Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision- August 13, 2024
This pancocojams post presents some information about 19th century author Mary Shelley's novel entitled Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.
This post also includes two responses to the question "Why do so many people believe the monster's name is Frankenstein when that really was the name of the doctor who created the monster? monster called Promet
In addition, this pancocojams post presents some examples of 20th century and 21st century children's jump rope and handclap rhymes that include the name "Frankenstein".
The content of this post is presented for cultural and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Mary Shelley for writing the Frankenstein novel and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
DISCLAIMER:
This post doesn't mean to imply that the earliest examples of these rhymes, and/or these particular rhyme examples came from African Americans or other Black people. There's no documentation of who was the originator or these rhymes.
As is the case with some other examples of recreational rhymes that are showcased on pancocojams, I'm sharing information and examples of these rhymes because I'm interested in collecting, studying, and sharing recreational rhymes.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FRANKENSTEIN NOVEL
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein#Frankenstein_and_the_Monster
"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written
by English author Mary Shelley (1797–1851) that tells the story of Victor
Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox
scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and
the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when
she was 20.[2] Her name first appeared in the second edition published in Paris
in 1821.
[...]
It has had a considerable influence in literature and popular
culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films and plays.
Since the publication of the novel, the name "Frankenstein" has often been used to refer to the monster itself.[8][9][10]
[…]
Frankenstein and the Monster
Part of Frankenstein's rejection of his creation is the fact
that he does not give it a name, which causes a lack of identity. Instead it is
referred to by words such as "wretch", "monster",
"creature", "demon", "devil", "fiend",
and "it"."...
-snip-
This sentence is given in italics to highlight it.
****
WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT FRANKENSTEIN IS THE MONSTER;S NAME INSTEAD OF THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR WHO CREATED HIM?
here are two responses to this question from https://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-people-believe-that-Frankenstein-is-the-monsters-name-instead-of-the-doctors
Response #1 - Mark Stamp, 2018
I write reviews, sometimes. Mostly analyzing movies.
“The monster was never given a name in the story. So
referring to it always involved phrases like “the monster” “it” or
“Frankenstein’s monster” to clarify you were talking about the book but that
last one is a mouthful.
Words have power, so the gravest mockery that Victor
Frankenstein could give to his creation was to not give it a name.
Beyond that, something tells me that plastering “Frankenstein” in big letters over posters with Boris Karloff’s neanderthalish makeup may have had something to do with the association.
Response #2-
"Nevermind the movie posters and popular culture, the BOOK is
called “FRANKENSTEIN” and to a casual observer (and many readers) is about the
creation, not the creator. Thus, the name has been regularly applied in the
same way.
There’s some apparent ambiguity in the subtitle, too - ‘A modern Prometheus’ - given that Prometheus stole from the gods (just as Dr. took/copied the ability to grant life from God) despite being just a lowly creation of the same (just as the ‘monster’ was merely a creation). And what did Prometheus take but fire - the fire channeled by Dr. into creation. Both the man and the monster can be aligned with Prometheus, both the man and the creation (son) therefore also have claim to the name.”…
****
EXAMPLES OF CHILDREN'S HAND CLAP RHYMES THAT INCLUDE THE NAME "FRANKENSTEIN"
These examples are given in no particular order. Some of these examples are complete rhymes and some of "clips" of longer rhymes. Hyperlinks for the online source for these rhymes are given with the examples. With the exception of the examples given as #9 and #10, no explanations for terms are given in this post.
Numbers are given for referencing purposes. The name "Frankenstein" is given in italics in each example for highlighting purposes only.
Click the "African American children's rhyme and cheers" and "children's rhymes and tag other pancocojams posts that may include comments about some of these rhymes.
Please add examples in the comment section below of children's recreational rhymes that include the name Frankenstein Remember to include demographic information such as year or decade you chanted it and which city/state or nation if outside of the United States. Thanks in advance!
1. MISS SUZIE HAD A STEAMBOAT
Miss Suzie had a steamboat,
her steamboat had a bell (ding ding),
Miss Suzie went to heaven,
her steamboat went to...
HELL...o operator
please give me number nine,
And if you disconnect me
I'll cut off your...
