Picking Rhymes

My interest in childhood games, words, etc. was inspired by reading Iona and Peter Opie's The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren years ago. It was first published in the 50s but traces some familiar playground rhymes back decades, even centuries. And shows how quickly they can spread from child to child internationally too. Recommended reading. I wonder how many of them still exist? I know my kids still say some.

This is the response from Twitter today:

Gwynne Callow @strigiphile Have you read Steve Roud 'The Lore of the Playground' pub Random Hse 2010? same topics, c1900 to present day?v good Opie update.

Chris Payne @xtofallabout When picking teams in the playground we used to "nick up" - doing baby steps until one kid stood on the other kid's toes.

Moose Allain @MooseAllain We did Ip Dip Sky Blue, One Potato, and I'm afraid the non-PC Eenie Meenie. Essex 60s/70s.

Trippy Pip @TrippyPip I prefer Ip Dip Dog Shit You Are Not It.. personally.

Michael Maloney @MrMDMaloney for me in Paisley, we'd put our right feet in like the spokes of a wheel and pick by: "it, bit, bird, shit, you, are, not, IT"

Fiona Fisher @GallusEffie Dic dic tation, corporation, how many buses are in the station?

Phillip Blackman @NobbyNobody It was "Ip dip dog shit you are not it" in Suffolk in the 70s. Eeny meeny was 'piggie' rather than the N word.

Scriblit @Scriblit Ip Dip Dog Shit or Ip Dip Dation Corportation, or Eeny Meany Macaraca Ayr Arr Dominacka, South East Derbyshire, 1980s

Rich Evans @4721evanssir ip dip dog shit hanging from a lady's tit, do a boff knock it off you are not it. Stay classy Birmingham.

Calz @CornishCalzone Plymouth, 1980s: ip dip dog shit, fucking bastard silly git, you are not it. And "tigger" in eeny meeny.

Dean Rutland @Herne_TheHunter We caught rabbits or babies by their toes in the New Forest/Southampton in the 80s

WonderfulWeirdo @WonderfulWeirdo  Eeny meeny macca racca rare rye dominacka chicka bocka lollipoppa om pom push!

bel @anabelish "Ickle ockle chocklet bockle, Ickle ockle out" in #sheffield (translates to chocolate bottle)!

Craig Naples @crgn Ip, dip, dip, my blue ship, floating on the water like a cup and saucer, you are not it. (Surprised no-one else has done that!)

Diane Telford @moiness Incantation. Cov Corporation. How many buses are in the station. Coventry - late 70s.

Andromeda @andromedababe"123 abc boys got the muscles girls got the sexy legs o-u-t spells OUT." Co.Durham - been hearing it in playground since 90s.

Con Logue @CorneliusLogue Ibble Obble Black Bobble Ibble Obble Out. O-U-T spells out and out you will go! North Kildare in the early seventies.

Diane Fairclough @DelectableDi eeny meeny miny mo, sit the baby on the po, when it's done wipe its bum, eeny meeny mi mo, Barnsley, South Yorkshire

Adrian Toomey @adriantoomey Ip dip doo Doggy did a poo Went to the cinema at half-past two When the film started Everybody farted Out goes you Devon 80s

John Brown @johnbrown1325 Pispote douille c'est toi l'andouille and I can't remember the rest

Lammie Oostenbrink @Iittlelamb In the Netherlands we did "iene, miene, mutte, tien pond grutten" or "iet wiet wat is eerlijk weg".

Daniel Farrelly @danielfarrelly ip dip cow shit, you stepped in it. West Devon (Okehampton to be precise), 1980s.

Foiled Revolvers @Dutchtica Iene - miene - mutte - 10 pond grutte* - 10 pond kaas** - iene miene mutte is de baas. (*Grits and **cheese) iene = ee-nah

Nick Fairlie @Nickfairlie Dip. There’s a party on the hill, would you like to come? Yes Then being a bottle of rum Can’t afford it Then you cannot come.

Janie Kirk @janiekirkmc We did it too but said Skinnymalinks melodeon legs etc (pronounced melo-jen). How odd.

ShirleyAnne McMillan @shirleyannemcm My 10yr old says: Bubble gum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish?

Rebecca Catherine @ChooBekker missed the game you're all playing. eerie, meenie, minie, mo. Catch a freckle with a bright hello!

Emma Keef @EmmaCKeef my 5 yr old now says "eeny meeny miny mo, catch a fishy by it's toe, if it wriggles let it go, and you are not it". 1/2

Zosia Silarska @willknitforwine Ip dip sky blue, who's it? Not you. Not because you're dirty, not because you're clean, my mum says you're the fairy queen

dubdubble @dubdubble Catch a baby by the toe (Glasgow, I'm 35).

