Why "64" (Or Another Number) Is Part Of The Names Of So Many Concentration Hand Clap Games

tianshiangel, Feb 12, 2008
-snip-
At the end of this video one of the player's asked what the number "64" meant in this game. The girl who was doing the chanting answered that it just rhymed. However, "64" doesn't rhyme with the word "concentration" or anything else that was said in that rhyme. 

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series that focuses on the partner or group hand clap game that is called "Concentration", "Concentration 64", "Hands Up To 85" or other similar titles.

This post presents my answer to that question why "64" is part of the names of so may COncentration hand clap games.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/07/concentration-hands-up-to-85-hand-clap.html  for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases five YouTube videos of this hand clap game.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/07/some-chants-that-begin-concentration.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents presents some examples of the chants that are spoken or sung before the "Concentration" ("Hands Up To 85") game actually begins. 

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.* Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube. 
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/concentration-64-handclap-game.html for a 2011 pancocojams post entitled "Concentration 64 Handclap Game (YouTube videos and text examples)". A few examples from that 2011 post are also included in this 2022 post.

* Special thanks to Nintendo Maniac 64 who alerted me to the names of the Nintendo 64 and the earlier Commodore 64 computers in his or her May 23, 2021 comment in that 2011 post's discussion thread.

****
WHY "64" (OR ANOTHER NUMBER) IS PART OF THE NAME OF SO MANY CONCENTRATION HAND CLAP GAMES 

Short Answer: 
The name "Concentration 64" mirrors the name "Nintendo 64", a popular home video game. 
And "Nintendo 64" mirrored the name of the once popular Commodore 64 home computer.

Earlier examples of these concentration games didn't include the word "concentration" or any numbers. For instance, here's an example from the 1978 vinyl record "Old Mother Hippletoes: Rural And Urban Children's Songs":  

"Zing-zing-zing, and away we go
To the Jackie Gleason studio.*
Calaree! Calarah!
One apiece,
No repeats
Or hesitations
Or demonstrations!
Name some..."...

My guess is that people started using the name after the home video game console  "Nintendo 64" and its video games "games Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 became so popular. Once more and more people started calling those concentration hand clap games "Concentration 64", that name "stuck" and some people thought that "Concentration 64" was always the name of those concentration games. 

My guess is that the folk process is the reason why another number instead of "64" is sometimes used for those Concentration hand clap games. By folk process, I mean that people often change a name or words to songs or rhymes because of mishearing or misremembering, or because the word or words are unfamiliar to them. Thus, "Concentration 64" might have been changed to "Concentration [whatever number folks learned it as]. 

****
SUPPORT FOR THE THEORY ABOUT THE NAME CONCENTRATION 64 BEING CONNECTED WITH NINTENDO 64
1. Other people besides me have come to this conclusion that the name "Concentration 64" is connected to the video game named "Nintendo 64". 

Here's a comment from the discussion thread for the video that is embedded in this pancocojams post:
unorthodoxJ, 2011
"I think it started as a Nintendo 64 reference".

**
Here's a comment from Nintendo Maniac 64, May 23, 2021 that was published in the discussion thread for my 2011 post about Concentration 64. (That post includes an example of this concentration game named "Nintendo 64").
"Psst, maybe you're not aware, but the "Nintendo 64" is an actual game console from 1996 and is very unlikely to just a reference to the original Nintendo Entertainment System. (also Nintendo continued making successful game consoles to this day - surely you've heard of the Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo Switch?)

There were also other computer electronics hardware ending in 64 such as Commodore 64 (1982) and Athlon 64 (2003), but in each instance the 64 actually means something (whether memory amount or bit depth).

The Commodore 64 was quite a popular home computer that also had moderately catchy commercials ("are you keeping up with the commodore?") and I'm wondering if maybe someone somewhere combined its "64" name with the "Concentration" game's name. I say this as someone that grew up in the late 90s where PlayStation was more popular yet "64" was still used with the hand-clap game, meaning its use of "64" very likely predates the Nintendo 64."

****
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COMMODORE 64
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64

The Commodore 64, also known as the C64 or the CBM 64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas).[4] It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time,[5] with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units.[2] Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595 (equivalent to $1,671 in 2021).[6] Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes (65,536 bytes) of RAM. With support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware.       

