Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" - Twins & Triplets In Playground Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision: November 7, 2022

This pancocojams post presents examples of the children's rhyme "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" or other titles. Some versions of "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" that refer to twins or triplets is the focus of this post although other versions of rhyme are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all those who are published the YouTube videos that are mentioned in this post.
-snip-
This pancocojams is dedicated with love to the memory of my twin. RIP Dee Dee.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Most of the English language playground rhymes about twins that I've been able to find are those from the "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" family. 

The earliest dates that I've come across for "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes are "the 1950s" in the United States.

Ny guess is that "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes have their  source in the "What'll I Do With the Baby-O" folk songs.  Click http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/Whatll_We_Do_With_the_Baby-O.htm to find the lyrics to that song as sung by the (Anglo-American) folk singer Jean Ritchie). Here's a portion of those lyrics:

What'll we do with the baby-o?
What'll we do with the baby-o?
What'll we do with the baby-o?
If he don't go to sleepy-O?

Wrap him up in calico,
Wrap him up in calico,
Wrap him up in calico,
Send him to his mammy-o.

What'll we do with the baby-o? etc.
Wrap him up in a table-cloth, (3x )
-end of quote-
"What'll We Do With The Baby-O" not only has lyrics that refer to wrapping a baby in something or another, but some versions of that song also refer to throwing the baby out the window or somewhere else- just like the lyrics of many versions of "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge.

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The Ballad Index ( https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/MHAp239C.html) indicates that the earliest example of this rhyme is from 1934 and gives the following information for the rhyme family that I call "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge":

"Oh Fudge, Tell the Judge

DESCRIPTION: "Oh, fudge, Tell the judge, Mother's got a baby. Oh, joy, It's a boy, Father's nearly crazy." "Wrap it up in tissue paper, Send it down the elevator." "First floor, second floor... send it out the back door."

AUTHOR: unknown

EARLIEST DATE: 1934 (Henry, from Mrs. Henry C. Gray, or her maid)"...

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Until the 1960s, "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" appears to have been chanted while jumping rope or bouncing a ball. As is the case with most former jump rope/ball bouncing rhymes, after the 1960s "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes appear to be chanted while performing partner hand clap routines.

Most, but not all, of the rhymes in this family reflect the fact that children aren't always pleased to welcome a new sibling into their family. Alternatively, some examples of "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes document girls' concerns about their future child bearing experiences and/or the baby's father's* reaction to the birth of a child or children. Some other examples of "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes serve as a way of predicting information about the jumpers' future offspring (such as whether the jumper will give birth to one child, or twins, or triplets; what gender the child or children will be; how many pounds the babies will weigh, and/or the first letter of the child's name or children's names.)

*In some "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes the baby's father is referred to as "her boyfriend" and not "her husband". Also, the only reaction which is noted is that the baby's father is "going crazy". While it's true that the word "crazy" is a near rhyme for "baby", the words "lazy" and "hazy" are also near rhymes for "baby" and those two words are never used in those rhymes."

Visit this discussion thread I started in 2009 about the playground rhyme "We Wear Our Hair In Curls" for different parental reactions to their daughter getting pregnant: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101&messages=62.

Warning: While they contain no profanity, some examples of "We Wear Our Hair In Curls" rhymes are much more sexually explicit than "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes.

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EXAMPLES OF "FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE" THAT MENTION TWINS OR TRIPLETS
Here are a few text (word only) examples of "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge". These examples are given in no particular order.

FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #1)
From my eleven-year-old daughter come these jump rope rhymes. She says they don't sing them, they are more of a chant than a song. They do this at school during recess.

Fudge, fudge, call the judge, (Sally's*) having a baby.
Wrap it up in toilet paper, send it down the elevator,
What shall it be?
Boy, girl, twins, triplets, boy, girl, twins, triplets...
(repeat until jumper misses)
*substitute jumper's name
-Jon W; http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300#23452 Cinderella Dressed In Yella; 3/10/1998

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FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #2)
There was one extremely long one I knew with very complicated gestures/clapping, but I can't remember all of it ...

