A few days ago I received the following message from Darlene Harbor Boyd.
Tipper, can you ask your readers if anyone remembers an old child’s game where fists were stacked on one another and the rhyme that went with it was something about where did the cheese go? The mouse got it. Where did the mouse go? The cat go it. The dog got it. Where did the dog go… and so on. We recently lost my father who was almost 88. He played this little game with my daughter when she was young. Now she is trying to remember how it all went but can’t quite get it all to come together. He grew up at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains just below Lovers Leap in Patrick County VA, so, all of your posts seem to be homegrown to me. Thanks for sharing and thanks in advance if you have any resources on this old game. I know it ended with something like “the first one to smile get’s a bonk on the head.”
I have never heard of the game, but it sounds like a fun one to play especially with children. Please leave a comment and share any information you may have about the game.
Go here to visit the Blind Pig and The Acorn game category which contains posts I’ve written over the years about various old games.
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I am not familiar with this particular game but I think the different versions of those childhood games are interesting. We did the one -forehead bumper, eye winker, nose dropper, mouth eater, chin chopper, gully, gulley, gulley, as well as many of the ones readers mentioned. Another one Daddy taught us was playing school on the stairs. The “teacher” stood in front holding a tiny rock hidden in one hand. The “students” sat on the bottom step. One at a time each student tried to choose the hand holding the rock. If they chose correctly they moved up a step/ grade. I’d they choose incorrectly they stayed in that grade until they chose the one holding the stone on another turn. The first student to reach the top step became the teacher. One of my grandsons wore me out on this game! My sister, now 89, has collected about 1500 old-style homemade toys as well as the books about those kinds of toys and games. She grew up without electricity and while working as a 4-H Club agent in Tn introduced simple homemade toys and games to the members after realizing most did not know how to entertain themselves without tv. That was about 50 yrs ago. Many of her toys are from travels to other countries and some are the same as ones she obtained locally. As a retirement project years ago she made (with the help of some friends) sets of several wooden board games in a cabinet for each of the 4-H camps in Tn. The purpose was not only for fun but to teach responsibility. I hope most of the games and pieces are still being used at the camps. I was going to ask if she was familiar with the game mentioned in this post or try to see if it was in any of her books if no one knew it. I want her to teach me how to carve animals from corn stalks as Daddy taught her but haven’t done it yet. She enjoys showing how to do string figures at festivals and events. Many will remember making Jacob’s ladder, cup and saucer, etc with a loop
of string. I love hearing comments from people who remember doing that years ago and have forgotten. These are definitely things that should be passed down and despite all the things children have available now it’s amazing to me how many really become interested in the simple toys and games. She also hopes to donate her collection to a museum somewhere. Thanks for bringing back childhood memories.
We played a similar game, but can’t remember the verse, didn’t have anything to do with a mouse tho. We also played something called bloody knuckles (mostly the older boys, on the bus, like my hubby). You each made a fist & used your knuckles to rap down very hard on the other guy – over & over. First one to pull away lost. You would end up with a bloody set of knuckles. You can see why this would be very attractive to pre teen boys trying to show off on the school bus! We played clapping games like, Miss Mary Mack and jump rope games like Cinderella Dressed in Yella…. We also played hot potato, telephone, jump the creek, thumbs up Seven up (ever heard of that one?). The thumbs up 7 up was a game for teachers to calm down rowdy kids & it involved sitting at your desk with your head down. the teacher would call out different commands and you would raise your fingers/hands for the various things. Can’t remember all of it, but do recall that it was often a game right after recess when it was hot out. The teacher would shut the lights off & try to calm everyone down. My kids barely got to play any of these games, by the time they were in school. Some of them were so fun! Kids don’t know how to have fun anymore.
Tammy that’s it!!!!! Thank you all so very much. I absolutely love our Appalachian family (all that love and read the Blind Pig and the Acorn). Y’all are the best. Thank also for your condolences. You all would have loved my father he was as great a story teller as Mr. Alex. We miss him daily.
I don’t remember that game, but it sounds like a lot of fun. I just remember the one potato, two potato game and the peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, red rover and a tisket, a tasket a green and yellow basket, and hide and go seek. What fun we had with just simple games like these. I always liked playing with marbles and can remember taking some to school and us kids would trade with each other. And if it was a really good trading day us girls would get the boys in the class to trade with us also!! Have a blessed day all!!
