"Elevator" (also known as "Alligator") Children's Hand Games (Videos & Words)

Elevator Playground Song

 Irene Kistler, Apr 7, 2011
-snip-
Words for this rhyme: 
"The first elevator says stop
The second elevator says stop
The third elevator says keep on going until your hands get hot"

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of two part series on the children's recreational rhyme "Elevator" (also known as "Alligator"). 

This post showcases video examples of  "Elevator" ("Alligator") rhymes along with the words to those examples.

This post also presents an AI overview write-up about the rhyme "Elevator". (I believe that the rhyme "Alligator" is a folk processed form of the "Elevator" rhyme.)

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/tracing-what-will-we-do-with-baby-words.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents a timeline of and information/comments about compositions originating in the United States that began with the "What Shall We Do With The Baby" folk songs and eventually became the "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" (also known as "Mama's Has A Baby" jump rope rhymes and later hand games which are in the 2020s chanted as "Elevator" (Alligator) hand games..

That post also includes word only examples of these folk songs and recreational rhymes. . 

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 showcases examples and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube..  
 
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Although the mission of pancocojams is to showcases the music, dances, language practices, & customs of African Americans and of other people of Black descent throughout the world, this post doesn't mean to imply that only Black people play the hand game "Elevators" or its variant form "Alligators". 

As documented online, children of any race or ethnicity* have performed these rhymes.

*In the United States, colloquially speaking "ethnicity" usually means "Latina"/"Latino" ("Hispanic").

I believe that "Elevators" (also known as "Alligators") hand clap rhyme and game originated in the United States among African American girls. However, that is just a guess since most hand clap/hand slap rhymes originated from that population and then extended to other populations of girls in the United States and then throughout much of the world.

As is the case with other pancocojams post on children's recreational rhymes, singing games, and chants, these examples are showcased for folkloric and socio-cultural purpose and because I like these genres of children's recreational activities.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE ELEVATOR HAND CLAP RHYME AND GAME

From AI Overview (retrieved on April 20, 2026 as a result of my query for information about this rhyme)

"The Elevator Hand Game (also known as "Elevators") is a popular two-player hand-clapping game often played on school playgrounds. It involves players reciting a specific chant while performing a synchronized series of claps, with the goal of continuing the sequence as fast as possible without making a mistake.

How to Play

Players face each other and perform a standard hand-clapping motion while reciting the lyrics:

Opening Chant:

Player 1: "Elevator one says stop."

Player 2: "Elevator two says stop."

Both/Player 1: "Elevator three says keep on going till your palms get sweaty and hot!"

Counting Phase:

Players immediately begin counting upward (e.g., from 1 to 29 or higher) while maintaining the clapping rhythm.

The Objective:

The game continues until one player messes up the words or the clapping pattern.

Experienced players often increase the speed with each round to make it more challenging.

Variations

While the "palms get sweaty and hot" version is most common, some regional variations exist:

Hips Variant: Some versions change the lyrics to "keep on going until your hips get hot".

Counting Ranges: Different groups may have different "milestone" numbers to reach, such as counting specifically from 30 to 54 after the first set.

For visual learners, you can find various demonstrations and video tutorials of hand-clapping games on Upparent or by searching for "Elevator hand clap" on platforms like YouTube and TikTok
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I believe that "Alligator" is a variant form of "Elevator" i.e. the rhyme "Alligators" developed as the result of accidentally mistaking the word "alligator" for "elevator" (or some other form of folk processing.)

**
"Alligator" is played the same way as "Elevator".

**
These hand games probably originated in the United States.

Like most hand games, in the United States, these hand games can be played by more than two people.(See Video #3 in this pancocojams post for one boy and two girls doing a hand clap routine for "Alligator".)

**
As as of the date of this pancocojams post (April 2026), I haven't come across any online videos of four or more people playing "Elevator" or "Alligator"  as hand clapping games or as hand slapping circle elimination games (such as "Stella Ella Ola" or "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".) 

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ADDITIONAL VIDEO EXAMPLES OF THESE RHYMES  

These examples are presented in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - ELEVATOR! - The BEST Hand Clap :) | Fun Clapping Games for 2 players 👏


Podo Town English, May 11, 2023

Elevator one says STOP!

Elevator two says STOP!

Elevator three says,

Keep on going 'till your palms get sweaty and hot!

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - alligator hand game lol

@the6ssssss, May 23, 2023  

The first alligator said stop
the second alligator said stop
the third alligator said keep on going till
your hands get [sweaty?] and hot
[begin clapping real fast until there's only one person left] 

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #4- Hand Clap Game for 2 players - Elevator

@emmaellashow,  September 26, 2024 

Elevator one says stop

Elevator two says stop

Elevator three says keep on going till

your hands are red and stop

[The girls do a clapping exchange while counting out loud to 20]

No person "wins" this clapping exchange. The tempo for this example is slower
than the tempo for other examples that I've come across of this rhyme.
That may be because these girls are young compared with the people in other videos  that I've found
of this rhyme (or of the "Alligator" rhyme.

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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

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