Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision- November 7, 2019
This is Part II of a pancocojams series that documents selected YouTube discussion thread comments about commenters perceptions of certain rhymes being chanted or performed the wrong way.
Part II showcases YouTube videos of four different playground rhymes and selected comments from those videos' discussion threads about how those rhymes were said or performed. The featured playground rhymes are "Down Down Baby", "Double Double This", and "Welcome To McDonalds", and "Apple On A Stick".
These featured comments assert that a particular playground rhyme is "done wrong"* and some responses to those assertions.
This post also documents selected comments in which bloggers asserts that there's no one right way to say or perform a particular playground rhyme and simply share the way that they say and do that particular rhyme.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/09/youtube-comments-about-wrong-way-of.html for Part I of this post showcases a YouTube video of two young women performing ten "old school" playground rhymes (rhymes that they remember from their childhood or teen years).
The content of this post is presented for recreational and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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EDITOR'S COMMENTS
A number of YouTube commenters write that a playground rhyme "goes" a certain way and that a person "did it wrong". In the context of a description of playground rhymes, how a rhyme "goes" means how it is said (chanted/sung) and/or how it is performed (the accompanying actions that are done while chanting the words to the rhyme). When a person said that the rhyme was "done wrong", she or he usually is referring to her or his perception that the words and/or the actions and/or the tune/tempo aren't those that she or he remembers as the "right" way of performing that playground rhyme.
In the almost fifteen years that I've been researching and collecting English language playground rhymes online I've noticed that an increasing number of commenters are moving from the position that there is only one "right" way of saying or performing any particular playground rhyme.
I believe that the very fact that multiple versions of playground rhymes are available for people to read and observe online is changing the way that children and other people think about playground rhymes. When I was growing up in the 1950s I assumed that the only way that a particular rhyme "went" (the words that were said and the way that hand game was played) was the way that I learned it. Nowadays, thanks in large part to YouTube, it appears to me that an increasing number of people are coming to the realization that there are usually multiple versions of a particular playground rhyme, and that there may not be any one "right version" (right way of doing or saying that particular rhyme).
People can attempt to find out and document the earliest version of a particular playground rhyme or early versions of that rhyme (the words, tunes, tempo of those versions and how they were performed). People can also surmise from observations and reading what were and what are the "usual" version/s of that rhyme is done (among certain populations within certain periods of time or during different periods of time). However, it's my position that variant forms of a playground rhyme (ones that are somewhat different from the "usual version/s") aren't particularly wrong. That said, a red flag about the authenticity of an online example that purport to be a child's remembrance of a playground rhyme if that version is quite different in themes, words, tune (cadence), and actions from other examples of that rhyme that I've come across.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, thanks to those who are featured in these videos, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS AND SELECTED COMMENTS
These videos are presented in chronological order according to their publishing dates with the oldest dated video given first. The quoted comments from those video's discussion thread are given below each video.
These comments are given in relative order based on their posting date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
Example #1: Down Down Baby Hand Clap Australia
yummum1978 Uploaded on Jun 6, 2010
The old school ground hand claps are back. This is the girls doing the down down baby hand clap. Good on ya girls
-snip-
"Old school" is an African American Vernacular English term that means "something from the past". The term is usually at least mildly positive.
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. dickysnicky, 2011
"my mum taught me dis thing but she learned it differently"
**
2. pepsicokemix , 2011
"This is how I learned it.
Down Down Baby, down down the roller coaster, sweet sweet baby, sweet sweet don't let me go. Shimmie Shimmie coca pop shimmie shimmie AH! I like coffe, I like tea, I like a little boy and he likes me! To the front, to the back, to the side side side, To the front, to the back, to the side side side, FREEZE!"
**
3. Melody2717, 2011
"I (from uk) used to do this: down down baby, down down the rollercoaster, sweet sweet baby, i'll never let you go, jimmy jimmy cocabow, jimmy jimmy pow, jimmy jimmy cocabow, jimmy jimmy pow, mama mama, sick in bed (all the same from here).
Weird how its basically the same all the way over here! Oh except it wasnt rhythm of the hot dog but rhtyhm of the heaaaarta (heart)"
**
4. yummum1978, 2011
"Hi 321Coffeequeen, I don't think it really matters how you do it along as you have fun. The girls had a great time learning it and performing it. P.S this is exactly the same one the 2 little girls off of sesame street did all those years ago."
-snip-
I can't find the comment that the video publisher yummum1978 is responding to.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-FpmUUc7U
"Sesame Street: Handclapping Chants" for the 1990s Sesame Street video of “Down Down Baby” that is mentioned in this comment.