****
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NINTENDO 64
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_64
"The Nintendo 64[a] (N64 or stylized as N64 or Nintendo64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and March 1, 1997, in Europe and Australia. It was the last major home console to use cartridges as its primary storage format until the Nintendo Switch in 2017.[8] As a fifth-generation console, it competed primarily with the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn.

[...]

Development began in 1993 in partnership with Silicon Graphics, using the codename Project Reality, then a test model and arcade platform called Ultra 64. The final design was named after its 64-bit CPU, which aided in the console's 3D capabilities. Its design was mostly complete by mid-1995 and launch was delayed until 1996 for the completion of the launch games Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, and Saikyō Habu Shōgi (exclusive to Japan).

****

So that's my theory about why "64" (or another number) is part of the names for so many Concentration hand clap games.

**** 
THEORIES ABOUT THE NAME "HANDS UP TO 85" (or another number)  
With regard to the "Hands Up To 85" names for those same (or similar) hand clap games, my guess is that the words "hands up" in the "Hands up to 85" (or Hands "to" or "on" 85") names may refer to how the players hold their hands palms up when they are playing these concentrations game. The number "85" may refer to how many iterations the game might be played before there is a winner. (the last player remaining in the game). 

[Added July 18, 2022- It occurs to me that "Hands Up To 85" or "On 85" may have originally been "Hands Up In 85" with "85" referring to the year 1985. 

That explanation feels more right for me than the amount of iterations explanation that I initailly proposed.]

Added July 21, 2022
This comment written by JeSuisMelBell, 2020 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zEcsIfe6lU&t=2s confirms my theory that the number "85" probably referred to the year the rhyme was chanted. 
"Hands Up... to whatever year it was: Example: Hands up to 93... It's gonna be."
-snip-
JeSuisMelBell wrote that she was from NYC (New York City). She shared the words to a number of rhymes that she remembered from her childhood. Warning- That content includes a lot of profanity, sexually explicit content, and violent content- especially for the "Rockin Robin" version.  

However, that title (first line) eventually was repeated by rote memory (with no thought about what it meant) without updating "85" to the year the rhyme was actually being chanted:

Here's an examplefrom Kerra Lordeus, 2020 in that same discussion thread:

"We did “hands up” a little different. Born in 91. We would do “hands up 85...and the focus was whatever topic; names, colors etc lol

I miss this stuff man 😭"

****
What do you think about these theories?

Do you have another theory or theories about these rhymes?

Come on with it! Share it in the comment section below.

****
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting  pancocojams.

Visitor commetns are welcome.

Some Chants That Begin "Concentration" ("Hands Up To 85") Hand Clap Games (Part II - Examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision- July 21, 2022

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series that focuses on the partner or group hand game that is called "Concentration", "Concentration 64", "Hands Up To 85" or other similar  titles.

This post presents a small collection of chants that are spoken or sung before the "Concentration" ("Hands Up To 85") game actually begins. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/07/concentration-hands-up-to-85-hand-clap.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases five YouTube videos of this hand clap game.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/07/why-64-or-another-number-is-part-of.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post presents some speculation about the reasons why the number "64" or "85" or another number is part of the names of so many Concentration elimination hand clap games.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. 
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/concentration-64-handclap-game.html for a 2011 pancocojams post entitled "Concentration 64 Handclap Game (YouTube videos and text examples)". A few chant examples from that post are also included in this 2022 post.      

****

SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREADS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREADS FOR TWO OF THE VIDEOS THAT WERE SHOWCASED IN PART I OF THIS PANCOCOJAMS SERIES 
Selected comments from the discussion threads for the showcase videos #1 and #2 in Part I of this series are presented first in this section. (Comments weren't allowed in showcase Video #3. No "different" chants were given in the discussion thread for showcase video #4, and as of this date, there are no comments for showcase video #5).

Comments about "Concentration" ("Hands Up To 85") from other online sources are given in no particular order.

I'm particularly interested in documenting some of the different versions of these chants that are found in those discussion threads.

Numbers are added to these comments for referencing purposes only. 

