Category Archives: Childhood

Tale of Golem (Kid’s Version)

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: April 29th, 2021
Primary Language: English
Language: N/A

Main Piece:

Collector (me): So like, what’s the version [of Golem] you first grew up with and are most familiar with?

Informant: So the first one I heard is not gonna be the most common, but the first one I heard, but it’s like trying to teach little Jewish kids “Don’t be a kvetcher,” which is like someone who complains a lot. And so it was this story of this girl like had this golem who was like her pet golem, but not really her pet golem, but that was the idea of it. And, like, he was a very bad golem— he would just complain all the time when he was alive, so he wasn’t your “saving the day golem,” but he was a kvetcher, and he would just complain and complain and complain and complain. And you know at first the girl wanted to be like the golem, so she would also complain all the time, and then her parents were like “No,” and so they killed the golem, and then the girl was all sad. And then you know, they were like, “This is what happens.” Not dying, but people won’t like you and will get rid of you if you complain all the time.”

Collector: So is it like a cautionary tale or moral lesson for kids?

Informant: Yeah, so that one’s like, you know, your typical children’s story. Like if you do this bad thing, this bad thing will happen, so don’t do this bad thing.

Background: 

My informant here is a 20-year-old student from USC, and was raised Jewish. To those unfamiliar, my informant explained a golem as a figure made of clay that comes to life when someone puts “a piece of paper with Hebrew writing on it, and you put it in its mouth,” and depending on the version, they can either be good or bad guys. My informant learned about this version of golem during storytime at the Jewish preschool they attended when they were little. While it’s not one of the more known versions of the tale, it’s the one the teachers at the school told to my informant and their peers. 

Context: 

This came up when I was telling my friend about a golem figure that one of my classmates brought for the “Show and Tell” activity we had in one of our folklore lectures the other day. I knew that my friend was familiar with golem because of a conversation we’d had about him in the past, and I asked if they could tell me more about him and what version they were familiar with. 

Thoughts: 

While I’m not as familiar with Jewish folk tales or golem, I thought it was interesting to see that this version my informant presented me with was depicted through his actions as a moral lesson for children to abide by. In this version of the tale, we can observe the main lesson: in order to be well liked and taken seriously by others around you, one shouldn’t blindly follow the example of someone else, especially if they know their behavior would be frowned upon in society. This tale interweaves the expectations and values of the culture in a manner that makes it easy for children to understand. The fate of the golem isn’t a literal reminder of what could happen to those who don’t heed the lesson, but by portraying it in such a drastic measure, it helps kids piece together the way that they should conduct themselves in their group. Of course, this is only one version of the golem—

(For a more well known version, see Abedon, May 15, 2020 “The Golem – Jewish Folk Tale”, USC Folklore Archives).

Bigfoot the Friendly Creature

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Woodinville, Washington
Performance Date: April 28th, 20201
Primary Language: English
Language: N/A

Main Piece: 

Collector (me): How were you introduced to Bigfoot when you were little? 

Informant: Um… I’m trying to think. I think my parents told me about him… um, and he was probably in various picture books as well that I saw. So in downtown Seattle we have the Space Needle as an iconic landmark of Seattle. And there’s a picture book that my dad had when he was younger, and it was the thing in the early 70’s— they were trying to make a thing that Seattle had a mascot called the Wheedle. And it was like the Lorax, except huge, and orange and yellow, and there was a picture book called the Wheedle on the Needle, and it was this friendly monster dude that hung out near the Space Needle. And my dad tried to like get me into the Wheedle. And it was not a thing. It was like 35 years later, and I was kind of scared of him because he looked scary, the Wheedle, and my dad basically told me, “He’s not crazy, he’s a friendly dude, he’s like Bigfoot. He’s just like a friendly person,” and then I asked, “What’s Bigfoot?” And then he explained he was a creature that lived in the woods, and that he’s not hurting anybody, he just wants to be left alone. He doesn’t want to be bothered so everyone gives him his space and he’s a nice nice person. If you run into Bigfoot you’ll be fine, don’t be scared.

Background: 

My informant is a 20-year-old student from Washington state, where the legend of Bigfoot is incredibly popular— to the point of airports selling Bigfoot merchandise such as hats and shot glasses. As my informant said, “he’s kind of a state treasure, like everyone loves him. In other places it’s more like a creepy legend, but around here Bigfoot’s a friendly guy.” Whether one actually believes in him or not, it’s part of Washington state culture to acknowledge Bigfoot’s existence. 

