Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the two person exchange in which the first person asks someone "What's your name? and the second person responds "Puddin Tane. Ask me again, I'll tell you the same". ("Puddin Tane" is also given as "Puddin Tame").
Part II presents some information about the origin and meanings of this exchange. Part II also presents some online examples of "What's your name?" "Puddin Tane. Ask me again and I'll tell you the same".
Most of the first portion of these are from visitor comments that were posted to the comment section of Part I of this pancocojams series.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/11/early-examples-of-childrens-rhyme-whats.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post is entitled "Early Examples Of The Children's Rhyme "What's Your Name Puddin Tane. Ask Me Again I'll Tell You The Same".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
As is the case with other pancocojams posts about children's recreational rhymes, I recognize that this post is somewhat outside of the overarching purpose of this blog which is to showcase, study, and celebrate the culture of Black Americans and of other Black people throughout the world.
This post isn't meant to state or imply that the earliest "Puddin Tane" exchange originated with Black people. While it's likely that some "Puddin Tane" exchanges did come from Black people (and also from some non-Black people), that isn't the reason why I'm publishing this post.
The main reason why I publish posts on children's recreational rhymes is because I'm a community folklorist who is most interested in that part of folk culture. I consider the internet as a gold mine for collecting, sharing, and learning more about children's recreational rhymes. Broadly speaking, I categorize "Puddin Tane" as a children's recreational taunting rhyme.
Broadly speaking, I categorize "Puddin Tane" as a children's recreational taunting rhyme, although I believe the motivation for chanting it often just teasing and not being sassy or being impertinent.
Please share any examples of "Puddin Tane" that you know in the comment section below. Thanks!
****
INFORMATION ABOUT "PUDDIN TANE"
AI Overview [from my October 1, 2025 "What is the origin of the rhyme "What's Your Name?" "Puddin Tane"...]
"What's your name? Puddin Tame!" is an expression
used to respond to the question "What's your name?". The phrase
itself doesn't have a specific meaning, but it implies you won't be telling the
person your name. There are several theories about its origin, including
possible links to a 17th-century book by Samuel Harnett called "Harnett's
Popish Impostures" that describes a devilish character named "Pudding
of Tame" or a less sinister, possibly archaic, usage of "pudding
time" as an announcement that it's time to eat.
Possible Origins & Meanings
The "Devil" Connection: One theory suggests that
"Pudding Tame" comes from the 1600s, possibly from a figure named
"Pudding of Tame" in Samuel Harnett's Harnett's Popish Impostures.
The idea is that this character represented a devil or fiend, and the rhyme
simply preserves this information.
"Pudding Time" Connection: Another idea connects
it to the archaic phrase "pudding time," meaning "time to
eat". The implication would be, "You can call me anything, just don't
call me late for dinner," a playful way of avoiding giving your name.
Modern Usage: The rhyme was recorded in the US in 1895. It
was also used as a pen-name for anonymous writers and even appeared in the TV
show The X-Files.
Childish Rhyme: "Pudding Tame" is often taught as
a nonsensical rhyme and response to "What's your name?" in jumping
rope and clapping games.
In Summary
The exact origin of "What's your name? Puddin
Tame!" is unclear. However, the phrase serves as a playful, childish, and
somewhat impertinent way of not revealing your true name. "
****
SELECTED EXAMPLES OF EXAMPLES OF "PUDDIN TANE"
These online sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
SOURCE #1
From https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/11/early-examples-of-childrens-rhyme-whats.html "Early Examples Of The Children's Rhyme "What's Your Name Puddin Tane" [selected visitor comments & a few editor replies/thanks]
1. Dan, July 30, 2015
"Been going through my childhood in my head recently (I'm in
my 40's) and I remember my mother always saying the puddin tane line,
"whats my name? pudden tane, ask me again and I'll tell you the
same". I never knew where that came from, I figured it was an old child's
saying. Thanks for filling in the gaps for me."
**
Reply
2. Azizi Powell, July 30, 2015
"You're welcome, Dan.
I also remember this rhyme from my childhood (in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1950s.)
That rhyme appears to have been fairly common along with other verses such as 'What I said, cabbage head" and "Where do you live. In a sieve.'
I don't think I even knew what a "sieve" was. :o)"
**
3. Unknown, December 6, 20215
"My mother was born in the mid 1940s, when I was a child one of her many colorful "sayings" was, "what's your name"? "Puddin 'n Tane!
"Where do you live?, I live in a hive!!