[something something something]
That's how nice neighbors can be
Fudge, fudge, fudge
I called the judge
[something about the singer's mother being pregnant]
If it's a boy, I'll give it a toy
If it's a girl, I'll give it a curl
If it's a twin, I'll give it a spin
Wrap it up in toilet paper
Send it down the elevator
First floor, STOP
Second floor, FREEZE
Third floor, you better watch out,
Before I give you a SQUEEZE!!

(Then each player tries to grab the other by the wrists. The successful grabber wins.)
-sparkofcreationlhttp://linguaphiles.livejournal.com/4327510.html#comments; 2/20/2003

Editor:
Note that this rhyme appears to have been played while doing handclaps.

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FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #3)
the jump rope song goes like this.......................

fudge, fudge!
call the judge!
_______'s havin a baby,
_______'s goin crazy!
wrap it up in toilet paper,
send it down the elevator.
boy, girl, twins, triplets?
repeat until jumper screws up, and that is what she supposidly had, lol!
-lexy; Whee Blog (website no longer viable); June 24, 2005

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FUDGE GUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #4)
Fudge, gudge, call the judge!
[girl's name] Is having a baby!
Hey boyfriend's going crazy!
Wrap it up and toiliet paper,
Send it down the elevator.
what will it be?
A boy?
A girl?
Twins or aliens?
A boy?
A girl?
Twins or aliens?
[Jumprope game. Player jumps until they mess up. Whatever they land on is what they have.]
-Liz again. ; Whee Blog (website no longer viable); April 12, 2005

Editor: "gudge" is probably a typo for the word "fudge".

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FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #5)
fudge,fudge,call the judge(name),having a baby, her boyfriends going crazy, how many babys will she have,1,2,3,4.... what kind of babys will she have,boy,girl,twin,triplets....what will their names be(start with a and go on until they stop on a letter and then pick the name.kepp on doing it until you cover all the babys names)
Source: http://www.homeschool.co.uk/resource/jump-rope/baby.html ; Dec 03 2005

Editor:
This example doesn't include any concerns about the birth of the baby/babies, i.e. there's no mention of "boyfriend's going crazy" or "wrap the baby up" and "throw the baby away".

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FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #6)
ABC, easy as 123,
my daddy drank Cocafee(don’t ask what that is) right off of my feet.
That’s how nasty people can be.
Judge, judge, call the judge!
Mama’s gonna have a baby,
a sweet little choc-o-late baby!
If it’s a boy, I’ll give it a toy.
If it’s a girl, I’ll give it a curl.
If it’s a twin, I’ll give them a spin.
Wrap it up in toilet paper,
Send it down the elevator.
First floor, STOP.
Second floor, STOP.
And then it would just go on until someone screwed it up….usually me.
-ChloeMireille, http://kateharding.net/2009/10/02/miss-lucy-had-friday-fluff/
-snip-
I'm considering the line "ABC, easy as 123" as an introductory line and not the title of this rhyme.

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FUGE FUGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #7) 
It's  fuge fuge Call the  Judge mommy's having a baby daddy's going crazy what will  It be girl boy twin or alien
-Chelsey Hooten, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOXgz89OLc , [comment in] Fudge Fudge Call The Judge, Theatre Geek, August 4, 2015
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-snip-
The word "fuge" is a typo for "fudge".  The person who published that video wrote this comment in reply to that example:
"I didn't learn it that way. It's a jump rope rhyme and they get changed all the time."
-Theatre Geek, 2020

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EXAMPLES OF "FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE" THAT DON'T MENTION TWINS OR TRIPLETS

JUDGE JUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #1)
Judge, Judge call the judge momma's got a brand new baby
It ain't no boy, it ain't no girl, it's just a plain ol baby
1st floor stop: (trap the jump rope with your feet) second floor stop: (trap the jump rope with your feet) third floor kick it out the door (run out)
Now there is no b a b y!
Source: http://www.homeschool.co.uk/resource/jump-rope/baby.html ; 2006