Behind the refridgerator
there lay a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it and cut her big fat...
Ask me no more questions,
I'll tell you now more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
zipping up their..
Flies are in the meadow,
the bees are in the park,
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend
are kissing in the...
D-a-r-k, d-a-r-k, dark dark dark.
The dark is like the movies,
the movies' like the show,
The show is like tv
and that is all I know...
Know know,
I know I know my ma
I know I know my pa,
I know I know my sister
with the 80 meter bra.
My mother is Godzilla,
my father is King Kong.
My sister is the idiot
who made up this dumb song.
My mother gave me a nickle,
my father gave me a dime
My sister gave me a boyfriend,
his name was Frankenstein.
He made me do the dishes,
he made me wash the floor
He made we wash his underpants
and I kicked him out the door!
I kicked him over London,
I kicked him over France,
I kicked him over Hollywoood
and he lost his underpants.
Miss Suzie had a baby,
she named him Tiny Tim.
She put him in the bathtub
to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
he ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub
but it wouldn't fit down his throat.
Miss Suzie called the doctor,
Miss Suzie called the nurse
Miss Suzie called the lady
with the alligator purse.
Chicken pox said the doctor,
measles said the nurse
Nothing said the lady
with the alligator purse.
Pennicillan said the doctor,
caster oil said the nurse.
Pizzia said the lady
with the alligator purse!
Miss Suzie knocked the doctor.
Miss Suzie punched the nurse.
Miss Suzie paid the lady with the alligator purse!
-http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml
-snip-
This example is reformatted from the paragraph form which is found on that site.
****
2. MISS SUSIE HAD A STEAMBOAT (HELLO OPERATOR) [clip of longer rhyme]
[...]
I wish I had a nickel
I wish I had a dime
I wish I had a boyfriend
Who kissed me all the time!
My Ma gave me a nickel
My Pa gave me a dime.
My Sister gave me a boyfriend,
Who'd kiss me all the time
My Ma took back the nickel,
My Pa took back the dime.
My Sister took back her boyfriend,
and gave me Frankenstein!
He made me wash the dishes,
He made me wash the floors,
He made me wash his underwear,
So I kicked him out the door
I kicked him over London,
I kicked him over France.
I kicked him to Hawaii,
where he learned to Hula dance!"...
- https://www.nurseryrhymes.org/miss-susie-had-a-steamboat-hello-operator.html
****
3. MS SUZIE HAD A STEAMBOAT
"I'm not sure that was ever a song, but I know it as a jump rope chant from long ago.
In it's entirety it goes like this:
Ms. Suzie Had a Steamboat
Ms. Suzie had a steamboat,
The steamboat had a bell, (ding-ding)
Ms. Suzie went to heaven and the steamboat went to-
hello operator,
please give me number nine,
and if you disconnect me I will chop off your-
[...]
My mom gave me a nickel,
my dad gave me a dime,
my sis gave me her boyfriend,
who hit me all the time!
I gave mom back the nickel,
I gave dad back the dime,
I traded back the boyfriend,
Instead got frankenstein!
He made me wash the dishes,
he made me scrub the floor!
He made me call him “your highness”
and more and more and more!
Notice all the politically and socially incorrectness of the original words! You won't be hearing THAT on a schoolyard anywhere. Of course, I doubt if kids jump rope anymore, either.
-claudiacake, 2008, https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081205222059AAgR6lR
****
4. MISS SUSIE HAD A STEAMBOAT (HELLO OPERATOR - Lyrics
Warning: this rhyme is for the oldest kids! They love it...
:)
Miss Susie had a steamboat,
The steamboat had a bell.
Miss Susie went to heaven,
The steamboat went to $&#/$&
Hello operator,
Please give me number nine.
And if you disconnect me
I’ll chop of your /&$#%$
Behind the frigerator
There was a piece of glass.
Miss Mary sat upon it.
It went right up her "%"$(=
Ask me no more questions,
Please tell me no more lies.
The boys are in the bathroom,
Zipping down their "$%$&/&
Flies are in the city,
The bees are in the park.
Boys and girls are kissing
In the D-A-R-K
D-A-R-K D-A-R-K dark dark dark
Dark is like a movie,
A movie’s like a show.