SHOWCASE DISCUSSION THREAD #1 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MEJ2Sle650

1. serenityq26, 2018
."thats not our chant. "hands up vanilla high/sky" clap clap "gonna get. one a piece. to know a piece. no hesitation. no demostrations. such as. names of" and so on"

**
Reply
2. Shakedia Morris-Wilcox, 2021
"The song varies by region. I'm from Philly my chant is different too :)"
-snip-
Philly = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)


****
SHOWCASE DISCUSSION THREAD #2 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=CojU3JiVLbs&feature=emb_logo . Concentration Handclap Game, Waldorf Training Lectures, Jan 12, 2016 

1. Alex Garza, 2017
"The way I play it:

Everyone gets in a circle. We connect hands by putting right hand on top and left hand on the bottom. Then we say "This is a game of concentration no repeats or hesitations the category is...."  while we say this, we slap the hand of the person to the left of you. Anyone else play like this?"

**
Reply
2. She Likes It LOUD!, 2019
"Alex Garza, I do! Except I say topic."

**
Reply
3. Jolyne Kujo, 2019
"yeaн вυт we ѕay ιт lιĸe тнιѕ... " тнιѕ ιѕ a gaмe oғ concenтraтιon no repeaтѕ or нeѕιтaтιon played вy ĸιdѕ all over тнe naтιon caтegory ιѕ... ""

**
4. Beul lol. 2017
"mine is like this "this is the game of concentration no repeats or hesitation and the topic is." but I don't clap"

**
5. big pp boy, 2017
"Mine was concentration concentration is a game keep the rhythm or you will be out the game starting with names of"

**
Reply
6. Knight, 2020
"Thank you so much!!!! I’ve been trying to remember this one for the longest time not a lot of people say this one"

**
7. Kirbo, 2018
"No it goes like this: consontration 👏👏👏 64 👏👏👏 no repeats 👏👏👏 or hesitation 👏👏👏 I will start 👏👏👏 and you will follow 👏👏👏 category is 👏👏👏 (category)"
-snip-
That pictorical image represents a hand and means that the players do that number of individual hand claps at the point in that chant that those images are shown, .

**
8. Gerri Spencer, 2020
"Wow, showing my age, we used to say while clapping "concentration has just begun are you ready to have some fun subject is....."

**
9. Rhashaunda Jones, 2020
"In the VI, we play a game similar to this.♡♡I haven't played in years. This took me down memory lane. 

We say:

Hands up for 98
We gonna guess it
Names of ***CATEGORY ***
One a piece
No repeats
No hesitation
No duplication
Starting with. ... and keep the rhythm flowing:))♡♡♡♡these days:))))
-snip-
VI = Virgin Islands (in the Caribbean). I think that "and keep the rhythm flowing and ":))♡♡♡♡these days:))))" aren't part of the chant. 

**
10. Clara's Corner, 2022
"I say it like this: Let’s play 👏concentration 👏no repeats 👏 or hesitation 👏me:I’ll go first 👏 my friend:and I’ll go second 👏category is 👏 usually I do names of people in the class"

****
SHOWCASE DISCUSSION THREAD #3
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zEcsIfe6lU&t=2s "90’s hands games !!!!!"
Geneas, Nov 4, 2018 

1.Indira Solis, 2020
"idk if this version of concentration was already a thing but in middle school it went like this:

concentration clap clap clap, sixteenth floor clap clap clap
don't go in clap clap clap the bathroom door clap clap clap
if you do clap clap clap, i'll kick your shoe clap clap clap
category is.."

**

2. Something Flowery Like a butterfly sunrise, 2021
"2004- for concentration we would say “let’s play, concentration, no repeats, or hesitation, topic is, (insert topic)”

**
3.Deuel, 2021
For the concentration hand game the way I did it was different

I present to you: Hands up for wonderful

hands up for wonderful clap clap
is going to be clap clap
a big surprise clap clap
with no repeat clap clap
no hesitation clap clap
no reservation clap clap
please give clap clap
a list of [insert category] clap clap
starting with clap clap
[insert name] clap clap
and ending with clap clap
 [insert name] clap clap
start now clap clap
right now clap clap
[list things]
-snip-
This is the way that this example was written in that discussion thread.