I used to think she made it up, ands had no clue what the heck she was talking about. :-)"
**
4. Anonymous, December 7, 2015
"Puud (as in Puddycat) & Tane was used among my friends in high school to duck into the crowd if a teacher who didn't know you was trying to get your name because of some mischief. It was also used to avoid a fight. Both were veiled insults, as our definition referred to vaginas. Pudd as in pussy- calling your opponent a coward, and homosexual, a cunt. Tane as in Poon- Tane. Tainted, diseased genitals. Mid 1980s. The books of Charles Earle Funk are good references for this sort of phrase. I believe I also 1st heard it on the Little Rascals. BTW I met one of the Our Gang actresses when I was a child. I wish I remembered her name. She waited tables at a bar in the Colorado Mts."
**
Reply
5. Azizi Powell, December
8, 2015
"Anonymous December 7, 2015, thanks for sharing your high
school memories of Puddycat & Tane. If you read this response, I hope that
you will add where (city & state if in the USA, and city/country if outside
of the USA) and when (decade) you and your friends did this.
I wasn't aware of the sexualized meaning and gender meaning for the word "Pudd", but I included a link to an internet article about the sexual term word "poontang" by the "take my word for it" website http://www.takeourword.com/pt.html. That take my word for it page included a hyperlink [that is now broken] to the comment that's given above along with this statement: "He [linguist Doug Wilson ] concludes that the two [poontang and Puddin Tane] are not related, and he gives some good evidence."
That said, I've no doubt that people could have inflated the two terms-plus the term "Pudd" that you mentioned in your comment- and given them a sexual meaning. In my childhood (in the 1950s) when I said that "What's your name/Puddin Tane" rhyme, I didn't think that rhyme had any sexual meaning. If it did, I wouldn't have said it. I think that's true for a number of other children.
Thanks again for your comment!"
**
Reply
6. Unknown, April 2, 2018
**
7. Anonymous, April 4, 2016
"Hello! I found this blog post while looking for more information on the "Puddin' Tane" rhyme. When I was a toddler in New Jersey, in the early '80s, my grandparents taught me exactly the same version from comment #10 (September 7, 2011) in your post. They had learned it themselves as children in New Egypt, NJ in the early to mid-1920s. When I tried to turn it around on my grandfather by asking what his name was, he would sometimes say, "Puddin' Tane--ask me again and I'll tell you the same!" "
-snip-
Here's the example that is referenced in that comment:
From Mudcat-Puddin Tane , posted by Guest Patience, September 7, 2011
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=104417
"When I was a child, my Dad would teach me to say:
What's your name? Puddin' Tane.
Where do you live? Down the lane.
What's your number? Cucumber.
What do you eat? Bread and meat.
Hence, my Dad and one of the next door neighbors always used to call me "Puddin'". "
**
8. Unknown, April 23, 2016
"Why am I not surprised thus phrase may have been given sexual connotation in the 70's/80's. I remember it as a childhood rhyme and recently said it back to my child who will now not stop repeating it! Or asking me why? Then thought oh I'm bot really sure what it means or where it came from. Interesting info here. I graduated high school 30 years ago and have 2nd set of late in life children we live in Oklahoma City"
**
9. Julie, June 15, 2016
"Fascinating! I got here because I just heard Mulder use a couple of the lines on an X-files rerun (a time travel episode set in WWII) and googled it. I also have a vague memory of the Little Rascals use.
I would never have thought to connect it with a jump-rope rhyme of my childhood in northern NJ in the early 70s:
What's your name? Mary Jane.
Where do you live? Down the drain.
What's your number? Cucumber.
What do you eat? Pigs' feet.
What do you drink? Black ink."
**
10. Anonymous, June 21, 2016
"I found this conversation while trying to find the orgin of my aunt's nickname. Family lore is that aunt Elvera used the phrase "Puddin Tane. Ask me again and I'll tell you the same" to an older aunt Rosco and he always called her "Puddin" after that and it stuck. All her friends and relatives fondly called her "Puddin" for the rest of her life which came to its end in 2011 at 101 years old in Southern California."
**
Reply
11. Azizi Powell, June 21, 2016
"Greetings, Anonymous.
Thanks for sharing your family's history that is associated with the "Puddin Tane" rhyme. It's interesting how people get their nicknames.
RIP to your aunt Elvera."
**
12. electrong99, August 3, 2016
"I'm from southern NH, born in 1974 and remember it as
What's your name, puddin' tane
Where do you live, under a bridge
What's your number, cucumber
Thanks for sharing all the different versions."
**
13. mrken, May 17, 2017
**
Reply
14. Azizi Powell, May 17, 2017
"Greetings, mrken.