A show is like a TV screen,
And that is all I know
I know I know my mother,
I know I know my pa.
I know I know my sister
With the forty acre bra.
Brother’s like a sister,
A sister’s like an aunt.
An aunt is like a relative
Who likes to rave and rant.
I wish I had a nickel
I wish I had a dime
I wish I had a boyfriend
Who kissed me all the time!
My Ma gave me a nickel
My Pa gave me a dime.
My Sister gave me a boyfriend,
Who'd kiss me all the time
My Ma took back the nickel,
My Pa took back the dime.
My Sister took back her boyfriend,
and gave me Frankenstein!
He made me wash the dishes,
He made me wash the floors,
He made me wash his underwear,
So I kicked him out the door
I kicked him over London,
I kicked him over France.
I kicked him to Hawaii,
where he learned to Hula dance!
My mothers like Godzilla,
My fathers like King Kong.
My sister is the stupid one
That taught me this dumb song.
Hello operator,
Please give me number ten.
And if you disconnect me,
I’ll sing this song again!
-https://www.nurseryrhymes.org/miss-susie-had-a-steamboat-hello-operator.html
****
5. MY MOTHER GAVE ME A NICKEL
My
mother gave me a nickel
My father gave me a dime
My sister gave me a lover boy
Who loved me all the time
My mother took back her nickel
My father took back her dime
My sister took back her lover boy
And gave me Frankenstein
He made me do the dishes
He made me mop the floor
I got so sick and tired of him
I kicked him out the door.
-Simon J. Bronner (editor), American Children's Folklore, 1988, page 62
****
6. I WISH I HAD A NICKLE
I wish I had a nickle,
I wish I had a dime,
I wish I had a boyfriend
to kiss me all the time.
My mom gave me a nickle,
my dad gave me a dime,
my sister gave me a boyfriend
to kiss me all the time.
My mom took back the nickle,
my dad took back the dime,
but no one took the boyfriend
who looked like Frankenstein.
- http://nz-home-schooling.blogspot.com/2006/05/chants-and-clapping-games.html#NICKLE
Saturday, May 13, 2006; Chants and Clapping Games (Thanks to Rifter]
****
7. YOUR MAMA, YOUR DADDY, YOUR GREASY GREASY GRANNY
your mama,
your daddy,
your greasy greasy granny
with the hole in her panties,
with a big behind,
like frankenstein-
going beep beep beep
down sesame street!
-AMY!, cocojams.com, 6/28/2007
-snip-
"cocojams" was the name of my cultural website that was active from January 2001 to Nov. 2014. A lot of children and teenagers used that website's easy feature for posting examples of rhymes and cheers.
****
8. YO MAMA YO GREASY GREASY GRAND MAMMY
I am 25 now and learned this when I was in KG, i'm from
North Carolina.
yo mamma
yo, mamma,
yo greasy greasy grand mammy,
she got a big behind like frankinstine,
it goes beat beat beat like sesame street.
-Erica, cocojams.com, 1/3/2008
****
9. YO MAMA YO DADDY YO GREASY STANK GRANNY
Yo mama
yo daddy
yo greasy stank granny
she got holes in her panties
she got a big behind
like Frankenstein
your mama got a big ole butt
-CinciDiva, Yo Mama, Yo Daddy, Yo greasy stank granny!; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMtZXXIHLwY&ab_channel=CinciDiva, Feb 13, 2011
****
10. YO BALD HEADED GRANNY
[...]
My mama, my daddy, my bald headed granny
She's 99
She thinks she's fine
But she goin out with Frankenstein
Go granny, go granny, go granny.
Woo!
-sonnym2004, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKsMeC1X6oY&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=sonnym2004, Yo Bald-Headed Granny, Jul 1, 2011
****
11. U-G-L-Y
you ain't got no aliby
you ugly,
yeah yeah you ugly
Don't be sad
don't be blue
Frankenstein was ugly too
You ugly,
yeah yeah
you ugly
-anonymous, cocojams, no date recorded.
-snip-
This example is actually a children's/teenagers' taunting rhyme that may not have any accompanying activities. A version of this rhyme without the "Don't be sad" verse) was performed as a high school cheerleader cheer in the 1986 sports comedy movie entitled Wildcats.
