Videos & Word Only Examples Of "Down Down Baby. I Can Do Karate" (from "Elmo's World" & From Other Online Sources)

VideoTraxx Fanatic Rules 2.0, May 17, 2023

Elmo's friend Samantha learns how to participate in a playground-style hand-clapping/singing game.

 Let's show samantha how to play down down baby.
-snip-
Here are the words to this video's versions of  that handclapping rhyme (with accompanying motions):

"Down Down baby. I can do karate [Rhythmically hit the edge of one of your hands near the elbow of your other arm to the beat of this chant.]

Down Down baby, I can call my mommy. [Hold your hand near your ear pretending its a cell phone that you are using to call your mother.]

Down Down baby, I can shake my body [Slowly wind (twist) your hips around while your chant these words.] 

Down Down baby, Oops! I'm so sorry." [No action is shown for these words in this video. In the two word only examples of this rhyme, two children standing across from each other try to be the first to tap each the other person's head or gently push the other person.] 

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision- May 3, 2025

This pancocojams post showcases three videos on the English language hand clap rhyme "Down Down Baby. I Can Do Karate" and presents the words for those examples as well as two other versions of that rhyme.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who produced and published this post. Thanks also to all those who contributed the examples that are included in this post.    

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THE LITTLE KNOWN HISTORY OF "DOWN DOWN BABY I CAN DO KARATE" RHYMES
"Down Down Baby. I Can Do karate" is a small sub-section of the Down Down Baby" family of children's recreational rhymes.

I believe that this relatively innocent sub-section of "Down Down Baby" rhymes developed from the very early 20th century American (United States) racist "Ching Chong" chants. Those chants were directed toward people of Chinese and other East Asian descent. 

The "Down Down Baby I Can Do Karate" also developed from the 1968 American children's movie and song "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" about a refurbished race car that was given that name because of the funny sounds its car whistle made. 

I suspect that very few people hearing or reciting these "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang I Can Do Karate" rhymes in the late 20th century and  in the 21st century connect them to their racist past or connect them to that scarcely remembered children's movie. Instead, the portion of these rhymes with the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" first line probably were connected to the similar sounding and spelled curse word. 

For the folkloric record, here's an example of the partner or group handclap rhyme "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" that I collected in 1998:
 
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sittin on a fence
Tryin to make a dollar
out of 15 cents.
She missed, she missed, she missed like this.
She missed, she missed, she missed like this.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
I can do ka-ra-te.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
I can hurt somebody.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
Oops! I’m sorry."
-African American boys & girls , around ages 6-10 years, (Duquesne, Pennsylvania), 1998, collected by Azizi Powell, 1998 (Duquesne is a city that is located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

Click __ for a pancocojams post about the history of and some examples of "Chitty chitty Bang Bang I Can Do Karate" rhymes.

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EXAMPLE #2 - ELMO BABY

outspokenone1, Sep 1, 2007

"DOWN DOWN BABY ELMO DO KARATE DOWN DOWN BABY ELMO CALL HIS MOMMY DOWN DOWN BABY ELMO SHAKE HIS BODY DOWN DOWN BABY ELMO EAT SALOMI DOWN DOWN BABY OPPS ELMO SORRY"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmo%27s_World
"Elmo's World is a segment that is shown in the American children's television program Sesame Street. It always comes last and premiered on November 16, 1998, as part of a broader structural change to the show. It originally lasted fifteen minutes at the end of each episode. The segment ran until 2009, and then returned in 2017."...

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EXAMPLE #3 - Elmos World, Elmo does DOWN DOWN BABY with his own twist!

always. KD, Sep 6, 2022

Elmos World

Elmo does DOWN DOWN BABY with his own twist!
-snip-
Read the rhyme that Elmo chanted in Example #2 above.

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OTHER EXAMPLES OF "DOWN DOWN BABY. I CAN DO KARATE
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

Example #1
"down down baby, i can do karate
down down baby, i can call my mommy
down down baby, i can shake my body
down down baby, Oops I'm sorry!

 

in the last hand motion you push them. (not hard of course!)

or atleast thats how i learned it!"
-Ihaveaquestion, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi8LcuceQf4&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=LuciBel "Down down baby I can do karate" [This video is no longer available]

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Example #2
"Down down baby I can do karate.
Down down baby I can cut salami.
Down down baby I can call my mommie.
Down down baby I can shake my body.
Down down baby OOPS I'M SORRY. [hit the other persons head.]
-Posted by: Shalala. | December 08, 2008
 https://roughdraft.typepad.com/dotmoms/2004/05/theres_a_song_i.html

WARNING- That page has one example that includes profanity.

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