(This story was written to promote b2mem's 2012 challenge for "Back to Middle-earth Month" beginning on March 1. The challenge will use Bingo prompts. Check out the community for details.)

How, you might wonder, did such a thing as BINGO find its way to Middle-earth?  Perhaps the better question is, how did BINGO find its way to us from Middle-earth. Here is recounted the little known story of how the game was created by Bilbo's Uncle Bingo Baggins!

(A/N: Bilbo and Siggy are 18, which is about the same maturity as a human 10-year-old; little Falco, at 5 is about the same as a human 3-year-old.)

“28 Astron, S.R. 1308
1 Cedar Lane
Overhill
Dear Bungo and Belladonna,
On Monday, the 15th of Thrimidge, we shall be celebrating the occasion of little Falco's fifth birthday with a small party. I very much hope that your family will consent to grace the occasion.  We look forward to seeing the three of you.
The party will begin at 2 o’ clock of the afternoon, and will continue through tea and supper, but as you are close family, we would be pleased to have you join us the day before and stay the evening with us.
Little Fosco is especially looking forward to seeing his cousin Bilbo.
Your fond sister-in-law,
Chica Chubb- Baggins”

"1 Thrimidge, S.R. 1308
Bag End
Hobbiton
 
My dear Chica,

We would be most pleased to join you for little Falco's special birthday; however, I must ask if your hospitality could extend to one more.  Young Bilbo's cousin, my nephew Sigismond, is spending a month with us, and will be our guest at that time.  If you do not object to our bringing the lad along, we will be glad to attend.

It is hard to believe Falco is leaving his faunthood already!  Why it seems no time at all since we attended his Naming Day!

Love,
Your sister-in-law,
Belladonna Baggins"

“4 Thrimidge, S.R. 1308
1 Cedar Lane
Overhill
Dear Belladonna,

We would be most glad to welcome young Sigismond as well!

We look forward to seeing all of you on Sunday the 14th.  Tell Bilbo that his Uncle Bingo has invented a new party game for the occasion!

Love,
Your sister-in-law,
Chica Chubb-Baggins"

"Siggy!  Guess what!"  Bilbo bounded into his room and landed on his bed with a bounce.  His cousin was sitting on the floor, whittling a whistle.

"We are having strawberry tarts for afters tonight?" Sigismund asked hopefully.

"No.  Mama's making preserves with the strawberries.  I believe we are having sticky buns for afters.  And I smelled mushroom stew cooking while I was talking to Mama."  Bilbo sat up with a gleam in his eye.  "We are invited to my cousin Falco's fifth birthday party! You are to come with us!"

Siggy snorted.  "A five-year-old?  What fun will that be?"

"There will be a lot of other cousins there!  Most are younger, I admit.  But some of them are near our age."  He grinned.  "But best of all, Uncle Bingo comes up with the most interesting party games!  Mama said he's invented a new one just for this party!  Uncle Bingo is a lot of fun!"

"Have I ever met him?"

Bilbo shook his head.  "I don't believe you have—no, wait—he was at my fifth birthday party!  Do you remember?"

"No, I don't.  I was only just five myself at the time.  I remember Grandfather was there, though."

"Yes, he was," Bilbo replied.  "I remember he showed us his magic diamond studs that the Wizard gave him.  Anyway, Uncle Bingo lives in Overhill, so we don't see him that often, but he comes up with some splendid games for his parties!"

Siggy held up the whistle he'd been making, and blew a sharp blast.  Then he grinned.  "Well, I have my gift for your cousin!  What will you give him?"

Bilbo gave Siggy a sour look and put a finger in his ear.  "I don't know yet.  But you'd better not let Mama see all those shavings on the floor!"  Then he grinned.  "I wonder how Aunt Chica will like Falco's whistle?"

Siggy just winked at Bilbo.

In the event, Bilbo chose the leather ball Siggy had given him for his own fifth birthday.  "You don't mind do you?"

