Dreidel Fun

A dreidel is a four sided spinning top used for a game traditionally played during the Jewish holiday of hannukah. This site is dedicated to the game of dreidel: its history, its rules, and the fun of playing the game and its many variations.

Before plastic, dreidels were manufactured by casting from solid lead.  According to Sol Scharfstein the president of Ktav Publishing, the company started with his parent's idea to manufacture lead dreidels:

After a long search he found a tool and die maker who designed the world's only existing draydel casting machine. Lead is heated in a steel ladel till it melts. The molten lead is then poured into the closed mold. After 15 seconds, the lead sets, at which point the mold is opened and the hot draydel is removed. A good operator like Fannie produced about 75 draydels an hour. The first year was a great success and the exultant duo sold 25,000 lead draydel at 2 cents each, for a total of $500.00 Hallelujah! Life for Asher and Fannie was looking up.

According to the New York Times, Ktav now sells 400,000 dreidels every year.  I'm guessing that not of these are lead :).

Cast dreidels are generally well made because the shape of the piece can be precisely controlled.  Unfortunately, many of todays cast plastic dreidels are sold with a part line  going right across the tip of the dreidel.  A part line is the line between the two sides of the casting molds where a bit of material always oozes out.  This can be removed but these are cheap dreidels so this extra work is skipped.  In contrast, dreidels cast of sterling silver, pewter, brass, bronze, nambe or any other more expensive material typically have had the part line removed - and are are more likely to be well balanced.

Lead is out of vogue these days not only because its more expensive than plastic but also because of health concerns.  The dreidels below are remnants of a past era!


     
Lead  Dreidel supposedly from Eastern Europe, late 19th century.  Top and bottom are decorated with engraved ornamentation.  Measurements : Height: 4.2cm. / 1.65in. Weight : 17.8g. / 0.57oz. Price:  $750 (as of 12/16/08).  Available from Pasarel.


   
This vintage Israeli lead dreidel , was hand made by a jewish artist in Israel. Along with the letters are Words in Hebrew that state that the dreidel used to belong to the Bialik school.
Height:  2.54cm/1in. Diameter:  1.25cm/0.50in.  Price:  $49.99  (as of 12/16/08).  Available from Mir-El Antiques.

Here are a couple of web sites that regularly sell antique dreidels.

• Mir-El Antiques
• Pasarel

There are some great sources for dreidel pictures across the internet.  Here are a few examples of dreidel photograph collections and galleries:

• http://www.geocities.com/justdreidels/dreidelgallery.html
• http://www.acclaimimages.com
• http://images.google.com
• http://www.gettyimages.com
• http://www.shutterstock.com
• http://www.istockphoto.com
• http://www.fotosearch.com
• http://www.flickr.com
• http://www.otzarstock.com
  

Here are a few antique bone or ivory dreidels that look like they are assembled from a couple turned and shaped parts.

 

I've personally never been invited to Hannukah costume party - but when that day comes I've a few leads on dreidel costumes in the pictures below.  If I need a side-kick I'll dress my daughter up in a dreidel maidel costume.  I have to admit Menorah Man seems a bit cooler than Mr. Dreidel but it might just be that I find facial hair on toys is a turn-off.  What were they thinking with that "hey" mustache?


Dreidel on Rollerskates - from Flickr

Thinking about designing your own dreidel?  I recently had to put together a "game dreidel" prototype for a variation on the traditional dreidel game.  Here are some things to consider.

Size

A good game dreidel needs to be able to be stuffed in a pocket - so something between one and two inches tall/wide/diameter is about right.

Weight

Assuming we want to spin the dreidel with one hand as is traditional, a game dreidel can't be too heavy.  A good target is 0.3 to 0.4 oz (10 grams) based on a quick survey of the wood and plastic dreidels in my house.  Note that the weight of the dreidel in combination with the shape and spinning tip affects how long the dreidel spins.

Balance

It turns out that many dreidels are weighted.  This doesn't translate into unfair advantages when playing basic dreidel - however, it affects the game play.  If, for example, most spins result in a nun then the game gets really boring.  The solution is to have a precision fabricated dreidel.  In addition,  a smooth and regular spinning tip and a shape that allows for a clear fall can minimize the affect of fabrication imperfections.