**
5. nad pe, 2011
"u guys made a mistake its actually this: Down Down Baby Down Down the rollercoaster ( u do rollercoaster with ur hand) Sweet sweet baby sweet sweet dont let me go ( u do a and X with only two hands) Shimme Shimme Cocoa puff shimme shimme raaaw (u flip ur hair) shimme shimme cocoa puff shimme shimme raaaw mamamama sick in bed she called the docter and the docter said lets get the rythem of the head ding dong (repeat) lets get the rythem of the hands (repeat) lets get the rythem on the feet"
**
6. Ian Martinez, 2013
"I did it different than the Australian version but i live in the USA so what do you expect!!!!!!"
**
7. Noelle Romero, 2013
"We did it differently when I was in elementary. I live in the U.S,"
**
8. ChildoftheUniverse, May 2015
"LOL I love it . I grew up in the 80s in NYC and we did it the exact same way. It's amazing and I love that you kids are still doing this nowadays. Great job :-)"
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Example #2: How to play the Double double clapping game
Kidspot, Published on May 23, 2013
Clapping games are a great way to improve motor skills and language development. Double double is a fun quick clapping game you can teach your kids.
-snip-
I find the comments about this playground rhyme (hand game) to be interesting because, unlike the other examples in this series, it's not the words to the rhyme that are in dispute. The commenters are asserting that the children in the video are performing the hand game wrong (i.e. different from the standard way that it's performed, at least in the United States where the hand game likely originated.) Can't there be more than one "right" way to play this particular hand game?
-snip-
Selected comments:
Except for the video uploader’s replies, all of the comments to date in this video's discussion thread are assertions that the girls in the video did this hand game wrong.
1. Keana Mooney, 2013
"Thats not how i do it"
**
REPLY
2. Kidspot, 2013
"Thanks for pointing out that there ARE other ways to do this, you're right! But that doesn't make this wrong!"
-snip-
There are no replies to this comment or to any other comment that Kidspot (this video's publisher) wrote.
**
3. Vineeta Ishwarlal, 2013
"this isn't the right way to do the clapping part"
**
4. Sophie Malcolm, 2013
"That isn't proper double is hands clenched"
**
REPLY
5. Kidspot, 2013
"Thanks for watching! There ARE other ways to play this game - you obviously play it differently. It's nice to see how different people play it though, don't you think?"
**
6. Hannah Castleton, 2014
"its wrong"
**
7. Courtney Craker, 2014
"That's wrong, it should be double, double with fists.. this this is your palms, and that that is the back of your hands
and its
double
double
this
this
double
double
that
that
double
this
double
that
double
double
this
that"
**
REPLY
8. diana Gonzalez, May 2015
"Your right that's how you do it"
**
9. Liena Dilone, 2014
"Not right fist is double"
-snip-
This comment is likely punctuated as [That is] Not right. [You make a] fist [on the word] double.
**
10. alwaysminecraft, 2014
"fist fist. pat backward 2 times , pat 2 times,fist then backward pat,backward pat then pat"
**
11. Chloe Sloger, May 2015
"you guys do it wrong learn the right way or dont do it at all"
**
12. Kidspot, May 2015
"+Chloe Sloger why do you think it is wrong? We are in Aussie, it may be slightly different around the world?"
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Example #3: Welcome to McDonald's Hand Game | The Ciera and Olivia Show | July 28, 2014
Ciera and Olivia Show, Published on Jul 28, 2014
Welcome to McDonald's! Can I take your order? LOL Tell us if you like or ever heard of our hand game. Let us know if you'd like to see more of our hand games.
-snip-
Selected comments:
1.CanadianQueen76, 2014
"I have never heard of this hand game."
**
REPLY
2. Ciera and Olivia Show, 2014
"Olivia's friend made it up"
-snip-
In my (admittedly informal, mostly online) research of contemporary English language playground rhymes I've found that children will often claim that they made up a rhyme if they use even slightly different words for that rhyme. "Making up" a rhyme doesn't mean making it up "from scratch" (without there being any previous example that is somewhat changed by adding or subtracting words and/or actions.) And if a child believes that she or he made up a rhyme, then it's likely that child would think that her or his version of that rhyme wouldn't be wrong - since that version is the "original" form of that rhyme.
**
3. Naquia sutton, 2015
"I've heard of it but me and my friends do it a different way"
**
4. MLP K&B, 2015
"We do this to but we play it different. It goes with a different hand movement and it really hard and fast. You have to snap and hit your hips and stuff but I got it now. This is ours.
Welcome to McDonald's may I take your order,
Yes, you may. Yes you may.
I want a Big Mac, curly fries,
Soda pop and apple pie,
A Million dollars and a really cute guy,
(Clap, snap) To Go!!!