-snip-
"Cocojams" is the name of my cultural website that I curated from 20o1 to most of 2014. Most of the contributors of children's rhymes that were posted on that website were children and teens from the USA
-snip-
I remember the verse "Don't be sad/Don't be blue/Frankenstein was ugly too" from my childhood or teen years (1950s/mid 1960s) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
12. ON A MOUNTAIN STANDS A CASTLE
We had one which I'm struggling to remember
On a mountain stands a castle
Whose the owner? Frankenstien
And his daughter, Pansy Porter
She's his only valentine
-Gooseyloosie, www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/375176-skipping-rhymes , 21-Aug-07
05
-snip-
Here's information about Pansy Potter from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansy_Potter
"Pansy Potter The Strongman's Daughter is a British comic strip series created
in 1938 by Hugh McNeill for the magazine The Beano.[1] The series appeared
first in the issue dated 17 December 1938. The protagonist is Pansy Potter, a
girl who has super strength.
[…]
Publication information
Stars in: Pansy Potter
(1938 - 1949, 1989 - 1993)
Other names: Pansy
Potter, the Strong Man's Daughter
First appearance: Issue
(17 December 1938)
Last appearance: 1993
(returned 2012) ...."
****
13. EENIE MEENIE (Also known as "I Woke Up Sunday Morning", "Roaches and Bedbugs" and other titles) [added Jan. 11, 2021]
I woke up Sunday morning
And looked up on the wall
The cooties and the bedbugs
Were having a game of ball.
The score was six-to-nothing,
The cooties were ahead.
The cooties hit a home run
And knocked me out of bed!
[Chorus]
I'm singin
Eenie meenie and a-miny-mo
Boom boom boom
Catch a whifferwhaffer by the toe
Boom boom boom
And if he holler hollers let him go
Boom boom boom
Eenie-meenie and a-miny-mo
My father gave me a nickel
My mother gave me a dime
My sister has a boyfriend
Who looks like Frankenstein
[Chorus]
My father is a lawyer,
My mother is a spy
Me and my big mouth
I told thee FBI!
I went downstairs for breakfast
I ordered ham and eggs
I ate so many eggs
That the yolk ran down my leg
I went into the sewer
And that is how I died
They didn't call it murder
They called it "sewer-side!"
-Submitted by Guest,
****
14. I WOKE UP SUNDAY MORNING
I woke up Sunday morning
I looked upon the wall
The skeeters and the bedbugs were playing a game of ball
The score was 3 to nothin
The skeeters were ahead
The bed bugs hit a home run and knocked me out of bed
Im singing eenie meanie and a minnie mo mo mo mo
Catch a Whipper Whopper by its toe
and if it Holler Waller wallers
Don't let it go im singing
Ennie meanie and a minnie mo
I went downtown for breakfast
I ordered ham and eggs
I ate so many pickles
The juice ran down my legs
Im singing
Ennie meanie and a minnie mo mo mo mo
Catch a Whipper Whopper by its toe
And if it Holler Waller
wallers don't let it go
Im singing ennie meanie and a minnie mo
My mom gave me a nickle
My dad gave me a dime
My sister gave me a boyfriend
I kiss him all the time
Im singing eenie meanie and a minnie mo mo mo mo
Catch a Whipper Whopper by its toe
and if it Holler Waller wallers
Don't let it go im singing
Ennie meanie and a minnie mo
My mommy is a robber
My daddy is a spy
I opened up my big mouth
And told the FBI
Im singing eenie meanie and a minnie mo mo mo mo
Catch a Whipper Whopper by its toe
and if it Holler Waller wallers
Don't let it go im singing
Ennie meanie and a minnie mo
My mom took back her nickle
My dad took back his dime
My sister took my boyfriend
And gave me Frankenstein
Im singing eenie meanie and a minnie mo mo mo mo
Catch a Whipper Whopper by its toe
and if it Holler Waller wallers
Don't let it go im singing
Ennie meanie and a minnie mo
He made me wash the dishes
He made me wash car
He made me wash his underwear
I kicked him out the door
Im singing eenie meanie and a minnie mo mo mo mo
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
No comments:
Post a Comment