Paisley Horton, April 25, 2009
Alecia and Arianna doing hand games..Eliott in the back
ground annoyed..lol
-snip-
The first hand clap rhyme is a version of "There's A Place On Mars".
The second rhyme is a version of "The Simpsons". That rhyme begins at .025 in that video. My transcription of that rhyme is given as Example #1 below.
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams presents some information about The Simpsons animated television series.
This post also presents several examples of the hand clap rhyme entitled "The Simpsons". Some explanatory comments about these examples are included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the creator of The Simpsons television series. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in this video and in other videos that are mentioned in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-simpsons-handclap-rhyme-examples.htmlfor a 2013 version of this pancocojams post about "The Simpsons"
rhyme. That post showcases these same examples, but includes more information
about the terms "double trouble", and "pump up the volume".
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/10/jazzman-in-round-springfield-episode-of.html for another 2013 pancocojams post about The Simpsons television series. That post is entitled "Jazzman" In The "Round Springfield"
Episode Of "The Simpsons" (videos & comments)
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SIMPSONS ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES
Excerpt #1
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons
"The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by
Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical
parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the
same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is
set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture,
society, television, and many aspects of the human condition.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a
solicitation for a series of animated shorts with the producer James L. Brooks.
Groening created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members
of his own family, substituting Bart for his own name. The shorts became a part
of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the
sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and was an early hit for
Fox, becoming the network's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a
season (1989–1990).
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the show has broadcast
530 episodes and the twenty-fourth season ended on May 19, 2013. The Simpsons
is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated
program, and in 2009 it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American
primetime, scripted television series. The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length
film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 26 and July 27, 2007, and
grossed over $527 million.
The Simpsons is widely considered to be one of the greatest
television series of all time."...
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Excerpt #2
From https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Bart_Simpson
...."Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson (born Sunday,
April 1, 1979) is the deuteragonist of The Simpsons.
Bart is the mischievous, rebellious,
misunderstood, disruptive and "potentially dangerous" eldest child.
He is the only son of Homer and Marge Simpson, and the older brother of Lisa
and Maggie.”…
-snip-
Here's the meaning of the word "deuteragonist" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuteragonist
"In literature, the deuteragonist or secondary main character
(from Ancient Greek: δευτεραγωνιστής, deuteragōnistḗs, second actor) is the
second most important character, after the protagonist and before the
tritagonist.[1] The deuteragonist may switch between supporting and opposing
the protagonist, depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict or plot."...
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT THESE RHYMES
To my knowledge, The Simpsons hand clap rhymes that are
included in this post weren't created by anyone associated with The
Simpsons television series or movie.
However, because of the close similarities between the four examples it's likely that there was one source for this
rhyme. One version was collected from an in person source in Maryland and shared with me. I happened upon the other three sources (plus one not in English which I haven't transcribed) on the internet.
With regard to the similarities, except for the example given as #1 below, each of
the examples list all of or most of the names of the Simpsons family. Examples #1 and #3 include the "double trouble" phrase, the "pump up the
volume" phrase, and the "criss cross applesauce" phrase. Example #2 includes the "pump up the volume" and "criss cross applesauce" phrases and may also include the "double trouble phrase", but unfortunately, I couldn't decipher all of the words that were spoken in that video. Example #4 includes the phrase "deep trouble" which is probably a folk processed form of "double trouble". And except for Example #4, all of these four examples that I've come across end with the word "Freeze!"
"Double trouble" means "a lot of trouble".
"Pump of the volume" technically means "to
increase the sound". But, in the context of playground rhymes, it means
"raise the energy level", "be more enthusiastic".
"Pump up the volume" is often found in children's cheerleader cheers.
Criss cross applesauce is a rhyming phrase that is used in schools and community centers as a command for children to sit on the floor with their legs crossed. In these hand games, "criss cross applesauce" just serves as a rhyming phrase that combines one part of a rhyme with another part.
Please share any information and/or examples of this rhyme
that you know in the comment section for this pancocojams post. Remember to add
demographics (where-city & state you live/d in when you first heard this
rhyme and when (year or decade) you first heard this rhyme.
EXAMPLES OF THE HAND CLAP RHYME "THE SIMPSONS"
Example #1
Sin Sin Sin
We do twist
And I do twist
And Maggie Maggie Maggie twist
And Mart is double trouble
Mart is double trouble
Criss cross
The apple sauce
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Now freeze 1 time
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Now freeze
- Alecia and Arianna,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ9PPA7MaJk&feature=grec_index , April 25,
2009; transcribed by Azizi Powell on September 5, 2010 [video embedded above]
-snip-
Additions and corrections are welcome.
"Sin sin sin" is probably a folk processed form of the phrase "shame shame shame". Those words are used as an introductory line for certain children's hand clap rhyme, particularly those that originated among African Americans. One well known example of hand games that often begin with "shame shame shame" is "I Don't Want To Go To Mexico".
