public morality" in public order. The ruling was taken by the full assembly and not a smaller panel—proof of the difficulty of the question. The conseil ruled similarly in another case between an entertainment company and the city of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
.
The UN High Commissioner on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
judged on September 27, 2002, that the decision was not discriminatory
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
with respect to dwarfs. It ruled the ban on dwarf tossing was not abusive, but necessary to protect public order, including considerations of human dignity.
Nevertheless, dwarf tossing is not prohibited outright in France. The Conseil d'État decided that a public authority could use gross infringement on human dignity as a motive of public order to cancel a spectacle, and that dwarf tossing constituted such a gross infringement. However, it is up to individual authorities to make specific decisions regarding prohibition.
United States
Robert and Angela Van Etten, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
members of the Little People of America
Little People of America
Little People of America is a non-profit organization which provides support, resources and information to individuals with dwarfism and their families...
, convinced the state's legislators in 1989 that dwarf tossing be made illegal. A measure banning dwarf tossing was passed with a wide margin. New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
later followed suit.
A lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court by Dave Flood, who appears on a morning radio talk show as "Dave the Dwarf," names Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
and the head of the state agency that enforces the 1989 law allowing the state to fine or revoke the liquor license
Liquor license
-Alberta:In Alberta, liquor licences are issued by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.-United Kingdom:Throughout the United Kingdom, the sale of alcohol is restricted—pubs, restaurants, shops and other premises must be licensed by the local authority. The individual responsible for the...
of a bar that allows dwarf tossing. The sport was popular in some Florida bars in the late 1980s.
Popular culture references to dwarf tossing
In The Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
at the broken bridge in the Mines of Moria
Moria (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth, comprising a vast network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls or 'mansions', that ran under and ultimately through the Misty Mountains...
, Gimli
Gimli (Middle-earth)
Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....
tells Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
, "Nobody tosses a dwarf!" before jumping over a large gap himself. Later, at the Battle of Helm's Deep, Gimli allows Aragorn to throw him over a narrow defile
Defile (geography)
Defile is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front...
to battle Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
's armies after making Aragorn promise to never mention the act to Legolas
Legolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
. The director's commentary in the special extended DVD edition of The Fellowship of the Ring debates whether the sport originated in the United Kingdom or Australia. The director's commentary goes on to say that the writing team did not realize that dwarf tossing is not as common in the United States and other regions as it is in New Zealand, and thus did not anticipate that many fans ultimately did not know what the joke was referring to. Neither incident, nor anything like it, appears in the actual book of Lord of the Rings.
Author Hugh Cook
Hugh Cook (science fiction author)
Hugh Cook was a cult author whose works blend fantasy and science fiction. He is best-known for his epic series The Chronicles of an Age of Darkness.-Biography:...
includes a dwarf-tossing scene in his 1992 fantasy novel The Witchlord and the Weaponmaster.
In the 2004 comedic film Dodgeball
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, commonly referred to as simply DodgeBall, is a 2004 American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn...
, a magazine titled Obscure Sports Quarterly features midget tossing.
American legal drama "L.A. Law" featured a legal dispute revolving around dwarf tossing in an episode aired on 11/23/1989.
In the Steve Jackson Games card game Munchkin, there is a card called "Dwarf Tossing".
In Brett Easton Ellis' Novel American Psycho
American Psycho
American Psycho is a psychological thriller and satirical novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by the protagonist, serial killer and Manhattan businessman Patrick Bateman. The book's graphic violence and sexual content generated a great deal of...
main character Patrick Bateman watches a TV show called "The Patty Winters Show". One of the episodes is referred to being "about a new sport called Dwarf Tossing"
Hornswoggle
Dylan Postl
Dylan Postl is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names Hornswoggle or Little Bastard. He is employed by WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand...
(AKA "Little Bastard"), a character on WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's SmackDown!, is regularly dragged out from under the ring (where he "lives") and is tossed by Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
into his opponents.
The music album Midget Tossing
Midget Tossing
Midget Tossing is Yellowcard's debut album, released in 1997 by DIY Records. It is currently out of print. The songs "Sue" and "Uphill Both Ways" both appeared on Yellowcard's following album Where We Stand.-Track listing:-Members:...
by Yellowcard
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American pop punk/alternative rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre...
.
Wall Street firms (according to a 2005 Wall Street Journal article) furnished private jets and paid female escorts for attendees to a bachelor party for a Fidelity Funds trader Dennis Bruderman who was to marry the daughter of the disgraced Tyco International Ltd. boss L. Dennis Kozlowski. The party featured dwarf-tossing.
The group Bouquet Of Veal released the song "Dwarf Tossin which is available on The Obscurity File and Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes 2.
The Oblongs
The Oblongs
The Oblongs is an American animated television program aimed at teenagers and adults. It is loosely based on a series of characters introduced in creator Angus Oblong's picture book entitled Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children...
, an animated television show, featured an episode with a run down bar showcasing dwarf tossing.
In episode three of the third season of American Dad, Stan and his new friend Brett Morris are seen to be competing in the fictional "Dwarf Toss '07".
In Matthew Harrison
Matthew Harrison
Matthew Harrison is an American television and film director, producer and writer. He first came to prominence when his feature film Rhythm Thief was awarded Special Jury Recognition for Directing at the Sundance Film Festival. His first studio feature Kicked in the Head was Executive Produced by...
's 1992 feature film Spare Me
Spare Me (1992 film)
Spare Me is a 1992 "bowling noir" film that, as one film reviewer wrote, "twists conventions of the Western and thriller genres within its parallel universe of bowling monomania." Matthew Harrison's feature film directorial debut, the 16mm feature was made for less than $80,000 US and won awards at...
, the heroes father runs an underground dwarf bowling operation.
In episode 5 of season 5 of Squidbillies
Squidbillies
Squidbillies is an animated television series about the Cuylers, an impoverished family of anthropomorphic hillbilly squids living in the Appalachian region of North Carolina's mountains. The show is produced by Williams Street Studios for the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network and...
Early Cuyler wears a hat advising "VOTE YES RE-LEGALIZE MIDGET TOSSING".
Married with Children: Season 6, Episode 16 Rites of Passage = When Al takes Bud to a gentleman's club for his 18th birthday, the sign with the "House Rules" states "NO DWARF TOSSING"
Also in the TV show HellCats they refer in an episode to cheerleading as "dwarf tossing"
In the TV series Life's Too Short
Life's Too Short
Life's Too Short is an observational sitcom series, created and written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, from an idea by Warwick Davis, and is described by Gervais as being about "the life of a showbiz dwarf", with Davis playing a fictionalised version of himself. Gervais and Merchant appear...
with Warwick Davis
Warwick Davis
Warwick Ashley Davis is an English actor. He is most notable for playing the title characters in Willow and the Leprechaun film series, as well as for his roles in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the Harry Potter movies. Davis currently stars in the sitcom Life's Too Short, written...
at the beginning of episode 3 a variety of dwarf tossing, dwarf bowling is shown using a greased up little person, a slip-and-slide mat and over sized bowling pins.