Understanding the Nugget: A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding+the+Nugget%3A+A+Comprehensive+Guide

It’s fourth period English class.

You need to use the bathroom, so you take out your passes and ask permission. You go and then hurry back so you don’t miss out on the notes he is giving. You sit down and reach into your backpack to get a pencil.

And then you realize it’s happened to you.  You’ve been nuggetted.

The act of nuggeting is quite popular in Hammonton High School. It’s not a new trend; many can recall doing this as early as middle school. However, like all trends, they have their peaks. And, in 2018, nuggetting is back, and it is hot.

What is nuggetting? In simple terms, it’s the process of flipping a backpack inside out and moving the contents back into the bag,, then zipping it up. It provides a fast, free, and relatively harmless way to entertain yourself  during an otherwise boring school day.

Need a visual to understand? Watch this video for a demonstration:

It doesn’t take a psychologist to understand why kids do it. It’s funny. You anxiously await the reaction of the victim when he or she realizes what has been done.

  • How long will it take for them for notice? Will they be mad? Will they laugh?
  • Will they make a scene and get in trouble when the teacher notices? Will I get in trouble if and when teacher notices?
  • Will this be the start of a day-long (or week-long, or, dare I say it, year-long) nuggetting war?

No one knows, so it’s obvious why nuggetting can be so exciting. It does give you quite the rush.

Senior Nick Earnshaw, a frequent victim of good-natured pranks from his friends, explained how he handles it.

“I act surprised each time they do it,” he said. “And then I get a little depressed. I have to take all the stuff out, fix the bag, and then put it all back. It’s an inconvenience. It can make you late for class, which is a hassle.”  

Senior Anthony Fazio said it happened all the time in English last year.

“It made me mad,” he said. “It’s annoying.”

Teacher often don’t even realize when it happens, including Mrs. Gerst.

“On occasion, I might realize what happened after that face,” she said. “It’s usually because the victim is really angry and starts yelling in the middle of class. Then I feel dumb that I didn’t see it happen in the first place.”

There are many variations, including the wet nugget (which is when water is poured in the bag) and the super nugget (which is when the contents and the bag itself into the smallest pocket of the bag itself). However, most nuggetter go old school with the classic.