Here's the information about this cartoon spoof that I found
at
https://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.com/2012/05/160-she-was-acrobats-daughter-1937.html
thanks to your comment:
"160. She Was an Acrobat's Daughter (1937)
Warner cartoon no. 159.
Release date: April 10, 1937.
Series: Merrie Melodies.
[...]
Synopsis: Parody of theatre programme with news reels, song and motion picture featuring celebrities and folks inside the cinema room.
[...]
The film begins with Leslie Howard as a hitchhiker walking in the Petrified Forest of Arizona holding a book in his hand. Cars are riding straight past him ignoring the character. Remember this film is just a parody of the movie which would be popular of it's time as this cartoon is pretty dated. Leslie Howard then rings the bell by a railroad pole waiting for a train. Meanwhile there is a donkey member sitting in the audience that sits up doing his duty as a man who delivers foods in the cinema to members of the audience. Because of his loud, annoying voice - the audience kick him out for disrupting the audience as he's tossed out of the theatre continuously shouting "Peanuts, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, chewing gun" still thinking he's on duty.
Back to the film that the audience are watching, the Leslie Howard character then walks into a hamburger inn in the middle of the desert. The Leslie Howard character then demands a waiter to arrive and demand service. The Bette Davis character pop up as there is sort of a relationship going on.
Bettie Davis: What's your name?
Leslie Howard: Puddin Tame. Ask me again, and I'll tell you the same.
Bette Davis: Are you a poet?
Leslie Howard: After a fashion.
Bette Davis: I love poetry.
Leslie Howard: Would you like me to recite?
Bette Davis: No!"...
-snip-
Thanks again for that lead to this use of "What's your name/ Puddn' Tane."
**
Reply
15. Ken Neal, December 8, 2017
"This is BRILLIANT! Thanks. Tears of JOY. Really."
http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=7
[Pancocojams Editor's Note: Anonymous added her or his email address. For privacy purposes, I deleted that email address it but kept the information that their location is in Butler PA.]
**
Reply
27. AziziPowell, December 4, 2021
"Anonymous, thanks for sharing information in that wordwizard page.
Unfortunately, people need to have a username and password to access that page.
As an aside, greetings from Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh: East Liberty neighborhood)!"
**
28. Anonymous, January 25, 2022
Jerry B"
**
29. Anonymous, July 14, 2022
"I fondly remember 3 from my Mother early 1960s. Puddin Tame or Tane (not sure) - ask me again I will tell you the same. John Brown ask me again and I'll knock you down. There was a 3rd one but I can't remember it. I do recall seeing it in the Great Gatsy starring Alan Ladd. Driving me nuts so I ordered the movie from Amazon and I will update this post after I watch the movie. We spent a lot of time with these and I always loved it. Simple times and pleasures. (07/14/22)."
**
Reply
30. Anonymous, July 14, 2022
"By the way, she was originally from eastern Tennessee but moved to Joplin Missouri where I was born."
**
Reply
31.Anonymous,August 24, 2022
"I was wrong! Not the Great Gatsby. I'm thinking it was perhaps the Blue Dahlia. I love Alan Ladd fortunately, so another movie in my future soon."
Reply
32. Azizi Powell, August 24, 2022
"Okay, Anonymous. I'm not familiar with the Blue Dahlia movie so don't know if the "Puddin Tane" rhyme with the lines "John Brown/ ask me again and I'll knock you down" are in that movie.
Please give us an update if you find out that's the right movie.
Best wishes."
**
33. Anonymous, September 12, 2022
"A variation i haven’t seen here yet but that i grew up with (maine in the 90s) went like
Whats your name/puddin tane
Where do you live/down the lane
Whatcha eating/piece if chocolate
Where’d ya get it/doggie dropped it
Number/cucumber was in the mix, too."
**
**
35. Anonymous, July 25, 2024
"Someone mentioned the rhyme about Thunderbird. My father and his 2 brothers (born in the late 1930s and grew up in Wakefield Massachusetts - in the Bostone area) used to say the following rhyme:
What's the word? Thunderbird!
What's the price? Sixty twice!
I never heard any more of there was more."
**
Reply
36. Azizi Powell, July 25, 2024
I'm curious if anyone else remembers references to "Thunderbird" liquor and/or references to "Thunderbird" in recreational rhymes. If so, please share those memories."
****
SOURCE #2
From https://www.reddit.com/r/Appalachia/comments/17yr9og/whats_yout_name_puddintane_ask_me_again_and_ill/ "What's yout name? Puddintane! Ask me again and I'll tell you the same"
1.r/Appalachia
violetgay, 2023
"What's yout name? Puddintane! Ask me again and I'll tell you the same
My opa was from west virginia and when I was a kid he'd always say this rhyme to me.
