"At The Playground" - A Foot Stomping Cheer That Combines Words From A TV Commercial, The "Homey Don't Play That" Saying, & A Kiddie Hip Hop Record

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents text of and comments about the early 1990s foot stomping cheer "At The Playground" that was collected by my daughter at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania children's summer camp.

This post examines how words from a television commercial, and a television show, and a Hip Hop record that was performed by a young boy's group were combined to make up this cheer.

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 and thanks to the publisher of these videos on YouTube.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/homey-dont-play-that-in-living-color-s.html for the related pancocojams post ""Homey Don't Play That" - In Living Color 's Homey D. Clown's Birthday Party Comedy Sketch".

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
"Foot stomping cheers" is the term that I coined in 2000 for a relatively new category of children's recreational play that is (was?) performed mostly by preteen and younger girls and that involves chanting and choreographed foot stomping combined with (individual) clapping movements.

I believe that foot stomping cheers are an updated form of African Americans' (and other Americans') "show me your motion" circle games. "Going To Kentucky" is a widely known example of a "show me your motion" circle game."Foot stomping cheers" is the term that I coined in 2000 for a relatively new category of children's recreational play that is (was?) performed mostly by preteen and younger girls and that involves chanting and choreographed foot stomping combined with (individual) clapping movements.

The 1978 vinyl/LP record Old Mother Hippletoe-Rural And Urban Children's Songs (New World Records ‎– NW 291) is the earliest recording or print documentation that I have found of a new style of children's recreational chanting and performance activity that I have termed "foot stomping cheers". "Foot stomping cheers" have a textual structure and traditionally* have a performance style* that is distinct from hand clap rhymes, jump rope rhymes, other cheerleader cheers, and other categories of children's recreational rhymes. That record featured four examples of African American girls from Washington D. C. performing cheers in 1973-1975.

Foot stomping cheers "traditionally"* have a signature group call & consecutive soloist response structure. "Group call" means that the entire group (or the group minus the first soloist) is heard first. "Consecutive soloist"' means that in that cheer is immediately repeated from the beginning so that every member of the squad can an opportunity to be the soloist. Each soloist's performance is the same length. Some foot stomping cheers have several group calls followed by brief responses by the soloist before the soloist has a somewhat longer verbal and/or movement response. Other foot stomping cheers have one or two group calls followed by the soloist's verbal and/or movement response.

*By traditional, I mean the way that foot stomping cheers were performed by African American girls in the 1980s and 1990s, and perhaps in the early 2000s. I've noticed changes in the way that these cheers are performed as they become more mainstream (i.e. are performed by White or predominately White cheerleader squads.)

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/06/examples-of-hula-hula-who-think-they.html for more information about "foot stomping cheers".

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COMMENTS ABOUT "AT THE PLAYGROUND" FOOT STOMPING CHEER
"At The Playground" is a dance style foot stomping cheer (i.e. - a cheer whose main purpose is to serve as a vehicle for "steppers" to show how well they can dance). The cheer combines lines from the following sources
1. the line "I'm fallin and a can't get up" - from a television commercial for a medical alarm and protection company called LifeCall.

2. various lines [read below] from a kiddie Hip Hop song "Playground" by ABC (Another Bad Creation). These lines are taken out of the order that they appear in the record.

3. "Homey don't play that" line from the recurring "Homey D. Clown" sketches on the American television comedy series In Living Color. The preface to that line "Smack, Jack" refers to Homey's custom of smacking (bopping) annoying children over the head with a sock filled with tennis balls (Note taht the Wikipedia article indicates that Homey D. Clown's sock was filled with pennies.)

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CHEER PERFORMANCE DIRECTIONS
This is how this cheer performance was explained and demonstrated to me)
1. Girls call out the order of the soloists - the first person to call out #1 is the first soloist, #2 is the second soloist, and so on.

