Leap Frog

The familiar game turns into something not seen in modern playgrounds: have you played Mounty-Kitty?

Victorian film pioneer James Bamforth extended his practice of using local characters in his lantern shows into casting local lads in his films. This one shows boys playing a familiar game which soon turns into something not seen in modern playgrounds – a game known in the North East as Mounty-Kitty. Bamforth’s focus on local characters and subjects resulted in a rich catalogue of unique films, although it would be his later production of ‘smutty’ postcards that would make him rich.