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Friday, September 20, 2013

Examples Of The Singing Game "Punchinella"/ "Punchinello"

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision: September 4, 2021

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on "Punchinello"/"Punchinella". This post focuses on the development of children's singing game "Punchinella"/"Punchinello". Special emphasis is given to versions from the United States.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-changing-faces-of-punchinella.html for Part I of this series. Part I provides historical information about "Punchinella"/"Punchinello", excerpts of "Punchinello" songs that aren't children's singing games, and two YouTube examples of those songs.

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. Thanks also to those who are featured in these and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube examples

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This pancocojams blog usually focuses on music, dance, and customs from African Americans & other Black people throughout the world. 

However, sometimes this blog also focuses on children's rhymes and singing games that weren't created by Black people but may have been played or are still played by Black people-in the United States, in Jamaica, and presumably elsewhere. 

For that reason, and because I find this subject interesting, I'm including information about and examples of "Punchinello in this blog.

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Part II: GENERAL COMMENTS
The singing game "Punchinello"/"Punchinella" derives from the Italian character "Pulcinello". Visit Part I of this post for information about "Pulcinello" and other European depictions of that character.

"Punchinello"/Punchinella" is a "show me your motion" circle (ring) game in which one member of the group at a time takes a turn in the center (middle) of the circle.

In every example of Punchinello/Punchinella that I've played, heard, observed, or read, the new center person is arbitrarily selected by the then center person pointing at her or him while that center person's eyes are closed. However, it appears that the earlist way of selecting a new center person in "show me your motion games" such as "Little Sally Walker" and "Going To Kentucky" was to purposely pick the person you "liked the best". In "courting" singing games (also known as "play party songs")* females would purposely pick a male and vice versa.

During the 19th century up to the early to mid 20th century in the United States, singing games/play party songs were performed by people up to their young adult years. Now there are many more socially approved opportunities for teens and young adults to declare their romantic interest in someone.

Nowadays most children in the United States only know a few singing games/"play party" games. And the singing games that are known are rarely played by children over 12 years old. Most of the singing games/play party songs which children in the United States know were taught on the college level to prospective teachers or child care givers. Those teachers/child care givers then taught the form & words of those games that they learned to their elementary school ages students (usually under age 12 years) and/or the pre-school/day care children who are under their care. The usual venue for teaching these games in elementary schools is music classes. Video #2 below is an example of this practice.

Singing games in which the middle person purposely chooses his or her replacement can become  popularity contest. For that reason, I'm in favor of selecting the new middle person by the random selection of the current middle person twirling with his or her arm extended. The middle person who was pointed to at the end of the song is the new middle person. 

*Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_party for information about "play party songs".

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PERFORMANCE INSTRUCTIONS
The singing game "Punchinello"/"Punchinella" is made up of four distinct phases. These phases correspond to the four verses that are sung by the people forming the circle in each rendition of the singing game.

The performance instructions for this song are as follows:
The group forms a wide circle. One person is selected to be the first center person.

Verse #1:
The song begins with the people making up the circle singing while moving counterclockwise around the circle. They may or may not hold hands. The "center person" usually doesn't sing during the entire song. During the first verse of the song, the center person merely stands still or poses in place.

Verse #2:
The people forming the circle continue to sing while moving counterclockwise around the circle. In response to the song's lyrics, the center person does some arbitrary non-complicated motion such as acrobatic movement, a simple dance step, or some other easy to imitate motion like clapping her or his hands. The center person continues to do this same motion throughout that rendition of this song.

Verse #3: During the third verse, the people forming the circle stop moving around the circle. Each person remains relatively in place, but while continuing to sing, they attempt to exactly imitate the motion that the center person performs.

Verse #4: During the fourth verse, the center person remains in the middle of the circle. She (or he) closes her eyes, puts her right hand over her eyes, and stretching out her left arm, puts at the people forming the circle while slowly turning around in a circle. The center person stops turning around at the end of that rendition of the song.

The people forming the circle continue singing but may either stand still, or continue moving counterclockwise again while singing that verse. During the performance of that verse by an African American group of children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who I worked with in the early 2000s, the children stood in place while singing but performed a percussive handclap (clapping their own hands), foot stomping beat while singing that last verse. Although the children knew this singing game before my school teacher daughter & I "taught" it to them, my daughter introduced this percussive accompaniment to that last verse because she was really "in to" steppin & foot stomping cheers.*

The person who the center person is pointing to becomes the new center person. The former center person takes that person's place as part of the group forming the circle, and the game immediately begins again from the beginning.

