The plot thickens...

[girlyswot]

According to Wikipedia, the version of the Hokey C/Pokey sung/danced in the US misses out the fun bit.  So I think we need another poll![Poll #1329861]

Comments

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

Forgot to say what doing the hokey cokey involves: clasping hands and wiggling them from left to right in time to the music.

This is bringing back a lot of memories!

[amamama.livejournal.com]

LOL - I'll definitely not vote on this one! I'll just keep an eye on the post to see if I become any wiser. And if I don't, at least I've had fun while reading. :-)

[oursin.livejournal.com]

It concludes with 'Knees bend, arms stretch, ra, ra, ra' followed by 'That's what it's all about'.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Yes, quite right. *smacks head* I believe in the US they don't do the knees bend bit at all.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I can't remember whether the knees bend bit is what i did here in Oz (fortunately, I haven't had to do the damned thing since I stopped taking Little Tyke to playgroup) or in England.

I think there was a move to stop people rushing to the middle of the room because it was dangerous (people falling over and being dragged along the floor). That, of course, was the whole fun of the dance, so it sort of ruined it. One of the advantages of being a child in the sixties and a teenager in the seventies, is that no one knew any of these things were so dangerous, so we got to do them regardless. Though maybe having seat belts in cars and making bikers wear helmets were good things.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, it could be very dangerous, especially if you let teenage boys play. But that was exactly what was most fun. I didn't know they'd stopped doing that.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether it was actually stopped but i remember lots of discussion about it, probably during the eighties. It's the sort of thing "You and Yours" and "Watchdog" would talk about ad nauseum. You know the sort of thing "A small child could be seriously injured if he attempted this whilst wearing roller skates at the top of a staircase whilst outside in a thunderstorm."

[gabrielladusult.livejournal.com]

First, what does OWIWEIC mean?

Second, during the chorus, we slap our legs during the lines "that's what it's" then clap our hands during "all about" then usually say "whoo" and wave our hands in the air.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Other, which I will explain in comments.

Ah. You don't have a chorus that goes 'Oh, oh, the hokey pokey' repeated three times? That's when we do the rushing into the middle bit. There isn't any 'That's what it's all about' in the chorus the way we sing it.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. And then the following week there'd be an article about how children didn't know any of the traditional games and dances any more. *rolls eyes*

[abishag.livejournal.com]

Both endings, or rather I think the ending is the two "alternatives" combined.

[gabrielladusult.livejournal.com]

Yes -- we have that part, I wasn't clear until I saw your video, but I'm in the midst of helping kids with homework.

During that part instead of running in, we crouch low and slowly stand up and wave our hands in the air.

[nundu-art.livejournal.com]

I've only done the Hokey-Pokey whilst roller-skating. During the chorus you had the choice of grabbing a partner and doing a spin or spinning on your own, waving your hands in the air. I usually fell on my derriere, as I couldn't spin on roller-skates...and that was fun too, as some nice fellow would usually help me up.

[abishag.livejournal.com]

This has been a most revealing post/discussion. I don't know about the other Brits, but I'd never heard of its being done on either kind of skates until yesterday. Here it is either a children's thing these days, or an impromptu thing like a conga, often at mixed age celebrations.