**
3. Mindy, 2021
"Omg we used to do the concern game different lol like if you slap the other person's hands opposite and you could play with more than 1 person like in a circle.  And we would say like concentration, 64, no repeats, or hesitation, I will start, who will end, category is... ____. 😅 But these brought me back!!!!"

**
4. nneka chidoka, 2021
"... my own was

Contentration six to four
We don’t repeat or hesitate
I ho first and you will follow
Topic is anything"
-snip-
"Ho" is probably a typo for the word "go".

****
EXAMPLE OF CONCENTRATION HAND GAME FROM THE LATE 1970S VINYL CHILDREN'S RECORD "OLD MOTHER HIPPLETOE"
"Zing-zing-zing, and away we go
To the Jackie Gleason studio.*
Calaree! Calarah!
One apiece,
No repeats
Or hesitations
Or demonstrations!
Name some...

Foods: "Ham." "Turkey." "Eggs." "Cheeseburger." "Bacon," "Sausage." "Hot dog." "Watermelon." "What?" "Watermelon." "Toast."
"Hamburger." "I said hamburger." "No you didn't," ALL: "Yes she did. You out!"
Cars: "Mustang. ""Pinto." "What!? What you all naming? Oh." "Mustang II." "Firebird." "Mercury." "Cutlass Supreme." "Cadillac."
"Mustang." "Supreme II." "Cutlass S." "Um ...F'irebird." "You out!" "
- Washington, D.C., schoolgirls, in Old Mother Hippletoe: Rural and Urban Children's Songs (Recorded in 1976 at the Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, Washington, D.C.; New World NW 29); http://www.newworldrecords.org/linernotes/80291.pdf
-snip-
This is the earliest version of a Concentration handclap rhyme that I've collected (This doesn't mean that it's the earliest version).
*The Jackie Gleason show was an American television network show that ran from 1952 to 1970 in various forms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jackie_Gleason_Show

*****
AN EXAMPLE OF CONCENTRATION FROM MY DAUGHTER (who posted it in the comment section for http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/concentration-64-handclap-game.html on November 4, 2015)
"Hello, this is Azizi's daughter, Tazi. I was looking @ this post reminiscing on old childhood game songs. I noticed that the way I played/sang "Concentration" isn't listed :-(

Here is how I remember playing Concentration starting in second or third grade.

A group of girls sat in a circle & we made a beat by tapping the top of our legs & snapping our fingers. I don't remember playing this game standing up and I never saw it done as a hand clap game.

We broke the word "concentration" into two parts: "Concen" and then "tration". While chanting "concen" we hit our right leg with our right hand.

Next we hit our left leg while chanting "tration".

Then we snapped two times, first with our right hand and then with our left hand. This pattern continued throughout the entire chant. Btw: This beat pattern sounds the same as "stomp stomp clap clap/stomp stomp clap clap". The song "We Will Rock You" has the same beat. I'm sorry if this is confusing. I looked for but didn't find any video of this :-(

It's understood that messing up the beat, repeating, pausing (hesitating) will cause you to be out. If you mess up the beat, people would be upset with you and say something like "You can't even stay on beat". You say your answer when you are hitting your leg (your lap). But, remember, the answer has to be broken up into two syllables.

Here's how to make the beat
#1 = hit the right side of your lap
#2 = hit the left side of your lap
#3 = snap your fingers on your right hand
#4 = snap your fingers on your left hand

Lyrics:
1. concen
2. tration
3.
4.
1. Are you
2. ready
3.
4.
1. let's
2. go
3. you snap with your right hand and say "take it
4.you snap with you left hand: "slow"
1.don't
2. forget
3. to blow
4. your nose.
1.names
2. of [someone designated as the leader of this game says a category for example, colors, sports, famous singers, animals etc]
3.
4.
The person sitting to the right of the leader has to come up with an answer that fits that category. It then goes clockwise.

Continue this pattern. If someone gave the answer on a snap, the person would be out. Sometimes people said (using the same beat pattern) "Your out. Stay out".

Also, when someone got out, we would close the circle up by moving closer together. We didn't start from the beginning. The leader would start from "Names of " and would pick a whole new category.