2. Girls stand in a semi circle facing (usually) their pretend audience or their actual audience.

3. Girls start the stomp beat that will be continued throughout the entire cheer. The synchronized stepping routine alternates (individual) hand claps with bass sounding foot stomps (starting with the right foot), using the pattern "stomp stomp clap/stomp stomp clap".

4. Girls start the cheer. Instead of saying the soloist's first name or nickname, the girls use the first letter of that name or nickname.

5. When it is her turn as soloist, each girl is supposed to perform a dance movement from a different (then currently popular) Hip Hop dance.

6. After the soloist begins to perform that dance movement, the other girls also do that same dance step the same way that the soloist does it.-(This is a retention of the old children's singing games "Show me your motion" element.)

7. The soloist says "I swing my beat at the playground" and the cheer immediately begins again with the next soloist. This pattern continues with the same words (except for the first letter of the soloist's name or nickname) until every one in the group has had one turn as the soloist.

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TEXT OF "AT THE PLAYGROUND" [foot stomping cheer]
All: I’ve fallen. I can‘t get up.
I’ve fallen. I can‘t get up.
Smack, Jack! Homie don’t play that.
Kick off your shoes (or "Put up your dukes")
And let’s get loose!
We kick our beat at the playground.
Playground...You Know.
All except the soloist: Kick it "T", Kick it "T"! Kick it "T"!
Bust it "T", Bust it "T", Bust it!
Swing it "T", Swing it "T", Swing it!
Soloist: I swing my beat at the playground!
-African American girls ages 7-12 years old; Lillian Taylor Camp; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; collected by Tazi M. Powell (camp counselor), 1992 or 1993

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EXPLANATIONS OF VERNACULAR TERMS IN THE "AT THE PLAYGROUND" CHEER
1. Smack Jack = "Smack" = hit (refers to Homey D. Clown's habit of hitting annoying children on the head with a sock filled with tennis balls ; "Jack" = a referent word for a male, but just used in this case as rhyming word for "Smack"

2. Homie= the In Living Color's clown character's name

3. "don't play that" = doesn't do that (i.e. doesn't do something that makes him look foolish)

4. "Put up your dukes" = "dukes" are your balled up fists that are used for fighting. In this cheer that word is said to rhyme with "loose" and simply means "start competing" (by showing off your dancing skills)

5. "Let's get loose" = in the context of this cheer, "let's dance very well, without any restrains")

6. "kick our beat" = do our dance and/or do our foot stomping step routine

7. "Kick it, Bust it, Swing it" = exhortations which mean "Dance very well" or "Continue to dance very well".

8. "Swing my beat" = do our dance and/or do our foot stomping step routine

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: I've fallen, and I can't get up!



DarkstarDCB, Published on Jan 1, 2013

The original.
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Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQlpDiXPZHQ for this entire YouTube television commercial [Life Call Commercial "I've fallen and I can't get up!"
hauntedgeorge, Aug 10, 2007]
Here's the summary from that YouTube video:
"...I've fawlin' and I can't get up!..."
"This line was spoken in a television commercial for a medical alarm and protection company called LifeCall, in ads that began running in 1987. The motivation behind these medical alarm systems is that many senior citizens today live at home alone, and may find themselves suddenly in medical danger with no one (and no phone) nearby to help them. The product addressed this concern by providing its subscribers with a small pendant, worn around the wrist or neck; when needed, the wearer presses the button on it, and he or she is immediately put into contact with a dispatcher who can send a paramedic, fireman, or other emergency assistance.

The TV advertisement featured, in part, a fictional elderly lady named "Mrs. Fletcher" who has fallen, with her walker, in the bathroom.

On its face, the commercial illustrates a serious situation for a senior with dire consequences (elderly people with no one to care for them may fall in their homes and be on the floor for hours or even days, unable to get help).

The "I've fallen and I can't get up" ad had the double misfortune of being unintentionally campy and appearing often on cable and daytime television. The combination made "I've fallen... and I can't get up!" a recognized, universal punchline that applied to many comedic situations. All of these factors made the ad memorable, ensuring the line's place in pop culture history."