I've never met anyone who knows what I'm talking about when I mention these things, I've always wondered if they come from appalachian children's stories/songs.
Anyone here familar? Do you know the origin? If you know the
jack and jill one please tell me the rest because I dont remember anymore. ðŸ˜"
-snip-
That discussion thread includes some comments about the "Fly Away Jack, Fly Away Jill" rhyme. However, I've chosen not to include those comments in this compilation.
2. Eogh21, 2023
"I learned it
What's your name? Puddintane. Ask me again and I'll tell you the same. What's your name? John Brown. Ask me again and I'll knock you down.
Dad used to chant this all the time.
He was from Hazard, Ky."
**
3. radgirl333, 2023
"Originally from GA and the variation to the original
"puddingtang" was Sassafrass ask me again and I will kick your...well
you know. Just like see ya later alligator...after while crocodile or see you
soon you big baboon...we loved these as kids!!"
**
4. mershade_, 2023
"I'm from GA and I know it as Puddingtang also."
**
5. CriticalLabValue, 2023
"Same. Family was from southern Missouri tho, so it’s not
strictly Appalachia"
**
6. Bobaloo53, 2023
"SEMO native as well and yes it was a common playground
saying late 50s early 60s"
**
7.. twisted_stepsister, 2023
"In the early '60s, the Puddintane line was used in an
episode of The Andy Griffith Show, by Barney Fife (of course)."
**
8. Meowicus2011, 2023
"My mom who is from WV always said “Puddintane.” I thought
everyone said that. I never knew it was a WV thing!"
**
Reply
9. 500percentDone, 2023
"Don Knotts (Barney Fife) was a WV native!"
**
10. 12sea, 2023
"Stephen King mentions this rhyme in one of his books. I also
heard it a lot from my Dad. Edit to add- NW PA"
**
11. artman225, 2023
"East TN here and my dad and papaw would always say
puddintane! No clue where it came from though."
**
12. Dog_man_star1517
"There’s a Little Rascals episode where the boy tells his
teacher, Mrs Crabtree, that his name is Puddintane! And does the rhyme.
**
Reply
13. Blankety-blank1492, 2023
"This is where I remember it from, the Little Rascals, they
used the “ John Brown” line in that episode too. They say “ Hi Crabby” to Mrs.
Crabtree, hilarious. The question is, is Puddintane older than the Little
Rascals, what is the origin?"
**
14. mustbethedragon, 2023
"I've heard Puddintane lots! My dad's nickname for me was
Puddin, after the Puddintane rhyme."
**
15. charawarma, 2023
"My husband actually looked up the Puddintane thing the other
day because we wondered where it came from! It's from the 1700s or something."
16.
"It also reminds me of "What your name? Mary Jane. Where
do you live? Down the drain.""
**
17. lighthouser41, 2023
"What's my name? Buster Brown. Ask me again and I'll knock
you down."
**
18. ravenrhi, 2023
"Originally from in "Notes and Queries" from 1885.
It says the name "Pudding of Thame" was the name of a devil.
It was later used in “The King of Boyville” by William Allen White, which is part of “The Court of Boyville” written in 1899.
It has been written into songs like the Alley Cats "Puddin N' Tain" 1969
And in Little Rascals episodes in 50s, 60s, and 70s
Even added into TV and comics of Dennis the Menace
By the 80s it was a jump rope jingle or clap game rhyme.
"What's Your Name? Puddin Tane. Ask me again And I'll
tell you the same. Where do you live? Down the lane. What's your number?
Cucumber!""
**
Reply
19. "Fast Cheesecake-, 2023
"This isn’t entirely correct. Puddin’ n tane or
Puddintane was actually the name of a food prepared in 1800’s England at the
time of the nursery rhyme. You can check my separate post for the details, but
it’s pretty disgusting. That’s why someone saying their name was Puddin ‘n tane
when asked would have been pretty sassy/confrontational and dark."
**
Reply
20. Awum65, 2024
"It predates that, by some centuries.
That Notes and Queries (N&Q) 1885 entry made reference to an earlier N&Q article (“List of Devils”) which talked about the 1606 book “A Declaration of egregious Popish Impostures…” by Samuel Harsnett.
Harsnett sought to expose Catholic exorcism as a sham and listed the names that people gave when asked what devil they were possessed by.
One of the names given? “Pudding and Tame.”
Now that is one ancient bit of rudeness."
**
21. Typical-Mobile5460, 2025
"I grew up with it, and I'm from Spokane, WA, but my grandma came from Texas & Kansas as a child."
****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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