Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me!

How much did the pirate pay to have his ears pierced?

...A buccaneer!

Get it? Buccaneer, buck-an-ear... Okay, it was lame. I apologize. But seriously, who doesn't love pirates?!

Pirates have been sailing the seas since approximately 1200 B.C.E., but the pirates we typically think of were active from about 1560 C.E. to the mid 1720's. One of the most famous pirates, Captain Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, terrorized the Caribbean from 1713 until 1718, when he retired and moved to Bath, North Carolina to enjoy his pilfered fortune.

The classic skull-and-crossbones flag, called the Jolly Roger, was flown to scare merchant ships during robberies. However, clever corsairs often flew "false colors," or the flags of friendly ships, when approaching, so as not to cause the target ship to retreat too soon.

The life of a pirate wasn't all swashbuckling glamor, however. Many suffered from scurvy, a nutritional disorder caused by vitamin C deficiency which resulted in liver spots, spongy gums, and loss of teeth. Yuck! And if talk of mutiny got around to the Captain, you could be forced to walk the plank!

With the recent release of a certain pirate-themed trilogy (yes, that one starring Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom), pirate-themed toys have been a big hit with kids. They allow your young swashbuckling heroes to act out the exciting pirate drama, without worrying about having your teeth fall out or being made to spend eternity in Davy Jones' Locker. Here are some of Arsa's most popular pirate items:

Bitty buccaneers can terrorize the tub with this Pirate Ship Bath Toy by Tomy. It features a captain figure, squirting octopus, water wheel, and a cannon that fires water balls. There's even a dinghy, in case your little captain needs to abandon ship!

Older members of your crew will love the Pirate Chest Playset by Melissa and Doug. It includes a hand-stained wooden chest, Jolly Roger flag (which could also be worn as a bandanna), eye patch, and a drawstring bag full of "gold" doubloons. All that's missing is a treasure map...

...like this one! The Pirate Treasure Hunter Game by Wild Planet is an electronic game of hot-and-cold. The chest comes apart into two pieces. One person hides the bottom half, which contains the loot, while the other person takes the half with the map. The treasure half sends an electronic signal to the map half, and the "X" on the map changes from blue to orange as the seeker approaches the hiding spot. Captain Morgan would have given his mustache for a gadget like that!

Say, speaking of pirates, have you heard about the latest pirate movie? It's a bit racy, so it's rated "arrrrrrrgh!"