Siggy shook his head.  "Of course not!  You haven't played with it in a long time have you?"

"No.  And I think he will like it."

The Sterday evening before the party the lads packed up overnight cases, as they would be leaving directly after first breakfast Sunday morning.  It was only a short drive in the Baggins family pony trap to Overhill.  They arrived in time for elevenses, taking a repast of bread, cheese and fruit as they rode, rather than stopping for second breakfast.

After elevenses, they presented the little byrding with his gifts. Tomorrow on his birthday, he would be the one giving them out, but today was his day to receive them.  He was pleased with the storybook from Bilbo's parents, loved the ball, and was delighted with the whistle, which he began to tweet loudly all over the smial. 

Aunt Chica sent them outside, and Falco forgot all about the whistle as his older cousins played catch with him.  Soon enough they were called in to luncheon, and afterward Falco was taken to the nursery for a nap. 

Overhill was a small village, but Siggy had never been there before, so Bilbo took him about the town to see the sights, such as they were.  Siggy had some pocket money and stopped in at the local bakery, where they picked up a couple of apple pastries.  The baker had day-old bread rolls for sale, four for a farthing, so they bought some and went to the village duck pond to feed the ducks, and then meandered back to the hole in time for tea.

By the time they got there more of the family guests who'd be staying over had arrived.  Bilbo and Siggy were pleased to see that their Took cousin Adalgrim (whom everyone called "Chop") had arrived with his mother, who was a Baggins.  Chop was a good ten years older than Bilbo and Siggy, but he was a favorite of the younger crowd.  Bilbo's Aunt Linda and Uncle Bodo Proudfoot had also come with their little son Odo, who was only four.

Odo and Falco were taken by Falco's nursemaid to have their tea in the nursery, where they would also take supper and be sent to bed after, so that the byrding would be well rested for his big day on the morrow.

At most hobbit gatherings the hobbits would have gathered in small groups for after supper conversation; some would go outdoors for a sniff of air and a pipe, others to the parlor; older teens and tweens would huddle in groups for their own gossip, and perhaps a game of some sort.  But Bingo Baggins had a passion for party games, most especially parlour games, and all ages and sexes were expected to participate.  While the occasional gaffer might grumble at "childish nonsense", Bingo's enthusiasm usually spread to his guests, and the games he invented were enjoyed by all.

This particular evening the guests foregathered in the sitting room, where Bingo passed to each guest a card.  Each card had his name written at the top: BINGO.  Below was a grid of five squares by five squares. The one in the center was crossed out.  In each square was a random number.  He then handed each guest a handful of buttons, as he explained the directions.

"I have a bowl filled with the numbers on your cards.  Every card is different, though some have some of the same numbers.  I will pull a number from the bowl at random and call out the number.  If you have that number, place a button on it.  The first person who covers five squares in a row—whether horizontally, vertically, or diagonally—should shout out my name so that the round will stop, and will be the winner of the round.  The center square is considered a "free space", so everyone will start out by covering that space with a button!"

Bilbo thought it sounded interesting, and he and Siggy examined one another's cards.  "We have some of the same numbers," said Bilbo.

Siggy nodded.  "But they aren't in the same place, although they are in the same row."  The lads carefully place a button on the center space.

Uncle Bingo looked around the room to make sure that everyone was following his instructions.  Then he reached over and pulled out a number.

"Twelve!" he called.  "Underneath the 'N'!"

Bilbo's mother gave an exclamation of pleasure.  "Aha! I have that one!"

Aunt Linda also had that number.

Bilbo was at first disappointed, for the first four draws, none of his numbers were chosen.  But soon he was happier, as three numbers in rapid succession were covered on his card.

Chop soon gave a shout: "Uncle Bingo!"  He had won the first round.

They played several rounds, and Bilbo was disappointed to come close, and yet always, it seemed, someone else would call out his uncle's name before he was able to get the final number.

