Radiolab: "Mapping Tic Tac Toe-dom"

September 6, 2011 – Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich (with Ian Frazier)

Episode Overview

In this playful and curious Radiolab short, the hosts set out to map the global reach of the seemingly universal game of tic tac toe. One simple question drives the episode: is tic tac toe truly known everywhere, or do pockets of the world exist where it remains a mystery? Through firsthand storytelling, international crowd-sourcing, and surprise revelations, this episode explores how childhood games transcend—and sometimes fail to transcend—borders and cultures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rediscovering Tic Tac Toe (01:27–03:01)

• Ignored Game in an Episode About Games:
  The hosts, after a previous deep dive into famous games like baseball and chess, realize they forgot to mention tic tac toe—a game everyone seems to outgrow.
  • “But the incident, there was a game that we totally ignored.” — Robert Krulwich (01:53)
• Tic Tac Toe as a Childhood Rite of Passage:
  Ian Frazier discusses how mastering the basic tic tac toe draw is a developmental milestone, leading to early boredom.
  • “You know how to get a draw in every tic tac toe game. And you learn that at about age maybe six…I would say I was a grandmaster.” — Ian Frazier (02:17, 02:49)

2. Ian Frazier's Siberian Discovery (03:10–06:22)

• Learning the Limits of Universality:
  On a trip to far eastern Russia, Ian tries to bond with Igor, a local boy, over tic tac toe—only to find the child has never heard of it.
  • “He had no idea what it was. Wow.” — Ian Frazier (04:56)
• Becoming the Tic Tac Toe Grandmaster (Again):
  Ian enjoys the unmatched thrill of playing someone new to the game, recalling the joys and guilt of “clobbering” someone less experienced.
  • “It’s really fun to play tic tac toe with someone who doesn’t know how because you’re just walking all over them…Technically, it was not fair.” — Ian Frazier (05:15, 05:40)
• Surprised to Find the Game 'Unknown':
  Ian asserts that, as far as he knows, tic tac toe is largely unknown in Russia, particularly in the far east and among the people he encountered.
  • “As far as I know, this game is unknown in Russia. And I’ve asked Russian friends.” — Ian Frazier (06:35)

3. Crowdsourcing the Global Map (07:46–11:34)

• The Idea:
  The hosts launch a crowd-sourced attempt to discover where tic tac toe is or isn't played by inviting listeners worldwide to survey people in their countries.
  • “This could be one of these crowdsourcing opportunities. We could ask people to help map it for us.” — Jad Abumrad (07:46)
• Initial Results—Surprising Gaps:
  First, the team finds that people in many countries (Japan, Argentina, Ireland, Turkey, Croatia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Iran) have never heard of "tic tac toe".
  • “Japan? No.” — Field Reporter (09:21)
  • “Argentina? No.” — Jad Abumrad (09:27)
• The Twist—It’s in the Name:
  When the grid is drawn and the rules explained, nearly everyone instantly recognizes the game—just under a different name.
  • “Once people saw the grid with the X’s and O’s, they were like, ‘Oh, yeah, we know that game. Of course. We just don’t call it tic tac toe.’” — Jad Abumrad (10:49)
• International Names for the Game:
  • Turkey: XO/XO
  • Serbia: Iksox
  • Peru: Michi
  • England/Ireland: Noughts and Crosses
  • Switzerland (French): Mor Pien
  • Poland: Ku ko ikzet
  • Argentina: Tatet
  • Costa Rica, Netherlands, Iran, Croatia: Gato
    • “’What’s the name in Peru?’ ‘Michi.’” — Field Reporter & Jad Abumrad (11:10)
    • “In England, which word is it called?” — Jad Abumrad (11:18) / “Noughts and crosses.” — Ian Frazier (11:18)

4. Debunking the Myth of Tic Tac Toe-Less Russia (12:24–13:15)

• A Flawed Assumption Comes Home:
  Shortly after his appearance on Radiolab, Ian learns from Russian partygoers that the game is actually known as “Kreshky Nolski” (crosses and zeros) in Russia, shattering his exotic claim.
  • “And I asked, and they said, yes, of course there’s tic tac toe…I said, wow. Everybody told me to. And they said, yeah, sure, everybody knows it. A friend even told me the name of it. It’s Kreshky Nolski, which is like crosses and zero.” — Ian Frazier (12:45)
  • “And he said, yeah, it’s well known. And the entire thing fell to the ground at that point, my dream of tic tac toe conquest.” — Ian Frazier (13:03)
  • “So sorry…I based this on insufficient data, and it’s completely wrong...But that was my…the limit of my conquest.” — Ian Frazier (13:12)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “You know how to get a draw in every tic tac toe game...it's just formality.”
  — Ian Frazier (02:17)

• “It’s sort of a developmental milestone, gaming-wise.”
  — Jad Abumrad (02:35)

• “It’s really fun to play tic tac toe with someone who doesn’t know how...”
  — Ian Frazier (05:15)

• “How wide is the shadow of non tic tac toe?”
  — Robert Krulwich (07:27)

• “Once people saw the grid with the Xs and Os, they were like, ‘Oh yeah, we know that game...we just don’t call it tic tac toe.’”
  — Jad Abumrad (10:49)

• “My dream of tic tac toe conquest...the entire thing fell to the ground at that point.”
  — Ian Frazier (13:00)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Classic Tic Tac Toe Boredom: 02:11–02:52
• Siberian Tic Tac Toe Encounter: 03:22–05:40
• Crowdsourcing International Knowledge: 07:46–11:34
• Language Barrier—Name Recognition: 10:24–11:34
• Debunked: Tic Tac Toe in Russia Exists: 12:24–13:12

Tone & Original Speaker Flavor

The episode blends gentle skepticism, international adventure, childlike wonder, and investigative humor. The hosts and Ian Frazier maintain a self-effacing, lightly comic tone, poking fun both at themselves and at the idea of subtle cultural imperialism through children's games. The crowd-sourcing responses add personality and authenticity, while the final truth—tic tac toe is, essentially, everywhere—lands with both humility and delight.

Summary: For the Uninitiated

"Mapping Tic Tac Toe-dom" is a whimsical, globe-trotting inquiry into whether the simple game of tic tac toe has conquered the world—only to discover that while the game’s grid and rules are nearly universal, the name varies wildly by country and language. Listeners are treated to the small but revealing joys found in international communication, translation, and the sometimes embarrassing pitfalls of presuming your local childhood is the world’s childhood. Ultimately, tic tac toe (or noughts and crosses, or Michi, or XO, or Kreshky Nolski…) seems to have already made “three in a row” across much of the planet.