My Daddy used to play a game with us where he would point to the forehead and say “rooster”, at the nose and say “pullet”, and at the chin and say “hen”. he would then ask what he called the nose and when you said pullet he would pull your nose!
My great uncle played a little game with us, like that. He would tell you to point to your cheek & say the abbreviation for the word Quart (Qt….Cutie, get it). Then point to your head & say the abbreviation for Mountain…..Mt! We would always laugh even though we knew the joke.
I love the lyrics of the game and know that my 7 yo grandson would have a great time waiting for me to smile. I sure hope someone remembers the words so I can play it with him.
First my sympathy to Mrs Boyd and her family for the recent loss of her father.
I’ve not heard of that game Mrs Boyd described in her request to you. I hope she finds someone who knows the old game so her daughter can have the words to pass down to her children.
Just a thought, she might want to contact the historical society in her area to see if they have a record of the game or she can contact a local nursing home to talk to the activities director. The activities director might know some of her residents that are the age of her father and she can ask if they remember the game. When I use to volunteered at a local nursing home I was always amazed at how sharp so many of the elderly’s minds were and could remember things from their childhood. People don’t realize our elderly are walking historians. They lived history and can recall historical events that history books don’t even cover. Like Alex in the book your reading Tipper, or Mrs. Hicks you interviewed and many others you have talked to about how they lived their lives growing up in the Appalachia. So please tell Mrs Boyd if your readers don’t have the answer, to reach out to others in her area about the game, she might find a treasure of memories from people that will become new friends to cherish.
Hi Tipper & Darlene!
We played this game with my great aunt when we were very young and thought it was hilarious. I am sure it varied with regions. You stack you fists and ask the question to each person participating, “Knock it off, take it off, let the crow’s pick it off” and demonstrate by removing each hand with a peck, knock, or gentle take off, until you reach the last. Then you ask these questions and the proper responses:
Q-What’s down in there?
A- Bread and cheese
Q-Where is my part?
A-The cat got it.
Q-Where is the cat?
A-In the woods
Q-Where is the woods?
A-The fire burned it.
Q-Where is the fire?
A-The water put it out.
Q-Where is the water?
A-The ox drunk it.
Q-Where is the ox?
A-The rope hung it.
Q-Where is the rope?
A-The knife cut it.
Q-Where is the Knife?
A-The hammer broke it.
Q-Where is the hammer?
Behind the old church door cracking hickory nuts. The first one that shows their teeth gets: (Any variety of answers works.) 3 chicken pecks. 2 dog bites, etc…
The game sounds like a version of this.
Club Fist
USA
A child lays on a table his clenched fist, with the thumb elevated; another grasps the raised thumb with his own fist, and so on until a pile of fists is built up. A player, who remains apart from the group, then addresses the child whose hand is at the top:
“What’s that?”
“A pear.”
“Take it off, or I’ll knock it off.”
The same conversation is repeated with the next child, and so on; the fist being withdrawn as speedily as possible, to escape a rap from the questioner. When only one is left, the following dialogue ensues:
“What have you got there?”
“Bread and cheese.”
“Where’s my share ?”
“Cat’s got it.”
“Where’s the cat?”
“In the woods.”
“Where’s the woods ?”
“Fire burned it.”
“Where’s the fire?”
“Water quenched it.”
“Where’s the water?”
“Ox drank it.”
“Where’s the ox?”
“Butcher killed it.”
“Where’s the butcher?”
“Rope hung him.”
“Where’s the rope?”
“Rat gnawed it.”
“Where’s the rat?”
“Cat caught it.”
“Where’s the cat?”
“Behind the church door. The first who laughs, or grins, or shows the teeth has three pinches and three knocks.”
Then follows a general scattering; for some child is sure to laugh, and if he does not do so of his own accord, his neighbors will certainly tweak him, poke him, or otherwise excite his risibility. Georgia.
In Pennsylvania the conversation ends:
“Where’s the butcher?”
“He’s behind the door eracking nuts, and whoever speaks first I’ll slap his fingers, Because I am the keeper of the keys,
And I do whatever I please.”