Finally Uncle Bingo said: "This will be the last round, and this time we will keep playing until someone fills their entire card."

The play continued, Uncle Bingo calling out number after number, and Bilbo's began to feel a hopeful thrill, as he kept putting more buttons on his card.  He only had one number left—it was a "63" beneath the letter "G"… number after number was called, and he began to despair when he heard his uncle call it out.

"BINGO!" he yelled, "Uncle Bingo! I mean," he blurted, his face red at his breach of manners.

But his uncle just smiled.  "Well, Bilbo, you have won the prize this evening."  He handed him a small book—it was a book of stories about Bandobras Took! 

"Oh, thank you, Uncle Bingo!"

His uncle ruffled his curls, something that Bilbo would normally feel quite indignant about, as he thought himself too old for such liberties.  But he was too pleased to worry about it.  "That is quite all right, Bilbo!  I am glad you enjoyed my game so much."

There was some conversation after, as Aunt Chica provided some light refreshment before her guests sought their beds. 

Bilbo found himself sharing a bed with Siggy and two of his Bolger cousins, Rudivar and Herugar, and the four of them discussed the new game.

"I really like it," said Siggy.  "I'll bet the folks at Great Smials would enjoy it."

The next afternoon the party began at two when the rest of the guests who had not stayed overnight began to arrive.  The teens and tweens soon began a spirited game of kick-the-ball.  Across the lawn, the younger fry, including the byrding, were being led by Uncle Bingo in some sort of circle game.  The adults wandered about, watching the younger ones at their pastimes, and those who had been there the night before told of Bingo's new game.  There was much curiosity about it among the newcomers.

After tea, little Falco passed out his gifts to the guests.  Bilbo received a small box of letter-paper.  He thanked his young cousin, who tugged him down to whisper in his ear:  "I wanted to give you something better.  I had a splendid lizard in a box with holes for you, but Mama said no."

"That's quite all right," Bilbo whispered back.  "I'm afraid my Mama would not like me to have a lizard in my room." 

After supper, Bilbo's father volunteered for story-telling, and the younger children all gathered around Bungo's feet in the nursery, and Bilbo could hear him begin a story "Once there were two little hobbits named Tip and Tulip, who were brother and sister.  They lived in a cosy little hole with their Mama and their Papa and their Auntie…"

But everyone else crowded into the sitting room for another chance to play the new game, which some were beginning to call by the name of its creator.  Bilbo did not win this night, but Siggy did win one round.  When the two of them went to bed that evening, they were full of plans to make their own sets of cards so that they could play when they went home.

Uncle Bingo's game became very popular throughout the Shire for several years, but when the Fell Winter came, games and frivolity were the last thing on most hobbits' minds, and by the time people were ready for parties once more it had quite fallen out of fashion.

Years later, as Bilbo was preparing to retire to live among the Elves at Rivendell, he came across a small cloth sack tucked away at the bottom of a drawer.  In it was the set of cards he had made long decades before, as well as buttons and numbers for the drawing.  On a whim he decided to take it with him.

At Rivendell, he showed it once to Elladan and Elrohir and the Lady Arwen, explaining it to them, and was surprised when they thought it would be fun to introduce among the Elves.  Erestor was quite taken with it, and later made another set, with cards far finer and more durable than the ones Bilbo had made, with special discs, kept in a finely carved box.  This was gifted to Bilbo on his one-hundred-and-seventeenth birthday, and was taken by him to the West when he sailed.  It was said that the Lady Celebrian became quite fond of playing it, and it often featured at afternoon gatherings in her home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes:  The hobbit birthday customs are a blend of quasi-canonical information from Letter #214 and my own personal fanon.  Most of the characters can be found on one of the Family Trees, with the exception of the Bolger children.  They are supposed to be the children of Bilbo's Aunt Belba and her husband Rudigar Bolger.