Maggie is a folk processed name for the character's name "Marge" in The Simpsons series.
"Mart" is a folk processed form of the character's name "Bart"
Example #2
The Simpsons
The Simpsons:
Bart Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Homer and Marge
????
????
????
Criss Cross
Apple sauce
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Freeze!
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
And Freeze!
-renjs, Uploaded on Aug 27, 2008
-snip-
Additions and corrections are welcome.
-snip-
The summary of this video is "Ren, Eric, Alex, Renee doing what Renee wants to do... again"
Unfortunately, the visuals and sound for this video are very poor quality. However, this example documents one way that this hand game is performed.
Here's a description of this video:
A Black man, two young Black boys and a young Black girl form a circle and clap each others hands in the beginning portion of this rhyme to a syncopated beat. The participants then perform body motions which correspond to the words that are said. For instance, on the words "criss cross", the participants cross their arms on their chest. And on the word "Freeze!", the participants "freeze in place" (make a funny or dramatic pose and remain perfectly still for a very short amount of time.)
The words to this rhyme are difficult to hear, but I believe that the words that the participants recited are the same as or very similar to the words given in Version #3 below.
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Example #3
THE SIMPSONS
The Simpsons
Bart Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Homer and Marge
That’s not all-
Bart’s in double trouble
Bart Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Homer and Marge
That’s not all-
Bart’s in double trouble
Criss Cross
Apple sauce
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Freeze!
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
Pump up the volume
For the last time
Freeze!
-Tamia, (12 year old African American girl, Maryland) Oct
29, 2005; collected by Marimba for Azizi Powell
Example #4
lisa simpson, bart simpson, homer simpson, bart
B-A-R-T B-A-R-T B-A-R-T BART
i said a deep da deep da deep trouble
i said a deep da deep da deep trouble
-Anietie, http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2204285338&topic=2724&post=25803#topic_top, October 7, 2006
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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REPLY
2. blkmaverick03, 2007
"That is their thing though and personally it works for them. Seeing as to how long the woo woos have been around there is no telling if these stepshow tricks came from them or greeks."
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"Greeks"= historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities
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REPLY
3. KORTNI HERNANDEZ, 2011
"@grammerpolise
every team "borrows" a move or two from someone else. Don't get mad because they did it WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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"grammerpolise" might be a previous name that was used by MiQuelW or by some other commentor. I added this comment and the next one as replies to MiQuelW's comment because the subject matter is the same.
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REPLY
4. Mrs. Roc Royal Babee, 2011
"@grammerpolise actually the stole it from strikers allstars who stole it from school days who stole it from traditional stepping."
-snip-
I believe that it's possible that this movement could have originated with the army or from another military basic training routine or from a circus/acrobatic group.
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Rod Cooper, 2018
"they actually got this from real BGLO fraternities.."
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5. JDavis032, 2007
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REPLY
6. Azizi Powell, 2020
"JDavis032, you asked this question 13 years ago and haven't received a reply. Here are my guesses:
The "Woo Woo" for Virginia State University (VSU)'s cheerleading squad came from the exclamation "woo woo".
Generally speaking, in the United States, along with "wolf whistles", sometimes males make the "woo woo" sound when they see an attractive young female. (Note that this type of attention is often not welcome.)
One theory is that the name "Woo Woo" is said to have been given to Virginia State University's cheerleading squad because that's the sound that men made when they saw the attractive cheerleaders.
Another theory is that some people from the crowd shouted shouted "Woo woo!" when they became hyped after watching those cheerleaders perform.
Both of these theories could be true.
Perhaps as support for the second theory, when the Virginia State University cheerleaders ended their performance of "Work it" in a 2008 YouTube video of that cheer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blDqcHBu-Cs&feature=emb_logo an excited man in the crowd can be heard spontaneously shouting "Woo Woo!"
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REPLY
7. Azizi Powell, 2020
"Also, here's a link to a 2012 YouTube video compilation of Virginia State University's Woo Woo cheerleaders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DZ1I-w2cAA&ab_channel=TrojanNation1882
Throughout one of those cheers (whose words I can't decipher), they say the exclamation "Woo!". The first time I heard it in that cheer was around .21 in that video. So the name "woo woo" may have started out as an exclamation of excitement and approval. In this context, "woo" is a synonym for the word "wow!"
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8. GoTrojans, 2007
"Little Woo Woo's..."
-snip-
The commentor called the Sassy cheerleader squad "little WooWoos" because that squad appears to purposely model themselves after and perform cheers that originated from Virginia State University's Woo Woo cheerleaders.
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REPLY
9. naiya k, 2018
"GoTrojans woo woos fell off now unfortunately"
-snip-
This comment suggests that naiya believes that Virginia State University's Woo Woos haven't retained or improved the quality of their cheerleading performances.