Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Dandee Lions
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 03:28 PM

it REALLY goes:

stella ella ola
quack quack singing
s-tiga tiga tiga tiga shock shock
s-tiga tiga valo valo valo valo valo-o
1,2,3,4 youre out.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 03:32 PM

Franklin, Ma-

In Milton ours was almost the same

Crocadilly oh my, croc croc croc
Say chico chico,
chico chico chock
Follow follow, stick your head in jello
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

And I think maybe our ch's got turned to s's. Like "Say sico sico sico sico sock"

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 03:35 PM

We also had
Quack dilly oso
quack quack quack
sanarico rico rico rico
dalor dalor
1-2-3-4

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,crocodile moray
Date: 15 Feb 10 - 04:32 PM

I heard something like it called crocodile moray. I don't know how to spell it exactly but it goes a little like this:

Crocadile moray,
croc, croc, croc!
Ey cinco cino,
Cinco, cinco,
Soc, Soc,
Ey cinco cino
Malo, Malo,
malo malo malo!
Uno, dos, tres, quattro, cinco!!!

Yeah, my spanish (?) is a little rusty, but you get it. Sound familiar to anybody?

- A musical human

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,RaNDoM
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 05:31 PM

Anyone remember a hand slapping game called chica dela old man? You sit in a circle and slap hands... It goes like this (check spelling...):

Chica della old man qua qua qua chi chi five cents a chica chika chang choom Follow follow follow follow follow one two three four FIVE

On the fifth slap the person that gets slapped is out, or if the person moves before, the slapper is out.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Mar 10 - 06:48 PM

We play something like that at my school. Our rhyme goes more like this:

Croc a dilly oh mi croc croc croc
Say sinco sinco, sinco sinco sak a lak a
Follow, Follow, stick your head in Je-llo
Your face is turning yel-low
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Jessica
Date: 03 May 10 - 05:51 PM

The one from my home town goes
crocodile moray,
croc croc croc,
ay, cinco cino, cinco cinco soc soc
ay, cinco cino, mlo, mlo
mlo mlo mlo 1,2,3,4,5!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 03 May 10 - 05:53 PM

and theres one that goes with the same hand movements but i forget the words...somethin about ppl on mars and then snakes with diamonds in there eyes and...:) anyone no that?

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,BRIANNA YOUNG
Date: 14 May 10 - 08:39 PM

STELLA ELL OLLA CLAP CLAP CLAP SAYING STEGGA TEGGA TEGGA SHACK SHACK STEGGA TEGGA BOLONY BOLONY WITH CHEESE AND MACARONIE SAYING 1234 FIVE !

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,MEE!!
Date: 27 May 10 - 11:02 PM

i thought it was ...


stella ella ola
clap clap clap
singing s tigga tigga
tigga tigga shack shack
s tigga tigga below below
below below below-ba
1 2 3 4 5

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 02 Jun 10 - 02:27 AM

I'm from manitoba, Canada and we would sing the rythm like this :

Stella stella hola
Clap clap clap
Say es chico chico
Chico chico
Craker jack
Es chico chico
Balogne,balogne
With cheese and macaroni
Say 1,2,3,4,5

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Erin
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 10:43 PM

This is so great to read - I love how oral tradition has changed and modified it - the song has different dialects :)

In upstate NY, I learned:

A quack a dilly oma
quack quack quack
Hey chico, chico,
Chico, chico, Chack
Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow
Follow 1-2-3-4

For ours 4 was the "get out" number with the same right hand to left hand clapping. Once down to 2 players though, the after singing the number "4", the chanting went "i declare a thumb war - kiss. bow. begin" and the thumb war determined the ultimate winner.

As a music teacher now in CT, I pass on my version to my students - though I had no idea until now that it existed in so many different variations. Can't even remember where I learned it but I've been teaching it since working at camps in high school.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jul 10 - 07:35 PM

I'd never heard it before my kids just started singing it. In southern Massachusetts, they sing it like this:

Croc a dilly oh mi quak quak quak
Say sinco sinco, sinco sinco sak
Follow, Follow
Stick your head in Je-llo
Dye your hair ye-llow
Eat a marshme-llo
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Aug 10 - 03:26 AM

crocodilly oh my croc croc croc
say sinki sinko, sinko sinko suckalacka
follow, follow stick your head in jello
your face is turning yellow
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Oct 10 - 08:43 AM