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TRIVIA CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE SINGING GAME "PUNCHINELLA"/"PUNCHINELLO"
1. Since at least the late 1940s or early 1950s, at least in some areas, few children playing Punchinello/Punchinella singing games with a clown. Yet, the idea of "Punchinello" being a funny person who is tasked with making others laugh is somewhat retained in the singing game as the center person is supposed to perform some [usually] funny motion that everyone else copies.

2. Although the original "Pulcinello" was always a male, and "Punch" in Punch & Judy shows was always a male, the center person in the "Punchinello"/"Punchinella" singing game can be either male or female. Note the words to an early version of that game - "What can you do Punchinello, funny fellow."

3. It appears that the name "Punchinella" is very often used in the United States and in some other English speaking nations instead of the name "Punchinello". As per point #2, "Punchinella" or "Punchinello" can be either male or female.

I wonder if the reason why "Punchinella" with an "a" at the end is so common in the United States because early on in that country the word "Punchinella" was thought to be the words "Punch and Nella", with "Nella" being a female name. The editor of http://www.jesterbear.com/Aradia/Punchinello.html wrote that
"A Baltimore version of this American singing game was collected from 20th century Baltimore, MD. Baltimore has its own Little Italy. The Baltimore version of the game was called "Punch and Netta." (One could speculate that meant it could have derived from American Baltimore children misunderstanding another version of the name, "Pulcinella," as "Punch 'n Nella.")"
-snip-
That said, a commenter on a Mudcat discussion forum about this singing game remembers the word "Punchinella" being used in the 1940s London, England. [Example #1 below] And the a ending form of that name may be common elsewhere.

For what it's worth, I remember playing "Punchinella" -with an "a" ending - during the early to mid 1950 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (given as Example #2 below). Also, I didn't associate "Punchinella" with a clown.

4. Some versions of "Punchinella"/"Punchinello" have the line "Punchinella/o in the shoe". That's the way I remember singing it. I've wondered if that line came from the popularity of the "Buster Brown" brand of children's shoes. A picture of the boy "Buster Brown" and his dog Tige was in the sole of each shoe. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Brown for information about Buster Brown.
However, the word "shoe" may be used a rhyming word for the word "do" as is the case with the other end rhyming words that
I've read for this line - "you" and "zoo". Note that the word "zoo" is used in the version that is performed in the YouTube video #2.

5. I collected the version of "Punchinella" [given below as "Example #2"] in 1997 from a group of African American children (mostly girls ages 7-12 years) which includes the term "Punchinella 57". I don't know how widespread this version was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylavania, but to date, I haven't found another example of it online or elsewhere.

My guess is that the "57" came from the widely known slogan for Heinz products [at least widely known in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]. This marketing slogan was introduced in 1896. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_57 for information about Heinz 57.

A version of "Punchinello" that includes the number "42" is given below as Example #4. I have no idea why that number was/is used.

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TEXT EXAMPLES OF PUNCHINELLA/PUNCHINELLO SINGING GAMES
Example #1: "Punchinella"
"Yes, we were taught it at GLB cadets (similar to Brownies) in London in late 40s. The word were slightly different

What are you doing, little Punchinella?
What are you doing Punchinella dear?

We'll do it too (etc.)

Tune the same as the start of 'Down at the Station early in the morning'.
-Mo the caller, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49743, "Play-party game 'Punchinello'", October 13, 2010

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Example #2:
Look who's here
Punchinella Punchinella
Look who's here
Punchinella in the shoe.

(Oh) What can you do
Punchinella Punchinella
What can you do
Punchinella in the shoe.

(Well) We can do it too
Punchinella Punchinella
We can do it too
Punchinella in the shoe.

Who do you choose
Punchinella Punchinella
Who do you choose
Punchinella in the shoe.
-Azizi Powell; childhood memories, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1950s
-snip-
The version of this singing game that I collected in 1997 from African American children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania went:
"Look who's here
Punchinella 57
Look who's here
Punchinella in the shoe."