Spinning Tip

The point where the top touches the ground is the spinning tip.  A sharper tip typically means that the top will spin longer.  If the tip is made from a relatively soft material like wood, however, a sharper tip is more fragile - if its dented the dreidel can't spin evenly.  Many non-dreidel spinning tops are created with a sharp metal spinning tip for this reason.  Most dreidels however have a more rounded tip - and most inexpensive dreidels have a tip of the same material as the top body.

Body Shape

As mentioned above, the body shape needs to be balanced for fair spinning.  The shape of the body also affects the spinning difficulty, the duration of the spin and the dynamics of the dreidel landing.  The location of the center of gravity in relationship to the overall height of the dreidel affects stability of the dreidel.  Center of gravity is also affected by the width of the dreidel and the distribution of the weight in relationship to the spinning axis.  The bottom line with regard to the shape of a basic game dreidel is that it should be forgiving of a slow spin or an off center spin.  

The body shape also has a very functional constraint: a good game dreidel must clearly display the result of the spin.  This rules out rounded shapes where a dreidel can come to a stop in between letters.  Four and only four possible landing positions are a must.

Handle

Also known as the shaft or stem of the dreidel, the handle is typically cylindrical.  Some times shaft has decorative flourishes but as long as the cross section is semetrical around the axis, spinning shouldn't be affected.  For example, driedels with a small ball at the top or with an "X" cross section are generally easy to spin as long as they roll easily across one's finger tips when they are being spun.

Keep in mind that the thicker the diameter of the handle, the harder it is to squeeze, particularly for small fingers.  Also, a thinner diameter handel can typically be spun faster because the spinner gets more TPF (turns per flick).  I settled on a 3/8" or 1/4" diameter handle and it seems to work well.  

The length of the handle needs to be long enough to let ones fingers grip the shaft, but not too long that the dreidel is unstable and the spinner can't maintain the spinning access.  Tops can be design for one handed spinning or two handed spinning which requires a longer shaft.  Because a long thin handle would be harder to fit in a pocket - and a dreidel is traditionally a one handed top I recommend sticking with a handle of about 1/2".

Strength

Consider not only the pocket stuffing requirement but also the frequent falls off the dining room table and the occasional sneaker crushing on the hard wood floor.  Obviously a steel dreidel comes to mind - but my recommendation here - for the sake of both the dreidel and the floor - is a solid plastic dreidel.  Wood and various metals also do well depending on the shape and construction.

Material

In addition to strength, the choice of materials also affects manufacturing cost, fabrication precision, and weight of the dreidel.  A blown glass dreidel can never be precisely made - for better of for worse the shape will always have one of a kind imperfections that will likely affect the spin.  The material also will affect the quality of the fall, causing a plop, a klunk, or an extended bounce across the floor and under the radiator.

Spinning Dynamics

I always assumed that a longer spin is a better spin.  Think about this though - dreidel is a pretty boring game to begin with and who wants to spend more time just watching the dreidel spin and spin and spin and spin.  I recommend that a game dreidel spin elegantly about 5 seconds - but no longer.

Does all this sound daunting?  Yeah - buying one of those plastic dreidels doesn't sound half bad anymore...

Painted wood dreidels are generally not only inexpensive but one-of-a-kind.  Here are some nice options from Russia, India and Israel.



Russian Stacking Doll Dreidel
These dreidels in the shape of  Russian matryoshka (stacking or nesting) dolls are colorfully hand-painted with traditional Russian decoration.  Made of wood, each set includes three dreidels and comes with a stand. The tallest dreidel is 4-1/2"t x 3"w.  Price: $85.00  (as of 12/1/08).  Available from The Jewish Museum Store.



Kashmiri Dreidel
This dreidel and matching box are covered with an intricate floral and bird design against a background of glossy black.  They are handmade in and fair-trade imported from Kashmir, India.   The box measures 2.5" T x 4.5" W x 2.75" D (6.4 cm x 11.4 cm x 7 cm); large dreidel measures 3.5" T x 2" sq. (8.9 cm x 5.1 cm)Price:  $16.95  (as of 12/1/08). Available from The Rainforest Site.



