Counting-out game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A counting-out game is a simple game intended to select a person to be "it", often for the purpose of playing another game. Some counting-out games are
- Rock, Paper, Scissors
- Odd or Even
- Coin flipping
- Drawing straws - player with the shortest straw loses.
- Bizz Buzz
Many such games involve one person pointing at each participant in a circle of players while reciting a rhyme. A new person is pointed at as each word is said. The player who is selected at the conclusion of the rhyme is "it" or "out". In an alternate version, the circle of players may each put two feet in and at the conclusion of the rhyme, that player removes one foot and the rhyme starts over with the next person. In this case, the first player that has both feet removed is "it" or "out". These are often accepted as random selections because the number of words has not been calculated beforehand, so the result is unknown right up until someone is selected.
A variant of counting-out game, known as Josephus problem, represents a famous theoretical problem in mathematics and computer science.
[edit] Some common rhymes
- Whose shoe is the dirty shoe - everyone stands in a closed circle and stick one foot out in front of them, the shoes are pointed out in turns as the rhyme is sung
- Whose shoe is the dirty shoe
- Please go out and wash your dirty shoe
- And come back to school
- By Monday morning
- Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
- Tea Cup Saucer Out
- Tinker, Tailor - Traditionally played in England.
- One potato, two potato - players may start with both fists (to resemble potatoes) in, so have to be got twice to be out.
- One potato, two potato
- Three potato, four,
- Five potato, six potato,
- Seven potato, more,
- One big bad spud.
- Ink-a-bink (Last two lines added if the chooser happens to like the person singled out by the "stink")
- Ink-a-bink
- A bottle of ink
- Cork fell out and you stink
- My mother told me to pick the very best one and
- You are not it
- Bubblegum, Bubblegum
- Bubblegum, bubblegum,
- In a dish,
- How many pieces,
- Do you wish?
Whomever the rhyme ends with chooses a number, and that many "pieces" are counted. The person on whom the last number falls is out.
- Harum, scare'em
- One spot, two spot, zig-zag, tear.
- Pop-die, pennygot, tennyum, tear.
- Harum, scare'em, rip'em, tear'em.
- Tay, taw, toe.
- Superman
- Superman, Superman fly away
- Superman, Superman save the day
- Inky Pinky Ponky
- Inky pinky ponky,
- Daddy had a donkey,
- Donkey died, daddy cried,
- Inky pinky ponky.
or
- Inky dinky donky,
- Daddy had a donkey,
- Donkey died, Daddy cried,
- Inky dinky donkey.
- Skunk in the barnyard, pee yoo!
- Somebody ate it, that's you!
or
- Ip dip, sky blue,
- Who's it? That's you!
- Horses in a Stable
- Number horses in a stable,
- One jumps out
In place of the word number, the number of players currently in is used, changing as the players are taken out.
- My Mother and Your Mother
- My mother and your mother were hanging up clothes,
- My mother punched your mother right in the nose.
- What color was the blood?
The color chosen is spelled out. Whoever gets the last letter is "it."
- Cindereller
- Cindereller, dressed in yeller
- Went upstairs to kiss her feller
- Made a mistake and kissed a snake
- Came downstairs with a bellyache
- How many doctors did it take?
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8!
Whoever is #8 is it.
- Scout, Scout
- Scout, Scout
- You're out
- eeny beeny pepsi-keeny
- bah-bah-barbarini
- archie-parchie
- liberachi
- and his brother george
- a peach, a plumb
- half a stick of chewing gum
- if you want the other half,
- this is what you say:
- a man, a man,
- a mandiego san diego
- hocus-pocus
- dominocus
- grey eagle!
- Sittin' on a bandstand
- Beatin' on a tin can
- who can? we can!
- Nobody else can!
- Sis, sis, sis koom bah!
- browncroft day camp
- Rah rah rah!
- Pizza Pie -- Players Hold hands out like two Slices of Pizza, Similar to One Potato, Two Potato
- Pizza pizza pizza pie,
- If you eat it you will die,
- If you die I will cry,
- Pizza pizza pizza pie,
- engine, engine #9
- going down chicago line
- if the train falls off the track,
- do you want your money back?
(one choses yes or no)
- y-e-s (or n-o) spells yes (or no)
and you are it!
- Shunk in a barnyard
- Shunck in a Barnyard, PU
- Somebody ate it and thats you