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Example #2: Homie Don't Play That



Cadaveric Mutilation, Published on Oct 3, 2012

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Example #3: Another Bad Creation - Playground



Uploaded by AnotherBCreationVEVO on Dec 24, 2009

Music video by Another Bad Creation performing Playground. (C) 1991 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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Text from Another Bad Creation's (ABC's) Hip Hop Song "Playground" that is used in this cheer:
[...] "This is what I see at the playground .. ya know!

[...]

And guess who's up next..kick it!

[...]

Group:
Kick it D kick it D kick it
Pump it D pump it D pump it
Swing it D swing it D swing it


GA:
I swing my beats .. at the playground..ya know!

[...] "

Source: https://genius.com/Another-bad-creation-playground-lyrics

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Double Dutch Jump Rope In Television Programming

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases four examples of television programming that focus on the playground activity or the competitive sport of Double Dutch jump rope. These examples are a McDonalds commercial, a xbox 360 commercial, a segment of a Sesame Street television program, and an excerpt of the Disney channel movie Jump In!

Links to information and articles about Double Dutch Jump Rope are foound in the Related Links section below.

The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

WARNING:
Some Double Dutch videos on Youtube contain images and language that are not suitable for children.

FEATURED VIDEOS
These examples are presented in chronological order with the oldest examples posted first. The year or decade that I believe the example was produced is given in brackets after the video title.

Video #1: VINTAGE 80'S MCDONALD'S DOUBLE DUTCH COMMERCIAL [1980]



tracy80sgirl, Uploaded on Jul 29, 2009

Sadly, I can only skip a single rope. But what a feelgood McDonald's commercial!
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From a comment to this video by Dr. Kyra Gaunt, author of the award winning book The Games Black Girls Play, the Double Dutch jumpers in this video were members of the world champion Fantastic Four Double Dutch team.

According to the article http://www.oppositionalconversations.org/Between-Street-Culture-and-Global-Sport-Double-Dutch-s-Turning-Points-1, unfortunately as a result of these girls being a part of that commercial, they could no longer compete in Double Dutch competitions, nor could they receive scholarships as amateur athletes.

That same article includes a critique of Dr. Gaunt's involvement in a documentary about Double Dutch.
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I’m not sure whether this McDonald’s jingle was used as a playground rhyme before this commercial or not, but the commercial probably resulted in the popularization of that jingle as a playground rhyme. Click http://cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes for examples of this jingle and for other examples of rhymes that have been chanted while playing Double Dutch.

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Video #2: Sesame Street - Jump Rope Contest [late 1980s]



Jonnytbirdzback, Uploaded on Jan 21, 2009

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Video #3 Jump Rope [2006]



napalmdest, Uploaded on Apr 23, 2006

Xbox 360 commercial
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Xbox 360 is a brand name for a video game console.

This "Jump In" commercial by McCann-Erickson won the 2006 Best of Show Addy award [American Advertising Federation (AAF)]
From http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/13/xbox-360-jump-rope-ad-wins-addy/ "This extreme double Dutch jump rope jam metaphorically captures the excitement and social aspect of the new generation XBOX 360. It was shot completely in-camera in one take. This is a beautifully crafted piece of work, and the soundtrack is inspired."

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Video #4 'Jump In' Final Dance [2007]



Angiebcn, Uploaded on Jul 15, 2007
just this... final dance of the film 'Jump In', enjoy ;)
This vid is property of Disney Channel, not mine.
***NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED***

First song: It's my turn by Keke PAlmer
Second song: Push it to the limit by Corbin Bleu
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Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_In! for information about this movie.