Once the game started no new person could join in until the next game.

I remember "Concentration" being a challenging game because you are doing several things at the same time. You must maintain the beat, think of multiple answers to fit the category because if someone who went before you said the answer that you were going to say, you had to come up with a new answer.

It's called "concentration" for a reason.

The key to playing this game well was to think of answers that fit the category but weren't commonly used. For example, for colors you could say "ultra-violet" or "copper" and not colors like "red " or "blue". The reason you'd do this is because people knew that the number one way that people got out was when someone said your answer and you had to quickly come up with a new answer.

I hope this helps!"

****
SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT "CONCENTRATION" ("HANDS UP TO 85") FROM OTHER ONLINE SOURCES

ONLINE SOURCE #1
From https://www.nappturality.com/forums/threads/81695-Clapping-Rhymes-hand-Games/page6

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: The nappturality.com link is active. However, the links that I retrieved years ago are no longer active. It's possible that these forum pages might be reserved now for members only.]

1.7/28/2004
QuitaD
'Hey! I remember this one we just updated it a bit.

All hands of 1990 (clap, clap)
No Demonstrations (clap, clap)
No Hesitations (clap, clap)
Naaaaame (clap, clap)
Booooyz (clap, clap)
and girls (clap, clap)
I’m first (clap, clap)
and I’m second (clap, clap)
Ready (clap, clap)
Set (clap, clap)
Go! (clap, clap)

Then you would just start naming boys and girls names, you could change the category too to like cars or whatnot.

The 9-10 years at a camp I work for here still do these games. They had new ones that I hadn’t heard of but SLIDE was still popular. The boys loved playing that one with the girls. There is also and updated version of the "All hand of 1990" song. They do the same thing but it starts off different."

**
2. 07-28-2007, cyranosgirl

"Location

ATL (via Nwk, NJ)

OK, I’m takin it WAAAAAY back...

Hands up in 85 (clap, clap)
Gonna get (clap, clap)
The names of (clap, clap)
<SUBJECT> (clap, clap)
2 apiece (clap, clap)
No repeat (clap, clap)
No hesitation (clap, clap)
Some Concentration (clap, clap)
Starting with (clap, clap)
<PERSON’s NAME> (clap, clap)

If the subject was CARS, everyone would have to name 2 cars (Eldorado, Pinto). If anyone
-snip-
That comment ends there or I didn't retrieve the rest of that comment.

****
ONLINE SOURCE #2
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRtq_z8j1Ac  Concentration, published by Splash Games, Sept. 14, 2017 [summary statement and chant:  Concentration is a fun classic game with handicapping and singing. See how far of a story your group can get without messing up!

The song goes: Concentration Concentration aggravation keep that rhythm.."] -snip- Selected comments:

1.allen sinclair, 2020

"We do it a little differently

Our version consists of at least 4 members. You asign a number to each member. And you sing the song first:

Con

I'd love to play it right now. It was fun.centration
Allegation
Feel the rhythm
Feel the rhythm if you can
tap clap
Concentration
tap clap
Now begins

And then the game starts from the person assigned as number 1. Since there are two snaps, per snap you will say one number: on the first snap you will say your number and on the second snap, you’ll say the number you want the concentration to jump to, for example if you’re number 1, you can say “1, 2” and the concentration jumps to the person assigned as number 2 and also repeats what number 1 did. So he can say “2, 4” and it will be number 4’s turn and number 4 can say “4, 3” and it will be number 3’s turn. The person who fumbles out of concentration loses

Yeah that’s long
-snip-
The bold font was used for those words in that discussion thread.

**
2. bizotically_yours83, 2020
"We always said

Concentration Concentration is the name, keep the rhythm,  keep the rhythm of the game. And then we'd start counting down the line.

We didn't do the snap, we'd front slap and back slap each others hands on the second."

**
3. FX Fade, 2021
"amazing ways for different people!! for our way we say concentration busy in the station concentration lets begin. and we have it in numbers"

**
4.Amron Carlos, 2021
"The right lyrics is concentration concentration ready now get the rhtym get the rhtym of the game..... ...."