STELLA ELLA OLA (OR STELLA OLA OLA)

Stella ella ola
quack quack quack (or Clap Clap Clap),
Say Es Chico chico
chico chico chack (or chap),
Say ES chicko chiko
Valora Valora Valora Lora Lora (or valo valo valo valo valo)
Say 1-2-3-4-5 (6-7-8-9-10)

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 28 Jan 11 - 06:30 PM

In my school there are a bunch of different ways..
Stella Ella Ella/Ola
Quack Quack Quack
Singing S teega teega,
teega teega shack shack!
follow follow follow follow follow-a/ valo, valo, valo, valo, volora
1 2 3 4 FIVE / 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 TEN /
OR
Crocodilly oh my
Quack Quack Quack!
Say sicko sicko
sicko sicko sock sock!
follow,follow,
stick your head in jello,
your face is turning yellow,
1 2 3 4 FIVE! / 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 TEN!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Kaity-kat
Date: 09 Mar 11 - 05:41 AM

The version I learned in Brownies/Girl Guides, and at summer camp was:
Stella Stella ola,
quack, quack, quack,
Stiguiness, tiga, tiga,
tiga, tiga,
quack, quack,
estiga tiga,velo.
velo, velo, velo, vuh-low.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Mara
Date: 12 Mar 11 - 02:31 AM

I think this is fascinating! I had always wondered about this song. My high school (in New England) was a combination of two neighboring towns and we found that even just between our two towns there was a difference (albeit slight)!

I learned it this way:
Crocadilly, oh my, croc croc croc
Say cinqo cinqo, cinqo cinqo sock-a-locka
Follow, follow, stick your head in jello,
Make it turn yellow,
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The kids in the next town said "stick your head in yellow jello".

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Faye
Date: 10 Sep 11 - 09:02 AM

ours went

s chico chico
chico chico slap say what
s chico chico
chico chico slap
blow blow blow your nose
on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Steph
Date: 12 Sep 11 - 11:25 PM

18 years ago in Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston, MA we would sing:

Crocadilly oh my
oh my OH!
Say cinco-cinco
cinco cinco suck!
Follow, follow,
stick your butt in jello!
With a 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 11 - 05:20 PM

As a kid in the late 70s in Kentucky, I played this game. However, we "translated" the lyrics into english words, though they stil didn't make much sense. We sang:
Oh my crocodile
Oh my crack crack
There's a tree called
the tricky tricky trap
Fa-low, fa-low,
fa-low, fa-low fa-low
fa-low!
1 2 3 4
If you got slapped on 4 you were out...

Wonder what happened to "stella" in this version?

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Oct 11 - 03:42 PM

I know a different Israeli version. I recently heard my neices playing the game, and while it was similar to

'La qua qua de la oma
Qua qua qua (qua)
Decima triko
Triko triko tra
Vallo, vallo,
Vallo, vallo, vallo, vallo
1, 2, 3 ..... 10'

it had an extra verse. There was mention of ima (mom) and aba (dad), mixed in with the nonsense (which inlcuded the word banana, which is said the same in Hebrew). As well as that the children seemed to think that valo was from the Hebrew words
va-and
lo-no
and the song also includes the word vaken (ken-yes)
There also seemed to be some words that sounded Arabic.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Dec 11 - 11:59 PM

Hi - I was looking for a chant similar to these that we sang during elementary school. Ours (from Pickerington, OH) went like this:

My crocadilio
My crocodile
Dance to my chica
Chica, chica,
cha cha cha
Fell-ow, fell-ow
fellow, fellow, fell-ow
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

I find this thread fascinating!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Megan
Date: 05 Jun 12 - 04:08 PM

The version I learned was as follows:
Crocadillo Oh my Croc Croc Croc
Dance to the music of the Chica Chica Chock
Velo Velo Velo Velo Velo Veloooo
1,2,3,4,5

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Anon.
Date: 01 Aug 12 - 11:25 PM

I played this just a couple of days ago. I'm on the far, FAR west of Canada, and this is how I've been playing since I was maybe nine? I'm fourteen now. It's a little different than all the ones already posted, but it's got most of the same elements.

Stella stella ola
Clap clap clap
Singin' es chica chica
Chica chica chap
Singin' es chica chica
Baloney, baloney
Cheese and macaroni
Fire, one two three four five!