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RELATED LINKS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dutch_(jump_rope) This page provides a general description & history of the playground activity of Double Dutch and the competitive sport of Double Dutch.
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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/text-messaging-styles-black-slang-in.html Text Messaging Styles & Black Slang In A Double Dutch Video Comment Thread
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http://www.oppositionalconversations.org/Between-Street-Culture-and-Global-Sport-Double-Dutch-s-Turning-Points-1

This article provides information about the development of Double Dutch from a playground activity to its institutionalization as a sport and its use in commercials & other media. One of the opinions presented in this article is that African American girls were the population who were at the forefront of the Double Dutch playground activity have been largely displaced & co-opted by the institutionalized sport of Double Dutch and by most of the media documentaries & programming which have a Double Dutch theme.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the performers who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the producers, trainers, and others responsible for these videos, and thanks to the uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

The Stereotype Of African Americans & Kool-Aid

Edited by Azizi Powell

Kool-Aid Ad



Uploaded by randimay21 on Apr 29, 2010

Kool-Aid Commercial (1992). I remember seeing this commercial every Saturday during Soul Train lol.
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A post about an un-named store in the United States offering a sale on Kool-Aid flavored drink for Black History month was recently published on the Sociological Images forum that I read and periodically post to. One blogger wrote the following:

"Okay, Non-American here... Is there a specific streotype associated to Kool-Aid and blacks in the States, or is it just a random\strange product to choose?"
- Spekatie
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/02/09/black-history-month-kool-aid-sale/#disqus_thread
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I decided to look online before I responded to that query, and doing so I found a similar, but much more loaded question on http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091228235646AAiesFk

"Why do black people like kool aid, fried chicken, and watermelon?

what do African Americans like kfc kool aid and watermelon im not a racist im not trying to be one no offence to anyone but why do people say they like it so much?
- Mr. Crazy, 2010
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There were several responses to that question, but the one that was voted the best was submitted by Mr. Baltimoron. I agree with the first part of his response:

"Many black people in America come from poor backgrounds. Chicken always used to be a cheaper meat (than, say, beef), so it's the protein they could afford. Of course chicken is bland in flavor (it tastes like, uh, chicken) so what can you do to spice it up? Flour is cheap, oil is cheap, and deep frying anything makes it 127% tastier. Tah-dah! Fried chicken. Same thing for Kool Aid (cheap and easy to make). Both are less a "black" thing and more economic and regional (the South) in origin but were grafted onto blacks as a dehumanizing mechanism...
- The Baltimoron 2010
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That blogger goes on to write that "Yes, your question (whether intended or not) is offensive. Whites used to malign black people as watermelon and chicken thieves. They would say that during the night, when it was pitch dark, black people would go to the master's field to steal watermelons, or, like foxes, to the chicken coop to steal chickens. But supposedly, these black people were always betrayed by their white teeth and white eyes which shone in the dark like lightning. So they could not hide, even in the darkest of nights, even though they were so black. That was why their smiles were cut like slices of watermelon and they were considered, like chickens, to be cowards."
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I don't agree that asking a question about the reasons for stereotypes is necessarily offensive. However, I believe that accepting that stereotype as the truth is offensive for the reasons that Baltimoron wrote.

Referring to Kool-Aid as the Black person's drink is a short handed way of saying that all Black people are poor. That statement is stereotypical. First of all, there are more poor White people in the USA (since it's probable that those making that statement erroneously equate the referent "Black people" with African Americans). Furthermore, all Black people in the United States aren't poor. Some of us (but unfortunately not me) are quite wealthy.

However, I think there are other reasons besides that product being inexpensive why many Americans (including Black Americans) may associate Kool-Aid flavored drink with Black folks. One of those reasons is that that company appears to have made a strategic marketing decision to target Black people in its ads. Note that the uploader of the video on the top of this page wrote that "I remember seeing this commercial every Saturday during Soul Train lol." Soul Train was a very popular music/dance show that featured mostly Black dancers and guest recording stars. However, it wasn't just Black people who watched that show.

A number of people who watched Soul Train may have favorable rememberances of those ads not only because they were aired during that well loved show, but also because those ads favorably depicted Black people. Here are some examples of those ads:

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no particular order.
My thanks to the producers & uploaders of these videos. All copyrights remain with their owners.)