Context:

When my informant was providing me with some Washington folklore for a separate post, I asked if she happened to know any lore about Bigfoot, since most of the legends I’ve heard about him take place there. She did, and I asked how she first learned about him, which she stated in the above piece.

Thoughts: 

This is the first version I’ve heard about Bigfoot where he’s been portrayed not as a monster, but a friendly creature. It’s very endearing, actually, and I think it’s a good representation of how attached a group can get to their legend. Even if Bigfoot is a well known legend across the U.S., this iteration of him could be considered a local legend because of how different he’s described as compared to the other versions where he’s shown as a creature out to cause harm. Since legends are just beliefs in narrative form, it also says a lot about how Washington people would rather view Bigfoot as kindly— as an icon of their state and culture. Furthermore, my informant’s point about Bigfoot’s popularity in Washington state indicates the notion that in order to become part of the surrounding folk group, there has to be an acceptance of this creature, or at least an acknowledgement. What’s also interesting to examine about this piece is how Bigfoot’s popularity has led to the development of a myriad of merchandise for locals and tourists alike, and could be seen as an example of cultural intimacy.

The Little Dog and the Panther

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 53
Occupation: Administrative Assistant
Residence: Bay Area, California
Performance Date: May 3rd, 2021
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Main Piece: 

Un día un señor se decide ir al África a cazar animales. Entonces se lleva su perrito de estructura mediana, de común y corriente, no era conocido por ser bravo o atacar animales grandes. Entonces cuando llegan a la selva el señor se decide irse solo y dice, “Tu no me vas a poder ayudar ni a defender de los animales salvajes así que tu te quedas aquí.” Entonces se va el señor y de repente el perro empieza a buscar alrededor a ver que hay. Va caminando y desde a lo lejos viene una pantera negra. Y dice, “Esa pantera viene y seguro que trae hambre y me va querer comer.” Dice, “¿Qué hago, qué hago?” Entonces se dio la vuelta y al un lado del árbol había huesos de animal. Entonces corrió y se arrimó a los huesos y empezó a morderlos, y cuando se aproximó la pantera al momento que lo iba atacar, dice en voz alta el perro, “Mmm, que sabroso estaba esta pantera que me comí. Haber sabido me hubiera comido la otra que venía con ella. Mm mm deliciosa.”

Entonces la pantera cuando lo escucha le dice “¿Cómo este perro de ese tamaño– como pudo comerse uno de nosotros? Mejor me voy.” Y se fue. Entonces el perro dice, “Uy de lo que me salve.” Y encima de un árbol estaba un mono espiando, y que vio toda la escena y escucho todo lo que pasó. Entonces de chismoso, corrio con la pantera y le contó todo lo que escuchó del perro. Entonces la pantera muy enojada dice “Ahora si no se me va a escapar.” Entonces se viene la pantera hacia donde estaba el perrito con el mono trepado en su hombro y el perro los vio que venían y otra vez dice, “Ahora si viene la pantera derechito a comerme. Yo creo que no me creo nada.” Dice, “¿Qué hago que hago?” Entonces corrio otra vez a los huesos y los empezo a morder y se aproximaron la pantera y el mono y dijo, “Ay este mono tonto, ya tengo tanto tiempo esperandolo le pedi que me fuera a traer una pantera para comermela y no a regresado.” Entonces la pantera asustada y enojada se fue y se comió al mono. 

Full Translation: 

One day a man decided he was going to go to Africa to hunt animals, and he brought his little dog with him, who was medium build, a common mutt, and not known for his bravery or ability to attack large animals. So when they got to the jungle the man decided to go alone and told his dog, “You can’t help or defend me from wild animals, so you will wait here.” So the man goes, and then the dog searches around him to see what there was. He’s walking and all of a sudden, far off, he sees a black panther. And he says “this panther is coming and for sure will be hungry and will want to eat me.” he says, “What do I do what do I do?” So he turns around and on the side of the tree there are animal bones. So he runs and gets close to the bones and starts to bite them, and when the panther gets close and at the moment she’s about to attack, [the dog] says in a loud voice, “Mmm, how tasty this panther that I ate is! Had I known, I would’ve eaten the one coming near me. Mm mm, delicious!” 

So the panther when she heard that, said, “How could this dog so small have eaten one of us? I better go.” And she left. So the dog says, “Uy, I sure saved myself.” And above him in the tree was a monkey spying on him, and he saw the whole scene and heard what happened. So like a gossip, he runs to the panther and tells her everything that he heard from the dog. So the panther, very angry, says “Now he won’t escape me.” So the panther returns to where the little dog was with the monkey perched on her shoulder. And the dog saw them and again says, “For sure the panther is coming to eat me. I don’t think she believed me at all.” He says, “What do I do, what do I do?” So he runs again to the bones and begins to bite them, and the panther and monkey approach, and he said at that moment, “This dumb monkey, I’ve been waiting forever for him. I asked him to go and find me a panther to eat, and he hasn’t returned yet.” So then the panther, scared and angry, goes and eats the monkey. 