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FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #2)
In Michigan City, Indiana, in the late 50's at our Catholic grade school we jumped rope to:

Fudge, Fudge, Call the Judge
Momma's got a newborn baby
It isn't a girl
It isn't a boy
It's just an ordinary baby

Wrap it up in tissue paper
Send it down the elevator
First floor-push
Second floor-Push
Third floor- Kick 'em out out the door
Momma doesn't want that baby anymore
-Guest, Mary;
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=99131&messages=9 Fudge, Fudge Call The Judge; Feb. 11, 2011

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FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #3)
We played a ball bouncing game to this.

Fudge Fudge call the judge
Momma's having a baby
It isn't a boy; it isn't a girl
It's just a plain old baby.
Wrap it up in tissue paper.
Send it down the escalator.
How many pounds did the baby weigh?
Close your eyes and I shall say:
(with eyes closed and bouncing ball under leg)
One
two
Three...until you miss.
Sinsull, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=99131&messages=9 Fudge, Fudge Call The Judge; July 9, 2011

Editor: Notice that this is described as a rhyme chanted while bouncing a ball.

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FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #4)
Back in the 50s in Flint, MI. We chanted while jumping rope:
Fudge, fudge. Call the judge.
Mama's gonna have a new born baby.
Wrap it up in tissue paper.
Send it down the elevator.
First floor - miss.
Second floor - miss.
Third floor - kick it out the door. (kicking motion)
That's the end of the baby (Run out from swinging rope)
- dulcimer42, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=99131&messages=15 , August 1,2013

Editor: Notice that this is described as a jump rope rhyme.

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JUDGE JUDGE CALL THE JUDGE (Example #5)
Judge, Judge, call the judge, Mama had a newborn baby
It isn't a boy and it isn't a girl, It's just an ordinary baby.
Wrap it up in tissue paper, Send it down the elevator.
How many floors does it go ...1, 2, 3,
(And so on until the jumper misses)

Where learned: Michigan
[...]

Date learned: 00-00-1967 [Jump rope rhyme]
-http://research.udmercy.edu/find/special_collections/digital/cfa/index.php?term=J&field=keyword&start=500 The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
-snip-
All of the words of this rhyme were written in capital letters on that page.

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FUDGE FUDGE FUDGE (Example #6)
Yeah, so me and my sister sat on the phone last night trying to remember some more chants. I know, I need a life.

Fudge, Fudge, Fudge
Let's go tell the Judge
Mama's gonna have a baby
A cute little chocolate baby
If it's a boy, I'll give it a toy
If it's a girl, I'll give it a curl
Wrap it up in tissue paper,
throw it down the elevator :eek: (We used to say that?!?)
First floor STOP
Ba doom doom doom
Second floor STOP
Ba doom doom doom
Third floor you'd betta watch out
'Cuz here comes the lady with the big boom bop.
-Bamboozled, http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/archive/index.php/t-31403.html, 03-26-2003, 11:38 AM
-snip-
Commenters on this discussion thread were members of historically Black Greek letter sororities.

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FUDGE, FUDGE (Example #7) 
Here's how we did it (1950s):

Fudge, fudge
Call the judge
Mama's had a newborn baby!
Wrap it up in tissue paper
throw it down the elevator -
how many floors did it fall?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven (etc.).

Gruesome, but  we thought it fun as a counting out rhyme.
-phoebecatgirl, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOXgz89OLc , [comment in] Fudge Fudge Call The Judge, Theatre Geek, August 4, 2015

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FUDGE, FUDGE (Example #8)  
Fudge fudge call the judge
Mama's gunna have a baby not a girl not a boy just a plain old baby
Wrap up the dirty diaper throw it down the elevator
How many floors does it fall?
-Possim :}, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOXgz89OLc , [comment in] Fudge Fudge Call The Judge, Theatre Geek, August 4, 2015

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FUDGE, FUDGE (Example #9)  
Here's how I learned it.