Video #1: Kool-Aid Ad (1992)

This video is shown at the top of the page.

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Video #2: You're never too old for Kool Aid (1970's)



Uploaded by CineGraphic on Jan 30, 2010

"From the early 70's, a unique commercial for it's time.

Commercials depicting African Americans in suburban settings were ground-breaking at the time."

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Video #3: Classic Kool-Aid commercial, featuring the Monkees



Uploaded by barbrababble on Sep 15, 2006

"Kool-Aid commercial from 1970 featuring members of the Monkees at an amusement park."
-snip-
Notice that not only were there a few Black people in that commercial, but those Black people weren't depicted any differently than White people.

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Video #4: Vintage Kool-Aid 1973 Commercial



Uploaded by robatsea2009 on Sep 14, 2009

"a vintage 1973 television commercial for Kool-Aid"
-snip-
A viewer wrote that this commercial may have been from 1971-1972, not 1973.

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MORE EDITORIAL COMMENTS
Video #1, #2, and #3 feature Black people portrayed in non-stereotypical ways. (For what it's worth, Video #2 is my favorite of all of these featured videos because of its depiction of a Black family reunion which include that delightful baby girl taking her first steps.)

With regards to videos #3 and #4, it was rare in the 1970s and beyond for commercials to show Black child interacting in a non-stereotypical way with White children.

Part of the stereotype about African Americans and Kool-Aid specifies that we like grape flavored Kool-Aid the most, although some say its cherry flavored Kool-Aid that Black people prefer. I think that's because many people (including me) thought that those two flavors taste the best - or at least they did until new flavors like lemon lime were added in the 1990s or whenever.

But for the record, since I've read this statement on other websites, I want to mention that I don't think that Black people preferring grape Kool-Aid (if that is even true) has anything whatsoever to do with the 1978 Jim Jones mass suicide in Guyana when that religious cult leader served grape Kool-Aid laced with arsenic or some other poison to his followers and then drank it himself. (It may be beside the fact that the powdered drink laced with arsenic that White American Jim Jones served to his mostly African American followers and then drank himself may not have even been Kool-Aid).

One reason why people regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic class buy Kool-Aid is that that flavored drink tastes "all right" (for instance, it has no bad after-taste). But, it seems to me that if that product was linked to disrespectful depictions or racist treatment of Black people, then no matter if we liked its taste or not, and no matter how inexpensive or easy to use it is, Black people would be dis-inclined to buy it. That said, some people consider this Kool-Aid commercial of the Kool-Aid icon, a large othe Kool-Aid pitcher full of cherry flavored drink, joining in with Black teenage males playing basketball to be offensive:

Video #5: Racist Kool-Aid Commercial



Uploaded by wambam1205 on May 18, 2008

"I was very offended by this commercial..to think we live in a world where huge corporations can still insult the rich black culture and get away with it."
-snip-
Personally, I don't think that ad is racist. However, I do believe that producing an ad which includes Black people playing basketball & drinking Kool-Aid was a bad marketing choice given the racist memes that all Black people are poor and the "White man can't jump" stereotype which assumes that all Black males naturally are skilled at playing basketball.

Here are my final thoughts about this subject:
Even if there are neutral or positive reasons for Kool-Aid to be linked with Black people, companies and individuals should be very careful not to feed into the toxic memes that have developed around Black people and that product or other products.

It would be foolish for any store to have a sale on a a product that is considered part of the stereotype for Black people during Black History month (February) or at any time. To do so demeans the whole point of Black History month (to raise awareness about Black history and culture). Furthermore, for any company to put on sale any product that feeds into stereotypes associated with Black people isn't using good judgement. It sets that company up for bad publicity which could result in customers refusing to shop there because of that culturally incompetent marketing choice.

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RELATED LINKS
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-story-behind-stereotype-of-black.html

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructing-caricature-of-zip-coon.html

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/ten-non-racist-product-commercials-that.html

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