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Example #3:
"I'm 22 and work as a primary school teaching assistant.
When i was in school, our Headteacher taught us this but the lyrics were slightly different...

what can you do punchinello punchinello
what can you do punchinello 42

child hops etc

we can do it to punchinello punchinello,
we can do it do punchinello 42

turn right round punchinello punchinello
turn right round punchinello 42

In the school i worked at previously, i was surprised to see the children playing this game on the yard, with the same lyrics
and the children in my current school also sing these lyrics.
strange how we have a completly different variation on the end!!"
-Guest, Suzanne, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49743, "Play-party game 'Punchinello', January 21, 2011

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Example #4:
"I grew up in Jamaica, West Indies, playing this game at school during recess. In the 1950s, the words we sang were:

Who is coming next, Punchinello, little fellow?
Who is coming next, Punchinello, little dear?

What can you do, Punchinello, little fellow?
What can you do, PUnchinello, little dear?

We can do it too, Punchinello, little fellow
We can do it too, Punchinello, little dear."
-Guest, Guest, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49743,
February 02, 2011

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VIDEO EXAMPLES OF PUNCHINELLO/PUNCHINELLA SINGING GAMES
Example #1: Ponchinello funny fellow



olivialauren34,·Uploaded on Jan 13, 2011
-snip-
This 1988 video is from "Wee Sing: Grandpa's Magical Toys". In this video, Punchinello is a clown. Several commenters wrote that as a child they were scared of the "Punchinello" character and other props in this video.

Here's an excerpt of this singing game's lyrics:
What can you do Punchinello funny fellow
What can you do Punchinello funny you.

We can do it too Punchinello funny fellow
We can do it too, Punchinello funny you...
-snip-
WARNING: Some of the comments in this YouTube video comment thread include profanity.

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Example #2: Punchinella



gdozet, Uploaded on Sep 27, 2008

Ms. Thuet's and Ms. Friedman's 2nd graders singing and playing.
-snip-
Song Excerpt:
"Oh look who's here Punchinella, Punchinella
Look who's here, Punchinella from the zoo..."

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UPDATE: 10/10/2013
Example #4: Punchinella Singing Game



Nathan McMath, Published on May 30, 2013

Look Who's Here Punchinella
A lovely singing game that can be played in pairs or in larger groups in a circle. It is fun to play with your child or with the whole family. Try adding your child's name: Look who's here little Joey Little Joey.
In this video the game is being played by first graders. Sorry for the terrible audio quality!


This song has a slightly different tune.

Lyrics:
Look who's here Punchinella, Punchinella [The Middle person skips around the inside of the circle.]
Look who's here, Punchinella boy [or girl]
What can you do etc. [The person in the middle who is "It" does some kind of movement or dance.]
We can do it to etc. [The people forming the circle try to exactly imitate that movement.]
Shake it to the East [The middle person rejoins the circle and doees the shaking dance along with the others]
Shake it to the West
Shake it to the very one
that you love the best
[The person who is "It" purposely picks someone to be the next "It" & the song begins again from the beginning.

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UPDATE: September 4, 2021
[Pancocojams Editor's Note: I'm added this version because it is undoubtedly a folk processed form of the rhyme "Punchinella."]

CONSUELA CONSUELA
Look who's here
Consuela is you (pick a person)
What can you do? (person does a dance)
Consuela Consuela
We can do it too (everyone else does the dance)
Consuela Consuela
Choose your partner
Consuela Consuela
Choose your partner
Consuela is you!!!
-1smoothroller - Apr 25 2008,  http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/lil-girls-hand-games_topic128043_page2.html

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13 comments:

  1. I remember it as "Look who's here, Punchinella 47, look who's here, Punchinella 42," etc. I always thought the numbers were just nonsense/rhyming.

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    1. Hello, Anonymous. Thanks for your comment.

      I think that most of the words to children's rhymes is rhyming, but often - as in the case of the name "Punchinella" , and I think in the case of the number "47" those words have real meanings and back stories.

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    2. In the 1950's and early 1960's in Loss Angeles, we learned it the same way with 47 and 42. We just picked it up in.the neighborhood. It was never taught in.school, but played there by girls under 9 years old. I am Black and grew up.in.predominantly Black and Latina neighborhood. Had not thought about this in.years and always wondered why 47 and 42 were used...now I think the original "funny fellow" and "can you do" were just misunderstood and passed along as part of the song.

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    3. Hello, Emily Taylor-Snell.

      Thanks for sharing your memories about the "Punchinella" rhyme and thanks for including your demographics.

