Mardi Gras Throws

I have written before about Mardi Gras, but I think not much about the throws we catch from the float riders in Mardi Gras parades. These parades toss just about everything these days. The throws are cheap, not worth much after caught, but a ton of fun to try to catch. Mardi gras catching is an informal sport here. Even the tourists get instantly involved when they watch these parades.. People seem to be very competitive in trying to secure them. It's almost an athletic contest to see who catches and takes home the most and best throws. So today I will tell you about some of the things we will fight over this Carnival season.
There are the ubiquitous beads plastic or glass colored beads that children love to wear and play with. Some have the krewe emblem attached, some have lights in them to make them shine at night, there are short ones, long ones, thick ones, thin ones. It's the favored throw because tossing them is easy and catching them is as competitive an exercises as I know.
Trust me! If you saw a Mardi Gras parade and beads were tossed, you would not fold your arms and say "Why are they chasing after that ?" Instead, you would suddenly realize you had your arms thrust forward and were begging to have some thrown toward you. I think there is a bug that bites parade watchers here, because they become inhumanly enthusiastic chasing after throws.
Then there are those plastic Mardi Gras cups than clang on the pavement when hitting the ground after a catcher drops it' Often a float rider will throw 10 or more straight up in the air for the crowd to battle over. I keep those cups and use them casually sometimes for coffee or drink I take when heading out in the car. Mardi Gras cups are one throw that actually have some value- a small practical one.
The Mardi Gras doubloon is a krewe coin, once popular for collectors, but which has lost much of it's appeal today. They still toss those aluminum coins with parade facts and emblem, but people have been so saturated with doubloons they often don't even bother to retrieve them when they fall on the ground. But then, some doubloons are tokens for free chicken or drinks, something commercial. So people make sure they have no intrinsic money value before ignoring them.
Food items get tossed too. There are bags of chips, cotton candy or popcorn with the krewe emblem, candy, Moon Pies (a cookie sandwich filled with creme) in bright silver bags adorned with parade information, chewing gum. I like the food they throw because they satisfy the primal urge to eat..These are very practical throw.
And finally novelty times and trinkets. There are loads of these. Among them: brightly colored (in beads) metallic sequin purses, electroluminescant sunglasses (the light up), stuffed animals and stuffed objects of every sort and size, a Mardi Gras cuff watch, small inflatable squirting toilets (well, we are odd people), lip gloss beads, emblemed satin sleep masks, binocular beads (similar to hose opera glasses seen in old movies), light up plastic mugs, slide whiles and puzzles to color, coloring books for the kiddies (with attached coloring pencils), jester dolls, krewe scrolls, Mardi Gras colored purple green and gold) boas to wear at a parade, miniature stuffed footballs and baseballs.... You get the idea.
All one has to do is show up for a parade here and say "Throw me something Mister". But beware....after the parade is over and you get home you will go crazy trying to figure out what to do with all the junk you caught. I mean...what can I do with a mini inflatable Mardi Gras toilet....