This dialogue, based on a well-known nursery tale, has maintained itself with remarkable persistence, and even verbal identity, in several European languages. We meet it in Germany and Denmark, as well as England.
Donna Sue, we played One potato, two potato as a rhyme to choose a person for a role in a game. 1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato, 4. 5 potato, 6 potato, 7 potato, more. O.u.t. spells out, and out goes y.o.u. You could play it with one fist each or 2. The one calling would use her chin as the 2nd fist when using 2 each. We also played by asking the person whose fist was hit on “more” to name a color. Then the girl who was calling would spell out the color, and the last fist hit was out (or had one fist out – held behind her back- if playing with 2 fists. )The cleverest girls knew where to stand in relation to the caller if playing using “out” or what color to name to not have the last letter land on her.
Oh, that sounds like such fun, but it’s new to me. I remember the One potato, two potato… game with fists, and Pease porridge hot which we played in twosomes as we clapped hands together. And also “Head thinker, eye winker, nose blower, mouth eater, chin chopper, gully, gully, gully” and “trot little horsey” and “triddy troddy Boston” and “this little piggy” and “creep mousey” — all baby games.
Kathy Henry – yes! That was the rhyme I was taught. Except now that I heard you say the words to it, I remember how I was taught the rhyme. I learned you pat the top of the head and say – this is where the kitty sits. Then you touch the forehead and say – this is where he jumps. Touch the right eye – eye winker. Left eye – Tom Tinker. Nose – nose smeller. Mouth – mouth eater. Chin – chin chopper. And then tickle them! Thank you for helping me remember that rhyme. I grew up in San Diego. My parents are from Pennsylvania. It amazes me how so many childhood memories are actually worldwide. Such a big world we live in, but our traditions are really not that different. When you think about how we all came from Adam and Eve, it can be mind boggling to think how we are all probably doing things the same way they did. There are a few minor variations in different cultures, but basically we all do and say the same things.
Donna. : )
We’ve not heard of this game, but have definitely heard of the ones that have been mentioned by Donna Sue, Cindy and Glenda. I did a Google search and came up with a zero. Hopefully someone remembers it.
On a side note, we got our first snow overnight here in central Indiana and woke up to about 1 1/2 inches on the ground and on our deck. This was quite the surprise for everyone in our region!
I still play a game with my grandkids from long ago. Start by touching their forehead and say Fire Bumper. Then each eye saying Eye Winker and John Tinker. On their nose us Nose Smeller. Mouth is mouth eater. Chin is chin chopper. Then tickle them under the chin. They love it!
Never heard of that game, but as children games go, it sounds like fun. Back in the day, so to speak, we did a lot of playing and sometime made up games for entertainment…. Red rover, Tag, Hide and Seek for just a few. Appreciate the memories.
no I’ve never heard of it but I bet the kids loved it
When I was a kid, we had a game where fists were stacked, it was to determine who goes first in a game. It went like this, “Pease porridge hot, peace porridge cold, peace porridge in the pot, nine days old.”
I sure haven’t heard of that in a lot of years!
I remember a game where everyone stacks their fists on top of each other saying “one potato, two potato, three potato, four…”, but I can’t remember the rest of this game, nor who taught it to me. My closest friend from birth, Ruby, more than likely taught me it. She knew all the very old games, just like she knew all the songs every sung since the beginning of time clear up until last year, including every tv show and commercial jingle – all of them – until she passed away a year ago this month at way too young of an age (from multiple sclerosis). If it had a sing-song rhyme to it, she could remember it. But, I never heard the words that Darlene Harbor Boyd recalls. It amazes me how long these children’s rhymes and games have been passed down through the centuries. Here’s another one I vaguely remember a few words to – you point to the forehead of the child, and then to each eye, the nose, the mouth, and then you tickle the child – as you you say a little rhyme. The only words I remember from it are “This is where the kitty sits, this is where he jumps…”.
Donna. : )
The potato counting couplet goes:
One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, four.
Five potatoes, six potatoes, seven potatoes or
Whoever put the last fist on ‘or’ would put that fist behind his/her back and the routine would repeat until only one fist was left. That person was ‘it.’
That’s how I remember it was done.