Joanne MacInnes @joannemacinnesMy mother and your mother were hanging out their clothes, my mother gave your mother a punch in the nose, and guess  what colour of blood came out? (then counted out on the number of letters in colour) #Dundee 80's 

Dean Rutland @Herne_TheHunter My fave was: There was a monkey Doing cross country It fell down a rabbit hole & cut its leg What colour was the blood?

rob doyle @robdoylecouk we did this, in Maghull, near Liverpool in the 80's, but there is every chance this was only my street.

fuzzix @parodyfuzzix Dublin, 80s: Ickie Dickie, Dog's Mickey, Inside-OUT!

Lisa Carey @msleedy We had the more "earthy" Icky Ocky Horse's Gocky Icky Ocky Out here in Dublin.

Vivien Bartlett @newviv ip dip dash, my blue sash, sailing on the water, like a cup and saucer, ip, dip DASH

Paul @paulieeaton EEnie meenie minee mo, catch a tiger by the toe, if it screams let it go, EEnie meenie minee mo, egg shells inside out

Camilla @Cilly247 Ip Dip Dog Shit. You Sat In It. South Bucks 70's

Mrs S @Shellous] ip dip do, the cat’s got the flu, the dogs got the measles and so have you. Essex, today.

Diana Probst @DianaProbst Ip Dip Do, the cat's got the flu. The dog's got the measles so out goes you. Isle of Dogs late 80s.

Stuart Houghton @stuarthoughton "I draw a snake up on your back " *draws with finger* "which finger did.. THAT!" (count the number of people the kid says)

Katy Greenwood @katygreenwood we did; inky pinky ponky, daddy had a donkey, donkey died, daddy cried, inky pinky ponky, you're it! Doncaster 80's

John Spooner @John_Spooner OED citation from 1855 "The schoolboy formula ... Eeny, meeny, moany, mite... Eeny, meeny, tipty, te."

Vicki @vicki_pickle ippa dippa daytion, my operation, how many people at the station? Suffolk/ Essex early 90s.

Aaron Fernuik @afernuik "Pink a bink a bottle of ink, cork fell out and you stink" Texas, 1980s

Linda H @linda_hurrel 'Yabba dabba doo, Fred's wants to poo, Wilma's in the toilet, so out goes you' No-one ever.

NessaInBath @NessainBath "Ip dip bird shit, you are not IT". Also - too long, see attached. Exeter 70s/80s

Andy Furlong @andyfrlng I remember 'Ip Dip Penny Chip' at our school. Middx 1970s.

Tweet reading @tweet_reading Little miss pink fell down the sink. How many miles did she fall? #Melbourne

The Teacakeman @Teacakeman One from my Granny: Eeenty teenty halligalum, pitchin totties up the lum, Santa Claus got hit on the bum.  My ex (from Western Isles) would use Eeeny meeny macca racca ay rye dominacca alla basha boosha racca rum tum toosh  I suspect that one came from counting sheep. Literally.

Moose Allain @MooseAllain Like Yan Tan Tethera?

Julian Dutton @JulianDutton1 Dnt knw if already mentioned but ‘Eeny-Meny-Miny-Mo’ is ancient Druid sacrifice chant: Men-ai strait/Isle of Mo-na (Anglesey).

Donna Clark @DonnaClark4 ip dip do, cats got flu, dogs got chickenpox, out goes you. Sydney Australia 1970s

Peter Cant @SyndicateMemberEeny meeny racca tacca i i oomanacka itchybooma lollipoppa rum tum puss (+OUT spells out if you didnt like 1st result Sydney72)  Or: All in the middle and the dog did piddle & the poor little post cat, got wet (Sydney 72)

Darren Geraghty @GeraghtyDarren "Icky ocky, horse's gocky, icky ocky, out". Dublin 1970s

will_zapppy @will_zapppy ip dip dog shit fucking bastard silly git u r not it (Hampshire, 1980s)

Simon Pearson @pearson_sl Mickey Mouse had a fart what colour was the fart. Blue. B L U E - out on E. Can be any colour. From my 6yo today. Bolton

Rachel Emma @janessense Mickey Mouse in his house, pulling down his trousers, In comes mum, smacks his bum, out goes number 1!

BrueBunny @BrueBunny mine was ip dip dog shit hairy fanny juicy tit you are not it. It was a crass lot, Salford in the 90's :)