Fudge fudge call the judge mom is going to have a baby not a boy not a girl just a plain old baby wrap it up in tissue paper send it down the elevator first floor stop 2nd floor stop third door shut the or you'll windup on the floor
-supreme Savage 5923, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOXgz89OLc , [comment in] Fudge Fudge Call The Judge, Theatre Geek, August 4, 2015

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RELATED RHYMES
Here are two closely related playground rhymes:
Neither rhyme includes the "fudge fudge call the judge" line. The first rhyme mentions wrapping up the babies and throwing them away, but the babies are wrapped up in tissue paper instead of "toilet paper":

CALL THE ARMY CALL THE NAVY
Call the Army, call the Navy
(name)'s gonna have a baby.
Wrap it up in tissue paper,
send it down the elevator,
(Rope turned double time)
Boy, girl, twins, triplets, boys, girls, twins, triplets, etc
Source: http://www.homeschool.co.uk/resource/jump-rope/baby.html

Editor: Note that in this example, the baby is wrapped up in tissue paper and not toilet paper.

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OH MY BABY JUST KICKED
Oh My Baby Just Kick
Oh my baby just kick, oh my baby just kick
time for the baby to come,time for the baby to come
is it a girl? is it a boy? is it a twin? is it a triplet? (pick a boy or a girl)
it's a _____ !
how many mouths? how many years?
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11...... (pick the mouth or year)
What letter should the name start with?
A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z
(pick a letter)
And i name ______(pick a name)
and that's my baby
-Guest,my baby; http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 Children's Street Songs; 1/17/2005

Editor: This rhyme mentions twins or triplets. The word “mouths in line 5 is almost certainly a typo for “months".

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HOT SHOT BABY
hot shot baby
chicken and gravy
here comes a lady
with a bald head baby
*point to other person* THATS YOU
-http://www.inthe00s.com/archive/inthe80s/smf/1109960765.shtml This is a topic from the The 1980's forum on inthe00s.
Subject: Those clapping songs
-snip-
No racial/ethnic identification is given for the person who contributed this rhyme.

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VIDEO EXAMPLES 
Update: Sept. 15, 2022
When I first published this post, there were no YouTube videos of children jumping rope or doing any other activities while chanting "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge". I noted that chanting while jumping rope or bouncing balls appear to be rarely done nowadays..

As of Sept. 2022, I've come across a video of a young girl jumping rope while chanting this rhyme and two other rhymes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsGQMfUOSDk&t=8s "Jump Rope Songs: Fudge, Cinderella, and Lemonade' published by The Great Outdoor Kids, June 23, 2020. 

I've also come across a video of a father jumping rope while his daughter's chant the rhyme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpk6EiW3Egw "Momma's Having A Baby? published by AndreCadillac, May 25, 2012

I decided not to showcase those videos but continue to focus on the video that was featured in this post when it was originally published.
-end of update- 

...I found a video of a young girl reciting a variant form of the "fudge fudge call the judge" rhyme. In the beginning of the video, believe that the words the girl chants are:
"Fudge fudge call the judge
Gary’s* havin a baby
Sponge Bob’s getting crazy
How many babies do they got
They are crying
Color white and blue
Is it 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4
3, 2, 1"

-snip-

From then on, the words of the rhyme are more difficult for me to decipher. The words appear to be made up on the spot which is a creative exercise in & of itself. Here's that video:

Fudge,Fudge,Call the Judge!



Joshua AwsomeOne, on Jul 9, 2011
-snip-
Update: 1/14/2012

* Here's a comment that I received in response to my query to the video uploader:

@azizip171 she told me the lyrics were based on the show SpongeBob, so what you thought was mary, was really gary, since i THINK he's a character in that show
- MULTIAWSOMEONE

-snip-
Note: A girl in another video of this rhyme prefaces her example by saying that she does this while she jumps rope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccX3E7kB1Ig.

And in another video of this rhyme a girl pantomines the words along with her little brother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7AqdCoLqjs

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