In spirit of the down by the banks question, how many of you sang Quack diddly oso?

Posted by Wobbly_Wobbegong@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 84 comments

I learned this one in Southern Colorado in the early 2010s but it seem like there’s a ton of regional variants. The one I sang was:

Quack diddly oso Quack quack quack Señorita, Rita, Rita, Rita Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora 1,2,3,4!

For those unfamiliar, it’s a hand slap game similar to the bullfrog one where whoever it lands on when everyone says the last word (in this case 4) is out. I’m super curious about all the regional variants.

[-]

Lugbor@reddit

Much like the previous post, I have no idea what you're talking about.

[-]

Manatee369@reddit

Same here.

[-]

Zephyrific@reddit

I think it might be age and gender-specific. Games like these were huge with tween/teen girls in the 80s/90s, but it was rare to have any boys playing them with us. I don’t know this particular song, but as a woman who grew up in the 80s/90s, I definitely know the frog song and a bunch of others too. Miss Mary Mack comes to mind.

[-]

anclwar@reddit

I was a tween and teen girl in the 90s and I don't know the bullfrog one at all. Miss Mary Mack, yes. Whatever this is and bullfrogs, no.

[-]

big_ol_knitties@reddit

Same here!

[-]

Ok_Helicopter2305@reddit

I thought the same thing. All of these hand games were played by girls when I was a kid

[-]

lyrasorial@reddit

https://youtu.be/xvVQvqyW2bw?si=9FUJ12PcXnu29ZEA

[-]

m00nriveter@reddit

Michigan. Never heard your version.

Our “quack quack quack” group clapping game growing up was:

Stella Ella oh-la quack quack quack,

go west chigga chigga chigga chigga chack,

go west, chigga chigga, love, love,

love, love, love, love, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

[-]

AggravatingCamp9315@reddit

Also from Michigan and I've never heard what you are talking about lol.aybe it's a generation thing? I'm 38.

[-]

cruzweb@reddit

As a 39 year old who grew up in Michigan these threads confuse the hell out of me too.

[-]

m00nriveter@reddit

I’m 40. I just meant “our” in the sense of myself and my playmates.

[-]

AggravatingCamp9315@reddit

Ahh

[-]

macoafi@reddit

This bears some resemblance to mine in Pittsburgh.

[-]

lavasca@reddit

It’s a no for me, dawg.

[-]

SeethingHeathen@reddit

Never heard of this one.

We did Miss Mary Mack and Hello, Operator.

[-]

reyadeyat@reddit

Hello, Operator was so scandalous in elementary school, haha.

[-]

masoleumofhope@reddit

California Bay area here, Yes.

This, down by the banks and Ms. Mary Mack were super common in my area at least among girls in the 80's/90's/00's. Played 'em with the Girl Scouts, during sports, with sisters, elementary school recess, sleepovers, etc.

This and the other thread are real eye openers. Definitely assumed these were more universal than it appears they are.

[-]

cohrt@reddit

Like the other post I have no idea what you people are talking about.

[-]

TheShoot141@reddit

I remember it from NY circa 93. But it was the girls that did it sitting in a circle.

[-]

Cratertooth_27@reddit

I understand this reference!

[-]

NYIsles55@reddit

We did this one at our camp. Different lyrics. I don't 100% remember them, but it was something along the lines of:

Quack diddly oso quack quack, from San Diego, igle igle igle, Flora, Flora, the dog peed on the floor so 1, 2, 3, 4!

[-]

missprescott@reddit

Pretty close to yours really, I learned: Quack diddly oso, quack, quack, quack, Señorita, rita, rita, rita, Velor, velor, velor, velor, velor, ve-lor, 1, 2, 3, 4!

(Pennsylvania, mid-1990s)

[-]

mothma_sol@reddit

Quack diddly oh so quack quack quack. Senorita your mama smells like pizza. Senor senor I kick you out the door 1234!

[-]

Ravenclaw79@reddit

Never heard of that one

[-]

BUBBAH-BAYUTH@reddit

I haven’t heard this one, but definitely did Down by the Banks, Mary Mack, say-say-o Playmate/enemy, rockin’ Robin and a few more I’m sure I’m forgetting

[-]

jessper17@reddit

Never heard of this before. The other song, either.

[-]

qu33nof5pad35@reddit

I remember singing a version of this but can’t remember if it was “flora” or something else.

[-]

AbbyNem@reddit

I know both Quack diddly oso and Down by the Banks as well as a bunch of other hand clap games and jump rope rhymes. From NJ. I think you know a lot more of these if you went to summer camp.

My version: Quack diddly oso, quack quack quack, Senorita, Rita Rita Rita, galore, galore, potatoes on the floor! Galore, 1 2 3 4!

And also: Down by the banks with the Hanky panky, where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank, I said, ee, ah, skiddle pop pop, skiddle diddle kernel pop!

[-]

Okuri-Inu@reddit

I think I learned that in Spanish class.

[-]

Yankee_chef_nen@reddit

Just like the other thread, I have no idea what you are referring to.

If it helps for figuring out if this is a regional or generational thing, I’m older Gen X and grew up in Maine. In my late teens my family moved to Louisiana and I’ve lived in a total of nine different states. Northeast and Deep South.

[-]

Providence451@reddit

Male?

[-]

Yankee_chef_nen@reddit

Yes

[-]

TheBimpo@reddit

I think the activities in both of these threads are made up and don't actually exist.

