thanks for your help about the Jacks rhymes and actually yes a sort of equivalent game was in France also. We call this ” play at knuckle bones” and as you figure , instead of jacks , things looking like sort of knuckle bones were thrown in the air but I don’t remember neither the material nor the the game itself. I guess this was smething from the previous generations.
heres the lyrics as directed by my 6 yr old neice. down town baby down by the roller coaster sweet sweet baby ill never let you go i met a boy from matiska he said matiska obriska ice cream soda pop cherry on top shimmer shimmer coca pop shimmer shimmer pop oooh shalina walking down the street i said it i ment it i stole my mommas credit im hot im cool so hit me one more time.
I have occasionally found the “real” old-fashioned metal jacks at Walmart. I have also just ordered 5 dozen of them from www.oriental.com for a Girl Scout event I am conducting on “Games of Yesteryear.” One really needs the metal jacks as the ones made from plastic do not have the right “weight” to them and “skitter.” I was hoping to find a website giving the old rhymes to the game. I used to play it, but don’t remember the rhymes. Any help?
This is in reply to Victoria Linchong’s message on 11/24/99, regarding the last part about the game played in a ring. I played a game like that a few times in elementary school. I don’t remember any “Eenie”, but I don’t remember it all, either. Here’s what I do remember: …And the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank. eep, op, eep op op, Skiddle, diddle, ker-PLOP! The person who was supposed to get hit on plop had to try to make the person slapping their hand miss. They stayed in if they made the other person miss. Otherwise they were out.
Here’s a good one… Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell, Miss Suzy went to heaven, the steamboat went to hell-o operator, give me number nine, and if you disconnect me, I’ll kick you from behind the frigerator, there was a piece of glass, Miss Suzy sat upon it, and cut her little ask me no more questions, and tell me no more lies, Miss Suzy had a boyfiend zipping up his flies are in the kitchen flies are everywhere… And that’s where I lose it. Can’t remember anymore!!!
I am thrilled to find this site. When I was in the second grade I lived with my grandmother in New York City, on East 87th Street. I went to St. Joseph’s Catholic School just down the street. I was introduced to jumprope during recess at school. One of the rhymes I remember went like this, and I’ll bet everyone who has ever jumped rope knows this one: Down in the meadow Where the green grass grows There sits Paula As sweet as a rose She sang and she sang and she sang so sweet Along came Johnny and kissed her on the cheek! How many times did he kiss her? The rope turners would double-time the turns and everyone would be yelling the count! What fun and what memories. Thanks so much for this wonderful website.