Games, sport and playNorth America
Marco Polo
A swimming pool tag game where one blindfolded player uses sound to find others
This is a water-based tag game played in a swimming pool. One person acts as 'it' with closed eyes and calls out 'Marco'. Others reply 'Polo' so the seeker can locate them by sound. It spread from America to Hong Kong in the mid-twentieth century.
When is Marco Polo kept?
Marco Polo is kept during swimming sessions or pool parties.
People play Marco Polo in swimming pools as a form of active tag. One participant wears a mental blindfold and relies entirely on hearing to locate friends. The game encourages social interaction and physical movement in the water while providing a low-impact workout for joints and bones.
How the game works
One person starts as 'it' and closes their eyes. They shout 'Marco' and wait for others to answer 'Polo'. This call-and-response helps the seeker guess where players are hiding. If tagged, that person becomes the new seeker. Someone can also shout 'fish out of water!' if they think a player has left the pool.
History and origins
The name matches a famous Italian explorer but likely has no real link. The game resembles blind man's buff on dry land. It appeared in American surveys by the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, it became popular among expatriates in Hong Kong. Today, it is played worldwide with many local variations.
Social meaning
Children learn about roles and isolation when they are 'it'. The game involves repeated actions and verbal signs. It allows players to experiment with being an outcast. The water supports the body, making it a gentle exercise that reduces stress on bones and joints compared to land games.
How Marco Polo is kept
Players gather in a pool. One person is chosen to be 'it' and must keep their eyes closed. That person shouts 'Marco' repeatedly. Other players respond with 'Polo' to reveal their location. The seeker moves toward the sound to tag someone. If tagged, roles switch. Players may also shout 'fish out of water!' if someone leaves the water.
When and where
It is played during recreational swimming times. The date depends on when people swim together. It has no fixed calendar day.
It is kept in swimming pools around the world. It was notably popular in Hong Kong among expatriates in the 1970s. It started in America by the 1960s.
What Marco Polo means
The game teaches children about social roles. Being 'it' shows what isolation feels like. The call-and-response builds community. It connects players through shared sound and space.
Questions people ask about Marco Polo
When is Marco Polo kept?
Marco Polo is kept during swimming sessions or pool parties.
What is Marco Polo?
It is a tag game played in a swimming pool. One person seeks others using only sound. Others hide and respond to help the seeker find them.
How do you play?
One person closes their eyes and shouts 'Marco'. Others reply 'Polo'. The seeker follows the sound to tag someone. The tagged person then becomes 'it'.
Where is it played?
It is played in swimming pools worldwide. It became popular in Hong Kong in the 1970s and was known in America by the 1960s.
See also
Greasy poleA slippery pole climbed, walked or crossed to win a prize at the top or the far end
DreidelA four-sided top spun for small stakes, most often by Jewish families at Hanukkah
World Eskimo-Indian OlympicsAn annual Arctic gathering of traditional survival games, athletics, and cultural arts
Pub quizA weekly social trivia game played by teams at tables in pubs and barsGood reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Marco Polo (game)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-06.
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