      I agree with you that the "47" and "42" were misunderstood and then passed along to other children as part of this rhyme. I wrote in this post that I think the "47" came from the Heinz catsup ads. The "42" is probably a folk processed substitution for the line "what can you do". Maybe the number "42" (instead of "22" or some other two digit number ending in 2) was used because it fit with the number "47".

      Best wishes!

      Delete
    4. In 1970's Oklahoma, it was 47,48. Funny how things morph due to time or locale.

      Delete
    5. Unknown, thanks for sharing that version of "Punchinella".

      Yes, it's interesting how different versions of the same rhyme can be found over time and place and with different populations. Also, there are often different versions of a rhyme within the same area at the same time and before the internet, everyone probably thought the rhyme that they knew was the only right way to say that rhyme.

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  2. I taught First Grade in 1968 in Florida. Most if the students were African-American. They all sang "Punchinello 42" as taught to them by their parents. I thought they had just misheard the words "funny you"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Unknown, for adding to the folkloric record of how the singing game "Punchinella" was and is played in the United States.

      To add to my comments about the ending "Punchinella 42", I think that ending "42" replaced the older ending "funny you", in part because "2" rhymes with "you" and in part because the words "funny you" aren't how the children who play this game talk.

      As I noted in example #2 in this post, I remember singing "punchinella in a shoe" (Atlantic City, H.J. late 1950s). My daughter also recalls singing it this same way (in Pittsburgh, Pa., late 1970s. I collected that same version from African American girls in 1997.)

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  3. From the other side of Penna: In the Philly '60s, we sang " What can you do, Punchinello little fellow, What can you do, Punchinello little dear?"
    Of course, that's the right way! 😉

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    1. Thanks for sharing that information with pancocojams, Natalie Levine.

      As to that version being the right way, Philly folks know best, or do they? ;o)

      Delete
  4. From the isles of Bermuda, we played a version of the game:

    Typically, the child that suggested playing the game, started as the first one in the middle of the circle of other children. The circle of children would sing first, asking, "What can you do..." The child in the middle would respond, singing, "I can do, this..." while performing an action; the funnier the action, the better. The circle would respond, "We can do it too..." while attempting to imitate the action that had been performed by the child in the middle. Then, the child in the middle would close their eyes, stretch forth one arm, with their index finger pointed, and begin to turn around in place, while the children in the circle would continue on singing, "Shake it to the East. Shake it to the West. Shake it to the very one that you love the best!" The child in the middle would stop turning when the singing stopped. The child in the circle to whom the child in the middle was then pointing, would be the next one to be in the middle of the circle.

    However, we sang the words:

    What can you do Poinciana, Poinciana?
    What can you do Poinciana-in-a-shoe?

    We can you do it too, Poinciana, Poinciana.
    We can you do it too, Poinciana in a shoe.

    Until now, I had thought that the game was liklely native to Bermuda, and other islands, given what was thought to be a reference to the Royal Poinciana tree, of which there used to be a preponderance.

    I used to wonder how the tree and shoe were connected. At some point, I figured to myself that perhaps, some people used to start growing a Poinciana tree in an old shoe, inside the house (vs. in an old "tin" can), and then would transplant it outside once it grew to a certain size. In thinking about it now... haha... it would have to be a large shoe.

    The other possible explanation of which I had thought, was that perhaps the game had originated as one that would be played outside under the shade of a Poinciana tree, and the children in the circle were supposed to play with their shoes off, representing "grown up" Poinciana trees, while the child in the middle had to keep their shoes on, representing a sapling still growing in a shoe, receiving all the attention, etc., until they performed an action which then allowed them to join the cirle of grown trees. Hmmm...ok... please keep in mind that I was around 7 or 8 yrs-old at the time that I came up with these explanations.

    Anyway, in reading this blog, it appears that in Bermuda, "Poinciana" was either mistakenly, or deliberately substituted at some point, at least over 70 years ago. (My mother, who will be 80 yrs-old, confirms that she also grew up singing "Poinciana".)

    Very interesting to read about different versions of essentially the same children songs and games.

    J.



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    Replies
    1. Unknown (J), thanks for sharing your remembrances of this singing game from Bermuda.

      I like learning about the custom of the Pionciana trees and shoes and agree with you that the word "Poinciana" was probably mistakenly or deliberately substituted for the name "Punchinella" (which itself is a combination of the names or nicknames "Punch" and "Ella" or "Nella".

      Best wishes!

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