Hand Painted Dreidel    
Hand Painted Wooden Dreidel by Israeli artist Yair Emanuel.  Mr. Emanuel's work is based upon a fusion of traditional s motifs and ancient Jewish manuscripts with modern and oriental art.  3.6 (H) x 1.4 (W) x 1.4 (L) in.  Price:  $10.00  (as of 12/1/08). Available directly from Yair Emanuel.


 
Colorful Wood Dreidels
The orange version is for use outside Israel - and features a "shin", the blue version is for use in Israel and features a "pey". (Learn more about the letters on the dreidel).     $2.40  (as of 12/1/08).  Available from Israel-Gifts-Flowers.com.

These metal dreidels are made of a variety of alloys including nambe, aluminum, pewter, and silver and are fabricated using a variety of techniques including casting, assembly, punching and machining.


 
Dreidel with wood stand
Designed by Marilyn Davidson, this finely polished and balanced dreidel is made of Nambe metal alloy is not only strong but also has the shine of sterling silver.  3"w x 2-5/8"h; Stand: 3"w x 2"h.     $65.00  (as of 12/1/08).  Available from Nambe.com.



Contemporary Pewter Dreidel
This pewter dreidel is cast with an outline of the Star of David around the head of the top. Pewter is a beautiful silver color metal that doesn't tarnish.  Price: $21.95  (as of 12/1/08). Available from Judaica Specialties.



Dreidel Menorah
Israeli designer Avia Agayof combines the nine of candleholders of the menorah with a dreidel. The modular set is made of lightweight anodized aluminum, folds up for easy packing, and comes in a velvet pouch. 12 x 3 in. when open. $144.00  (as of 12/1/08).  Available from Canaan Online.  


 
Cones Dreidel
Israeli artist Rafi Landau designed this collectible dreidel featuring a sterling silver top, with punched out holes and a radiant blue aluminum post.  2-1/4" x 3-1/4".  Price $375.00  (as of 12/1/08).  Available from the Jewish Museum.

These glass dreidels are created using a variety of techniques including etched crystal and fused glass.   

 
Fused Glass Dreidel
Itay Mager is an Israeli Artist, living in Tel Aviv.  Made of thick Glass, colored and textured in a special fusing technique.  Size : 1.8 x 1.8 inchPrice:  $22 (as of 11/25/08).  Available from on Ebay.


        
Assorted Glass Dreidels   
These festive and fun dreidels made of glass are perfect for playing the dreidel game or sprinkling around your Hanukkah table.  Please allow us to choose the colors for you.  1-1/2"t x 3/4"w.  Price:  $2.50 (as of 12/1/08). Available from the Jewish Museum.


    
Optical Crystal Dreidel
This etched Dreidel by Steve Resnick is a signed work of art, each one designed and individually crafted in his studio.  Price:  $200.00 (as of 12/1/08).  Available from JudaicaShop.com.    

Got to have the latest in dreidel technology?  Give these flashy dreidels a whirl...



The Dreidel that Talks Back
Apparently when the dreidel falls on a letter you hear a  vocal response that teaches you how to play (interspased with "The Dreidel Song" sung by Paul Zim and choir).  Price:  $11.99 (as of 12/1/08).  Available from Judaica Online.



This wood Israel Defense Force dreidel set come with a display kit and 10 colorful laser cut dreidels representing the various branches of the IDF. Stand: 11" x 4" x 6.5". Made in Israel. Price: $55.00 (as of 12/1/08).  Available from Judaism.com.



Bouncing Dreidel    
This bouncing dreidel also plays two Hanukkah songs and lights up as it moves.  Price:  $3.95 (as of 12/1/08).  Available from the Jewish Museum.


    
This huge inflatable dreidel decoration is designed for both indoor and outdoor use and measures an impressive 6 feet tall.  Price $108.95 (as of 12/1/08).  Available from JudaicaSpecialties.com.



Light-up Musical Dreidel
Give this dreidel a good spin, then watch it light-up and listen to it play the dreidel song.  2-1/4"t x 2"w.  Price: $3.95  (as of 12/1/08).  Available from the Jewish Museum.