Background: 

My informant is my mother, who grew up in Mexico. She heard this narrative as a little girl when she was in school, and said that the lesson behind the story was to “not underestimate someone” or else it’ll backfire on you. It’s about using your imagination to your strengths, and learning how to use it to defend yourself, and finally “not being a gossip like the monkey.”

Context: 

This came up when I was asking my mother what kinds of folklore she used to hear when she was growing up in Mexico, and this was one that she heard at school. 

Thoughts: 

While this is a cautionary tale, I think another aspect of the story is to learn how to play to your different strengths. The dog is described as small and weak, and everyone underestimates him, including himself, until he realizes how to trick the panther. It’s about believing in your abilities and learning how to turn someone else’s maldoings towards you into something you can benefit from. That being said, I think this story was told to children on purpose because it seems reminiscent of how little kids can act around each other. Smaller kids are tended to be bullied the most, which leads to them being insecure, and children in general like to be tattle tales and spread rumors about each other. This story shows the consequences of what happens to those who unnecessarily snitch on each other, and to those who get picked on in school, gives them a hero (the little dog) to look up to and follow his example. 

Children’s Clapping Game: Lemonade, Crunchy Ice

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Scottsdale, AZ
Performance Date: February 11, 2021
Primary Language: English

Main Piece: 

“Lemonade 

Crunchy ice 

beat it once beat it twice 

turn around touch the ground 

kick your boyfriend out of town 

Freeze 

American cheese 

I think I’m gonna sneeze 

achoo woohoo”

Background:

The informant used to perform this song as part of clapping game in pre-school and elementary school in Arizona. She described it as an activity kids would do while lining up, such as when they were leaving the playground. She interpreted it as a distraction and time-passer, as well as something you got the joy of passing on/teaching. This was a regular activity for her and her classmates that those in her circle all knew. This was one of a few clapping games, rather than the only one they played.

Thoughts:

This recitation seems similar to other childhood clapping games such as “patty-cake”, but with different lyrics and rhythm. This game also seems more physically active and disruptive to the line than other similar games I’ve seen, with my informant demonstrating exaggerated hand movements not restricted to clapping. Presumably, this would be counter-productive to an organized line. This seems to be an example of children’s folklore responding in a disorderly way to the order imposed by adults, which is a concept explored by Jay Mechling. Children have little power, he says, and so one of the ways they squeeze some power into their grasp is through disorder. This piece of folklore seems to manifest that principle with physical disruption and nonsensical lyrics.

Children’s Clapping Game: Candy on a Stick

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Scottsdale, AZ
Performance Date: February 11, 2021
Primary Language: English

Main Piece: 

“Candy on a stick that makes me sick, 

It makes my tummy go two-forty-six, 

Not because you’re dirty, not because you’re clean, 

Not because you kissed a boy behind a magazine. 

Hey boys do you wanna fight 

I see a guy with his pants on tight 

He can wibble he can wobble he can even do the splits, 

But I bet ya ten bucks that he can’t do this. 

Close your eyes and count to ten, and if you mess up start over again”

Background:

The informant used to perform this song as part of clapping game in pre-school and elementary school in Arizona. She described it as an activity kids would do while lining up, such as when they were leaving the playground. She interpreted it as a distraction and time-passer, as well as something you got the joy of passing on/teaching. This was a regular activity for her and her classmates that those in her circle all knew. This was one of a few clapping games, rather than the only one they played.

Thoughts:

This recitation seems similar to other childhood clapping games such as “patty-cake”, but with different lyrics and rhythm. This clapping game also seems more based in gender than the clapping games I’m familiar with, which, though normally performed by young girls, did not stake boys so firmly as another entity. This may be an example of defiant/experimental lyrics in schoolchildren with its fighting, kissing, and tight pants. Jay Mechling explains that children tend to experiment with “inappropriate” lyrics as a way to rebel against the dominant adult figures and explore adult themes that they’re marginally aware of safely. This activity seems to be a definitively gendered form of adolescent expression. The purpose would be to explore kissing, fighting, and tight pants in a low-stakes context. For another version of this game, see Tucker, Elizabeth. “Children’s Folklore: A Handbook.” United States: ABC-CLIO, 2008. 18.