[-]

Providence451@reddit

They do exist. I grew up in the 70's in the deep South and we played these games and others all the time.

[-]

UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

90s/2000s in the Deep South and I’ve never heard of either of these.

[-]

Providence451@reddit

I guess it's more generational than regional, then. I was born and raised in Alabama, with a brief time in Kentucky in elementary school.

[-]

PersonalitySmall593@reddit

For data...are you a woman?

[-]

Providence451@reddit

I am indeed. And I was a Girl Scout - that also seems to be a unifying factor.

[-]

PersonalitySmall593@reddit

Yep. Seems it's gender specific

[-]

GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit

I am choosing to believe this is an widescale coordinated troll.

[-]

Apocalyptic0n3@reddit

It's the only reasonable explanation.

[-]

lyrasorial@reddit

https://youtu.be/xvVQvqyW2bw

[-]

CuriousExpression876@reddit

The version I knew was “quack a dilly o-ma quack quack quack, hey Chico Chico Chico Chico chack…”

[-]

mcm87@reddit

Massachusetts, we played something like this at summer camp. I think ours went crocadilly oh my, croc, croc, croc!

[-]

Raibean@reddit

California. Never heard it.

[-]

Ok_Helicopter2305@reddit

I'm from California and we do have a version, but it might be a black thing. It was a hand game we would play. It goes " down by the bank wit a hanky panky where the bullfrog just from bank to bank I said an eeep opp put him in a pot, they all go crazy and they all go pop"

[-]

Raibean@reddit

That’s a completely different song

[-]

Ok_Helicopter2305@reddit

Wow, there really are so many different versions

[-]

macoafi@reddit

That’s the one the other thread was about.

My white husband who grew up in the Maryland suburbs of DC recognizes that from the 80s. His version has “listen to the rhythm of the kerplop.”

[-]

seifd@reddit

I saw girls my age play other clapping games, but not that one.

[-]

upvoter222@reddit

I remember playing that game at Summer camp when I was younger. Nobody seemed to know what the words meant and I think some of them got changed like in a game of telephone. I was convinced it was "A crockadillo oma."

[-]

macoafi@reddit

Quack diddly oso quack quack quack ess cheego cheego, cheego cheego slapjack, go slow, go slow go slow 1 2 3 4

I’m from Pittsburgh

[-]

Bluemonogi@reddit

Never heard of it.

[-]

RadioRoosterTony@reddit

These songs seem as regionally special as "steamed hams."

[-]

SpaTowner@reddit

This is reminding me of Adam and the Ants Stand and deliver (da diddley, qua qua, da diddley, qua qua) Your money or your life (da diddley, qua qua, da diddley, qua qua)

[-]

CinemaSideBySides@reddit

Both of these threads have made me realize I didn't do nearly enough clapping games as a child.

I'm mostly familiar with them through media - Bob's Burgers, Any Day Now, Family Guy, that Shirley Ellis song...

[-]

destinyofdoors@reddit

I've never heard it in English, but I remember learning it in Hebrew.

Qua qua de la oma, qua qua qua. Desi matriko, Abba shelkha kofiko, Ima shelkha hippopotam, v'ata hamot katan. V'lo v'ken, tzolea umisken.

(Qua qua de la oma, qua qua qua. Desi matriko, your dad is a monkey, your mom is a hippopotamus, and you are a little donkey. Yes, no, limping and pitiful.)

[-]

manicpixidreamgirl04@reddit

Mine was

quackadillioso quack quack quack señorita your mama smells like pizza delora delora I'll kick you out the doora 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10!

[-]

EchoAquarium@reddit

This is definitely regional, probably based on where the teachers are originally from. I grew up in Puerto Rico, we did the bullfrogs one and we had a Spanish version about Smurfs.

[-]

moonbunnychan@reddit

I knew the bullfrog one, unfamiliar with this one. I was born in 1982, so maybe it was just after my time in school.

[-]

Wobbly_Wobbegong@reddit (OP)

Yeah I was born in 2002 so I wonder if part of the confusion is generational to an extent. At least in terms of popularity over time.

[-]

resting-bitch@reddit

I want to know… if you didn’t play either of these hand slap games, did you play another version/song?

[-]

resting-bitch@reddit

I learned Down By The Banks growing up in Utah. My daughter knows Quack Dilly oso from school in Colorado, but I hadn’t heard of it before. She also knows Down By the Banks, we played it at Girl Scout Camp.

[-]

dystopiadattopia@reddit

Never heard of it. We just did the Big Mac hand clap

[-]

momofmills@reddit

Never heard of this one, but I'm older than you and from the East Coast so...

[-]

lyrasorial@reddit

OP! ADD A LINK!

https://youtu.be/xvVQvqyW2bw

[-]

cats_and_tats84@reddit

Puzzled. Never heard of this. The only “nonsense” hand slapping game I played growing up was “I went to a Chinese restaurant, to buy a loaf of bread, bread, bread!” (And more nonsense continues)…

[-]

OkBiscotti1140@reddit

Oh I know this one! And Miss Mary Mack never heard of the one OP mentioned.

[-]

cats_and_tats84@reddit

Oh yeah, I forgot about Miss Mary!

[-]

DiligerentJewl@reddit

I (California) didn’t know this one, but I heard my kids (Massachusetts) sing it like this:

Quacka dilly omer, quack quack quack. Hey, cinco cinco, cinco cinco sy. Follow, follow (…) dressed in yellow…

[-]