**
5. madison joe, 2022
"From NZ and we say “concentration , concentration now begin, keep the rhythm, keep the rhythm moving, start now…” "
-snip-
NZ= New Zealand

****
ONLINE SOURCE #3
From https://twitter.com/smilejamtvj/status/1030071630846930945?lang=en  Jamaican version of Hands Up To 85/ Concentration
Smile Jamaica

@Smilejamtvj

Who remembers this Hands to the 85/Hands of the 85 game? Neville and

@DahliaHarris

 took a trip down memory lane for our Back-to-School show 👏🏽🙌🏽. #SmileJamaica #1MorningShow #DailyDoseOfAwesomeness #WakeUpAndSmile

8:39 AM · Aug 16, 2018·Twitter for iPhone
-snip-
Here’s my transcription of this version of the introductory chant for "Hands Up To 85/Concentration".

[clap clap]

Wanna guess [clap clap]
Names of [clap clap]
Boys [clap clap]

One a piece [clap clap]
No repeat [clap clap]
Or hesitation [clap clap]
concentration[clap clap]
Let’s go [clap clap]
To the show [clap clap]

****
ONLINE SOURCE #4
From -PrettyPetite (African American woman; Atlanta, Georgia by way of Miami, Florida; http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=3; 12/29/2000
"How about this: remember this game that was played, usually with five or more people, and you have to name a certain number of things that was related to a particular subject? The chant went something like this:

Hands down vanilla five (Clap Clap)
Gonna get (Clap Clap)
One a-piece (Clap Clap)
To no a-piece (Clap Clap)
No Hesitation...(Clap Clap)
No Demonstration (Clap Clap)
Subject (Clap Clap)
Names of (Clap Clap) (enter subject name here)" Usually, the subject name was boys, or cars, or teachers....and after each round, the number of things you had to name went up....that used to be my FAVORITE GAME!! lol"

****
ONLINE SOURCE #5
From GUEST, KLC, (East Harlem, New York, New York ;
July 11, 2008, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097 ; Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?
"Nintendo 64,
no repeats or hesitations
starting with the name of... (anything usually colors, boys, girls, cars, toys, tv shows, movies, etc) they keep up the hand beat and shouting names to someone messes up whoever is left at the end is the winner."

****
ONLINE SOURCE #6
From  https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=85915&threadid=85915, Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
1. Old Roger, 02 Nov 05
"Our family (Dad Mum and daughter ) used to play Concentration with other familys back in about 1975 when we lived at Fenny Stratford. We sat round in a circle. Each person had a number in order around the circle. One person was designated leader or starter.

The leader followed by all present sets up a slow four beat pulse

Beat one slap you hands down on your knees

Beat two clap your hands

Beat three snap finger and thumb of left hand

Beat four snap finger and thumb of right hand

Begin by chanting whilst keeping the hand movements going

Con    cen       tra    tion

Concen tration   now be gin

Keep    in       Rhy    thm

This bizarre spacing is an attempt to show how the words pulsed in time with the hand sounds.

The chanting stops but the rhythmic handwork keeps going.

The leader calls out two numbers. The first is his/her own number and then the number of another person in time with beats one and two. That person then calls out their own number and the number of another different person in time with beats one and two and so on.

It really requires a lot of concentration to keep the brain and hands working and coordinated and to remember the sequence. There are no absolute rules but you can decide beforehand what constitutes a break and offenders drop out until only one is left - the winner.

My wife and I were both teachers and we thought this was a great social, and hand and eye game, for kids. Did us good too.

**
2. GUEST,  Nanny150, 29 Nov 09 
"Our Concentration game was a rhythm elimination game - great for b-day parties. Everyone sat in a circle, slap knees, clap hands, snap left hand, snap right hand while saying "con-cen-tra-tion, keep in rhy-thm, cat-e-gor-y, names of _____________" (boys, girls, foods, cars, etc.) Whoever broke rhythm or repeated was out, until one was left, who was the winner."

**
3. GUEST, 6/2/2010
"Hands up for one eighty-five (clap-clap)

It's gonna be (clap-clap)
A big surprise (clap-clap)
No repeats (clap-clap)
No hesitations (clap-clap)
No demonstrations (clap-clap)
Starting with (clap-clap)
Names... (clap-clap)
Of... (clap-clap)
(colors, girls, boys, etc...) (clap-clap)... repeat names until someone loses.

