Tag Archives: girls

Game – United States

Age: 15
Occupation: Student
Residence: Redmond, WA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Sourashtra, Tamil

Down By the Banks

Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
Where the eeps, ops, sodapops
Hey Mr. Lilypad and went kerplops

Hand clapping games are very popular all over the world. My informant told me about one of her hand clapping games she played when she was young. The above lyrics are what two people sang while they smacked their hands together kind of like “patty cake” hand motions. At the end of the song they would shout freeze and they would hold their positions and who ever flinched or moved would loose the game. She said that she played this game at recess all throughout her elementary school years. She said that she would play this game out of leisure and fun and all her of friends played it.

As I was growing up in elementary school hand clapping games were popular then too. As a guy I would not participate in them but because I had a younger sister I would know a lot about them. There are many variations to this hand game. I can remember at least 5 different hand clapping songs from when I was young and I am pretty sure there were many more. I feel that this game is played predominantly by girls because as children girls are more prone to sing songs play sit down games compared to guys who would play sports and run around. Many variations of this song have not only clapping of hands with the other person but they would also smack their thighs and each other’s heads. This game is probably played all around the world in many different languages.

Children’s Game – United States

Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English

The game my informant told me about is called True Love. First collectively in a group someone would be chosen to find their “True Love.” After someone is picked they would ask them to name 10 guys. Someone would write them down in random order from 1 to 10. Then they would be asked to name 6 girls, including themselves, and that would be written down in random order from 1 to 6 also. After that the person would be asked to say the numbers from 1 to 10 in random order, and the writer would write that down. After all the information collecting now is the time where they would “calculate” the true love. They would take the first number from the random number list, say its 5, and take the 5th person on the guys list and the first person on the girls list and ask the person if could see them going out. If they can, put check next to the 5, if not put an “X.” This would be down to all the girls on the list, using the random numbers. Next the last 4 random numbers would be asked different questions. The first question would be “would you hug #8”?  The second would be hold hands, the third would be kiss, and the fourth would be make out. And if yes put a check and if no you would put an “X”. Next you would count up the checks and that numbered person on the guys list would be your True Love. The example above was done to me, that is why there are 10 girls and 6 guys instead of 10 guys and 6 girls, what girls would usually do.

My informant first played this game her junior year in High School. She went to an all-girls catholic school in Louisiana. She would usually play during lunch to pass time, always with girls. She stated that she never played with guys because it would be very awkward.

This is one of the many examples of love games or fortune telling games that school children play all the time. One famous game similar to this one is called MASH. I believe that school children all across United States and Canada play this game. There might be different versions and variants in Europe and other parts of the world. It is usually played by girls because girls are more likely to be finding their true love or their love of their life. In some ways society installs that among young girls through media and popular culture. Usually by the time girls (or guys) come to college they would stop playing this game because it would be deemed immature.

My informant said that this game is very addicting and even though she is in college she plays in on rare occasions when she is bored with friends. She also said that this game is usually fun with a lot of people who know each other well. She also says that by finding their “true love” it doesn’t mean anything, it is just a fun way to pass time and see who would be their “true love” out of luck.