I think I might have a little bit of a different tune than some of you, though, because I've been singing them in my head to the one I know and they don't really match up.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 19 May 14 - 11:33 PM

quack a dilly oma
quack quack quack
hey cinco cinco,
cinco cinco sat.
sigue sigue, sigue sigue sigue, (Or follow instead of sigue)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10! (On ten the person clapped is out)

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,apdehoyos
Date: 30 May 14 - 10:40 AM

In Austin, Tx at Bryker Woods Elementary we sang:

"Crocadilly oomp bop
croc croc croc.
Dance to the chigger
chigger chigger rock.
Fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow,
Fallow Hopscotch chigger mush!"

Usually it was at 7:30am waiting for school to start as we all sat in the cafeteria :)

Subject: RE: Kids chant Crocadilly ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Jun 14 - 01:01 AM

Crocadilly o my
Crock crock crock
Say cinco cinco
Cinco cinco sock (?)

Fol-low, fol-low!
Stick your head in jell-o!
Your face is turning yell-ow
1,2,3,5, 6!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Mackenzie
Date: 03 Dec 15 - 06:26 PM

I learned this as a kid in Pittsburgh in the mid 90s.

Stella Ella ola
Quack quack quack quack
Ess cheego cheego
Cheego cheego slap Jack
Go! Slow!
Go slow go slow
One two three four!

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Aug 16 - 08:20 PM

I learned this in Eastern MA as:
Crocadilly oh my
Croc croc croc
Say cinco cinco
Cinco cinco sock-a-locka
Follow, follow
Stick your head in jello
Your face is turning yellow
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

But I heard it in Western MA(Charlton) as
Quackadilly oso
Quack quack quack
Señorita
Your mama smells like pizza
Felora, felora, I'll kick you out the door-a
Sayin' 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

I find it interesting that there are so many variations, that one could be unrecognizable from another

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Anon2
Date: 20 Oct 16 - 09:59 PM

I grew up in the greater Vancouver BC area, the version I learned was

Stella Stella Ola
Clap Clap Clap
Singing ess chiga chiga
Chiga chiga chap
Singing ess chiga chiga
Valo valo valo valo valo fire
1 2 3 4 5!

It's funny how it's so close but not identical to Anon's from Aug 2012.. though my version's nearly 20 years older than hers.

Anyone know the origin of this song/game?

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Azizi
Date: 23 Oct 16 - 05:17 PM

GUEST,Anon2,

I believe that the source for the large family of "Stella Ella Ola"/ "Quack Dilly Oso" rhymes (and other titles) is the chorus to the 1945 American novelty song "Chickery Chick" plus a great deal of folk processing (folk etymology; oral tradition).

Here's that song's chorus:

"Chickery-chick, cha-la, cha-la
Check-a-la romey in a bananika
Bollika, wollika, can't you see
Chickery chick is me?"

-snip-
"Chickery Chick" appears to me to be a re-working of the nonsense word filled choruses the 19th century or earlier racist (anti-Chinese) ridicule song "Chingery Chang" (also known as "Once In China There Lived A Great Man".) So "Chingery Chan" can also be said to be a source of the non-racist, nonsense word filled "Stella Ella Ola"/ "Quack Dilly Oso" rhymes.

Here's the chorus to one of the versions of "Chingery Chan":
"Chingery-rico-rico-day,
Ekel-tekel. Happy man!
Kuan-a-desco-canty-o,
Gallopy-wallopy-china-go." [1868]

Visit my Pancocojams blog for a two part series that I published about "Once In China There Lived A Great Man" and "Stella Ella Ola" rhymes.

Thanks to the Mudcat members and guests who I quoted in that pancocojams series. I was I motivated to work on and publish as a result of the interest that I've had for a long time in this subject and your comment GUEST,Anon2,

Best wishes,

Azizi Powell

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Vancouver Anon
Date: 12 Mar 18 - 09:01 AM

Coquitlam checking in. We had:

Stella Stella Ola
Clap Clap Clap
Say Yes Chica Chica Chica Chica Chap
Say Yes Chica Chica
Baloney Baloney
And Cheesy Macaroni
Fire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

Pretty similar to 2012 Anon and 2016 Anon2.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,GRGS
Date: 01 Mar 19 - 07:00 AM

Amazing thread!

