(1) Punchinello

All the kids sit or stand in a circle. One child, picked to play Punchinello, comes into the middle of the circle. Everybody sings or chants: " What can you do Punchinello, Funny Fellow. What can you do Punchinello, Funny Clown?"
Punchinello does something funny like stick out his tongue, walk on four feet, hold his ears and wiggle them, or wave his arms and legs. All the others copy the action while they sing: "We can do it too, Punchinello, Funny Fellow. We can do it too Punchinello, Funny Clown."
Then the child in the middle gets to pick who's going to be Punchinello next -- someone who hasn't had a turn while everyone sings: "Who do you choose, Punchinello, Funny Fellow. Who do you choose, Punchinello, Funny Clown?" He picks another Punchinello and the game continues until everyone has had a turn.

(2) Punchinello

What can you do Punchinello, funny fellow?
What can you do, Punchinello, funny you?

We can do it, too, Punchinello, funny fellow.
We can do it, too, Punchinello, funny you.

Choose someone new, Punchinello, funny fellow.
Choose someone new, Punchinello, funny you.

(3) Punchinello

Circle Game
Written By: Unknown
Copyright Unknown

TO START:
Children form into a circle,
with one child in center as 'Punchinello.'

VERSE 1:
('Punchinello' does an action -- hopping on one foot, twirling, etc. -- while the children sing.)

What can you do,
Punchinello, funny fellow?
What can you do,
Punchinello, funny you?

VERSE 2:
(Children in circle copy the action that Punchinello is doing.)

We can do it, too,
Punchinello, funny fellow,
We can do it, too,
Punchinello, funny you!

VERSE 3:
(Punchinello selects another child as Punchinello, then takes that child's place in the circle.)

You choose one of us,
Punchinello, funny fellow,
You choose one of us,
Punchinello, funny you!
.....................................................

The version in Opie, The Singing Game (Oxford, No. 118 [pp. 412-413]; with music) is:

What shall we do, Punchinello, little fellow?
What shall we do, Punchinello, little dear?

We'll do the same, Punchinello, little fellow,
We'll do the same, Punchinello, little dear.

The Opies say the original is French (c.1910), and that "it seems to have created for kindergarten use." Several French sites (Click HERE, HERE, and HERE) are found which contain this song (the title usually being "(La) Polichinelle"), though there're some differences in melody from the Opies' English version. The Opies go on to say:

"When children began playing the game spontaneously is not known. In A Baker's Dozen: Singing Games for Brownies, 1947, Mary Charter noted that it 'seems to have caught on in Britain and has become more popular than most such importations'. Certainly it was being played in a great number of places in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, whether at Brownies or in playtime, and both words and method of playing varied from place to place."

They list the records from Britain, USA, New Zealand, and Canada.

~Masato