:3"
-snip-
":3" is a symbol for "smile"
**
5. Heather Vaniwarden, 2015
"That s not how you do it but I love how u do it love u😽"
**
janiah Simone, 2015
"I heard of the game McDonald's and I know how to do it but u did it wrong"
**
6. Melissa Brown, 2015
"That's not how it goes. It goes like this. Welcome to McDonalds May I take you order Yes I would like a Big fat falaya fish Quarter pound French fry Icee cold a milkshake Sunday is an apple pie "
**
REPLY
7. Bl4ckSting, 2015
"+Melissa Brown everyone can do it a different way"
**
8. The cool girl 😎😎, 2015
"Omg not trying to be mean but that's not how to play"
**
REPLY
9. Ciera and Olivia Show, 2015
"+The cool girl 😎😎 How do you play it?"
-snip-
As of this date, there's no published response to that question.
UPDATE: On February 28, as a result of YouTube's ban on comments on most YouTube videos featuring children under 13 years of age, all of the comments in this discussion thread (and every other discussion thread for videos in this post) have been deleted.
**
10. Taylor Nelson, 2015
"Sorry girls thats not how u play"
****
[Added November 7, 2019]
How to play Apple on a stick clapping game
Kidspot, May 23, 2013
Clapping games are a great way to improve motor skills and language development. Apple on a stick is a fun clapping game you can teach your kids.
Apple on a stick makes me sick
makes my heart go two-46
Not because you're dirty, not because you're clean
Not because you kissed a boy behind a magazine
Girls, boys, having fun
Here comes a cat with an annoying hum
It can suibble it can squabble it can even do the splits
But I betcha, I betcha, you can do this
Close your eyes and count to 10
(close eyes)
If you stuff it up you're a big fat hen
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
You didn't stuff it up so you're my best friend
Hints and tips:
The game is made up of a few moves, repeated over and over in the same sequence. Watch the video to see the moves in slow motion.
1. Hands together, swish hands with other player.
2. Keep hands together, clap each outer hand to the middle.
3. Clap your outer hand to the other player's outer hand. Do it above your joined together hands.
4. Clap each outer hand to the middle.
5. Take outer hands, go under joined hands in middle and grab hands cross-ways. Let go.
6. Grab over hands together cross-ways and pat your hip twice with your free hand.
7. Take same hand (from hip) click it in the air twice then ...
8. Slap that hand together front-ways in the middle.
9. Slap that hand backs together in the middle.
10. Each player puts their hands together again and ... swish, start again.
-snip-
Here are several comments in which the commenters share the way they say or perform this rhyme, but don't assert that other ways of saying or doing this rhyme are wrong.
I added these comments which I had saved some time ago because they were deleted along with millions of other comments because of YouTube's February 2019 ban against posting comments to videos that feature children under 13 years old.
Florence S, 2017
"Never knew there were so much different ways to sing it till i scrolled through the comments, lol. Mines
"Apple on a stick, makes me sick. Makes my heart beat 2,40,6. Not because you're dirty not because you're clean. Not because you kissed a boy behind a magazine. Boys, girls, having fun. Here comes a lady with a pickle up her bum. She can do the cartwheel she can do the splits, but i bet ya, i bet ya, she can't do this. Close your eyes and count to 10 if you muck it all up your not my friend."
**
Latifa Yakubu, 2018
"I do it like this: apple on a stick makes me sick makes my heart beat 2/4/6 not because you're dirty not because you're clean just because you kissed the boy behind the magazine. Boys boys having all the fun here comes Mike with his tie undone he can do the wibble wobble he can do the splits but I bet you 10 dollars he Canne dae this close your eyes and count to ten if you mess up you have to start again
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
You didne mess up so you're ma best friend
BTW I live in Scotland so we use slang in ours"
**
Esther LeClaire, 2018
"I sing it this way:
Apple on a stick,
it makes me sick,
it makes my heart go 2 4 6!
Not because I'm dirty, not because I'm clean,
not because I kissed a frog behind a magazine!
So come on girls, lets have some fun,
here comes a lady with a big fat bum!
She can do the wiggle waggle, she can do the splits,
But I bet you ten bucks she can't do this!
Close your eyes and count to ten,
If you mess up, start over again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8 9 10!"
**
Paul Somerville, 2018
"I say it like this
Apple on a stick it makes me sick. Makes my heart beat 2.46. Not because your dirty not because ur clean. Not because you kissed a boy behind a magazine. Boys girls having fun now here comes the lady with the big fat bum. She can wibble it and wobble it and do the splits but I bet ya I bet ya she can’t do this. Close your eyes and count to ten if u muck it up ur not my friend. 12345678910. You didn’t muck it up so ur still my friend and that’s the end of chapter ten amen"
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