Ip dip facts for kids
Ip dip is a rhythmic counting-out game with many variations, the purpose of which is to select an individual from a group, for instance to choose the starting player of a game. It has been commonly used in British playgrounds for many years.
The speaker of the rhyme points to a different person in order as each stressed syllable is spoken; the person pointed to as the final syllable is spoken is thereby elected.
The aim is to delay and distract from counting the syllables or otherwise fixing the result; the rhyme should be so long that the speaker loses count and cannot predict the chosen person. Perhaps this unpredictability is the reason that there are so many variations, including the practice of stringing variations together — which may be considered cheating.
The rhyme was mentioned on the children's show Bluey, in the episode Early Baby, but it’s also used in season one episode 15 “butterflies“.
Examples
A Welsh version of the rhyme runs:
- Ip dip dip /
- My blue [or little] ship /
- Sailing on the water /
- Like a cup and saucer,/
- But you are not in it.
Other recorded versions include:
- Ip dip sky blue /
- Who's it not you!/
A variation of this version was featured on Bluey:
- 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! /
A version from World War One was recorded by Thomas Ringlestone:
- Ip dip doo /
- The cat's got the flu /
- The cat's got the plague /
- I choose you!
- Ip dip doo, /
- The cat's got the flu, /
- The dog's got the chickenpox , /
- So out goes you.