The first person to repeat, hesitate, or demonstrate any word lost the game.

Multiple people stood in a circle and clapped hands with kids to the right and left of them. If only 2 people, they faced each other.

I now play this game with my kids. They love it!

****
This concludes Part II of this threepart pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

"Concentration" ("Hands Up To 85") Hand Clap Games (Part I -YouTube Videos)

yolandawilliams2011, July 18, 2013

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series that focuses on the partner or group hand game that is called "Concentration", "Concentration 64", "Hands Up To 85" or other similar titles.

This post showcases five YouTube videos of this hand clap game. This post also includes my  my description and my transcription of the chant that is used for Showcase videos #1, #2, #4, & #5. (The summary statement for Video #3 includes performance instructions and the words to the chant that is used for that game.) 

Additions & Corrections are welcome.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/07/some-chants-that-begin-concentration.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents presents some examples of the chants that are spoken or sung before the "Concentration" ("Hands Up To 85") game actually begins. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/07/why-64-or-another-number-is-part-of.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post presents some speculation about the reasons why the number "64" or "85" or another number is part of the names of many Concentration elimination hand clap games.

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 the publishers of these videos on YouTube. 
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/concentration-64-handclap-game.html for a 2011 pancocojams post entitled "Concentration 64 Handclap Game (YouTube videos and text examples)". That post features other videos of the Concentration elimination hand clap game than the videos that are showcased in this 2022 post.
 
****
MY DESCRIPTION OF SHOWCASE VIDEO #1 & MY TRANSCRIPTION ABOUT HOW THAT GAME IS PLAYED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MEJ2Sle650

Here's my description of this game:
A small group of middle age women and girls stand in a circle to play this game.The players hold their palm of their hands on the palms of the hand for the person standing to their right and to their left. The clapping pattern is each person claps her own hands two times and then returns the palms of their hands to the palms of the person to their right and their left.

In this video, the players chant in unison. This video begins after the game had already started. The player who was designated as the lead may have informed the other players what the category was for this time the game was being played. In this video, the category remained the same throughout all iterations of the game. However, sometimes the lead player changes the category after each player has given a correct item for that category.

The order of the players who have to call out an item in the category appears to be clock wise but in other videos that I've watched the players' order might be counter clockwise.

 When it is her turn, a player is "out" if she fails to call out a name, or if she hesitates to call out a name ((takes too long to give a name) or if she repeats a name that has already been given.

If they play the game long enough, this game becomes a partner hand clap game (with the two partners facing each other and taking turns calling out a name). The last person in that competiton is the winner.  

Here's my transcription of the introductory chant:
 
Hands up to 85 (clap clap)
Got the rhythm (clap clap)
Let’s go (clap clap)
Callin (clap clap)
Names of (clap clap)
Names (clap clap)
One ah piece (clap clap)
No repeats (clap clap)
No hesitation (clap clap)
Concentration
-snip-
The actual game then begins.

****

ADDITIONAL SHOWCASE VIDEOS

SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: Concentration Handclap Game

Waldorf Training Lectures, Jan 12, 2016 

This is a hand clapping activity that numerous children in grades as young as 1st and up through middle school have enjoyed doing. Here, two sisters demonstrate the basics.
-snip-
The game begins at 1:05 in this video.

Here's my description of this video:
Two sisters (a teenager and a young girl) stand facing each other and perform "Concentration" as a partner hand clap game. In this video, the older girl chants and the younger sister is largely silent until the game begins.

Here's my transcription of this version of this game:

This is a game (clap clap clap)
Of concentration (clap clap clap)
No mistakes (clap clap clap)
Or hesitations (clap clap clap)
I'll go first (clap clap clap)
You'll go second (clap clap clap)
Category is (clap clap clap)
Animals (clap clap clap)
-snip-
The actual game then begins.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #3: Concentration (#19)

WAFLT Educational Energizers, Oct 16, 2016 

Teacher divides the class into small groups or partners.  The students start the energizer by saying in unison and in the target language, "Concentration, 64, no repeats, or hesitations, I go first (one student), and you second (indicate to another student), category is...(select category)."  This should be in a rhythmic manner with hand clapping.  In a group, students can do two claps by themselves followed by two claps with the people next to them (see video).  The introduction saying in unison can be altered to whatever works best with your target language so that the syllables match up with the rhythm.  After students select the category, which can also be selected by the teacher, the students go in a circle and say a word in the rhythm that belongs in the category.  If a student hesitates or repeats a word that's been said, they are out of the game.  Students who get out of the game can start up a new game.  When the game gets down to two people, the two students can do two claps followed by two criss-cross claps with their partner (see video).  The clapping continues throughout the whole game to keep the rhythm.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #4:Concentration 64



Mania Astoria, Nov. 30, 2017
-snip-
Here's my description of how this version of "Concentration" is played:
Two school girls stand facing each other and perform "Concentration 64" as a partner hand clap game. Both of these girls say the chant together. 

Here's my transcription of the chant (The words that are written in italics aren't said. "Clap" clap clap means that each player claps their partner's hands and their own hands.)
[The lead girl: the girl who is previously designated to begin the game says]
Concenration (clap clap clap)
64 (Clap clap clap)
No repeats (clap clap clap)
Or hesitations  (clap clap clap)
I'll go first  (clap clap clap)
[The other girl says]
I'll go next  (clap clap clap)
[The lead girl says]
Category is (clap clap clap)
Names (clap clap clap)
-snip-
The actual game then begins.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #5: THROW BACK HAND GAME (HANDS UP ON 85)|FUNNY!|

lyfeWith DaBanks, March 27, 2020

Hey everyone wanted to share a sneak peak video of our family game night.

Stay tuned there will be more to come!
-snip-
This game begins at .23 in this video. This version of this game is sung instead of chanted like the other versions in this collection. It's tempo is much faster than the other versions and its  melody reminds me of "Hambone, Hambone Where Youi Been".  
-snip-
Here's my description of how this version of Hands Up On 85" Is played"
The father and his four children sit on the floor cross legged. In this video the father is the designated lead. The clapping pattern is each person claps his or her own hands two times and then puts his or her palms on the palms of the person to their right and their left.

[Lead person says]
Hands up to 85 [clap clap]
It’s gonna be a big surprise [clap clapj
No repeats [clap clap]
Or hesitations [clap clap]
Names [elongate this word] clap clap
Of  [elongate this word] clap clap
Places [clap clap]
Starting with [The lead person says of a place as the actual game begins].

****
BONUS EXCERPT- MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ONE WAY TO PLAY THIS GAME
From https://www.familyeducation.com/fun/word-games/how-play-names-game
"How to Play the "Names of ..." Game [no writer credited and no publishing date]
"Names of … is a game you may have played at camp or in Girl or Boy Scouts when you were a kid. Your kids are probably well versed in the game and could teach you a thing or two. It's a clapping game that requires a certain amount of hand and brain coordination. I was always terrible at the game because I have no rhythm. It does take a little bit of practice and skill.

High Score

You may want to have a few practice rounds of Names of … before the game officially begins because it takes a little while to get everyone up to speed.

All the players sit in a circle with their legs crossed. The more players you have the better. One person is picked to be the leader and is responsible for getting the rhythm in motion. The rhythm is a slap on thighs, a clap, and two snaps of the fingers (first with the right then with the left). So the rhythm sounds like this: slap, clap, snap, snap. When everyone is slap-clap-snapping at the same time, the leader thinks of a category and starts when he or she has an idea. Players can speak, one at a time, in turn, on the rhythmic snap of the fingers. Play can go counterclockwise or clockwise—it's up to you.

The play goes like this:

Player 1: Slap, clap … then on the snap, snap: “Names of.”

Slap, clap … then on the snap, snap: “Animals” (the word “animals” said to the snapping beat).

Player 2: Slap, clap … then on the snap, snap: “Mon-keys.”

Player 3: Slap, clap … then on the snap, snap: “Elephants.”

Player 4: Slap, clap … then on the snap, snap: “Birds” (note the one syllable...as long as it's said in rhythm, on the snap, you're okay)."...

****
This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.