In the 80s in Durban (South Africa) we sang it like this:

Aqua Della ooh ma
Qua qua qua qua
Fire semma trica trica trica trica
Floor floor floor floor floor [to an American that would sound like ‘flaw’ - no r!]
Fire 1 2 3 4 5!

I thought it was Latin. Actually just very corrupted which is why it’s taken me years to Google it successfully.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Kirby Morejohn
Date: 05 Jan 20 - 02:40 PM

It popped into my head, about 25 years later, a rhyme that was sung along with a slapping game when I was a kid. Interesting to see the variations and that the variation I remember was from the same city as mentioned on this page - Austin, Texas.

While waiting for a bus to pick us up for summer Adventure Camp activities at Zilker Park Nature Center, we'd sit in a circle holding hands. Your right hand would be under the person's hand to your right and on top of the person to your left. This song would be sung and with the beat, a chain of hand slapping would pass around the circle. When your left hand was slapped by the person to your left, you'd slap the hand to the person to your right. I recall on the last word in the rhyme, "mush", the person who was slapped was 'out' and the circle would shrink. The winner would be the last person remaining.

I don't recall this rhyme from anywhere in my childhood (including schools or other summer camps), other than Adventure Camp based out of the Austin Nature Centre.

The Rhyme:

"Crocadilly oomp bop croc croc croc.
Dance to the chigger chigger chigger rock.
Fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow,
Fallow hopscotch chigger mush"

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 11:03 PM

Crocadilly oomp bop
croc croc croc.
Dance to the chigger
chigger chigger rock.
Fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow,
Fallow Hopscotch chigger mush!"

AUSTIN TEXAS summer camps in the 90’s

SO glad to see this song is on there posted by someone else! Viva Brykerwoods

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 23 Jul 20 - 01:00 AM

I used to play this game as a kid, and the kids from my camp introduced it to me without the explanation, so I didn't really understand what was being said. I think it went something like this:

Croc-a-dilly oh my, croc croc croc!
Say cinco cinco, cinco cinco sock-a-laca
Follow! Follow! Stick your head in jello! Your face is turning yellow! 1,2,3,4,5!!

There were also other variations made by creative people, but it contains the same tune and basic meaning.

Croc-a-dilly oh my, croc croc croc!
Say cinco cinco, cinco cinco sock-a-laca!
Follow! Follow! Stick you head in Beer!
You look like Paul Revere!

Or:

Stick your head in water! You look like Harry Potter

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Murphy, Heather
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 07:23 PM

So I learned it in 2010ish from my elementary school as:

Croc-a-dilly oom bop, bop bop bop
Dance to the chiga, chiga chiga rock
Fallo, fallo, fallo fallo fallo, FA-LLO
Hop-scotch chiga mush

We didn't really say trigger or chigger in the song it ended with the uh sound, the fallo sounded a bit like fuh-low so not wuite fellow or follow, the mush was more of a moosh, and we said bop bop bop instead of croc croc croc, most likely because after years of being passed down, the exact annunciation got a bid muddled by children's mispronunciations.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,42°N
Date: 18 Nov 20 - 08:27 PM

From east-ish Massachusetts,

Croc-a-dilly oh my, crack crack crack
Say cinco cinco, cinco cinco sack(-a-lack-a)
Fallow, fallow,
Stick your head in jello
Eat a marshmallow
Dye your hair yellow
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Fg89
Date: 15 Feb 22 - 01:32 AM

I just came across this because I wanted to hunt down where this rhyme came from.

Context: I've grown up in Pakistan and with a lot of exposure to a variety of cultures. I don't recall where I learnt this from as a kid, but the variation I know is as follows:

Salla walla wola
Walla walla wola
Clap clap clap, say
S- chico chico,
Chico chico chapstick,
Wallo wallo
Wallo
wallo wallo
Count - 1, 2, 3, 4

It's interesting to see the other versions. Also, we do not play this to the tune of ring around the roses.

Subject: RE: Kids chant Stella Ola Ola / Stella Ella Ola
From: GUEST,Hometownhorn
Date: 18 Oct 22 - 05:54 PM

I googled Crocadilly because I was trying to remember this rhyme from the early 1990's in Austin, Texas and found this thread.

I can't believe how many different variations there are! Mine is the same as the other three posters from Austin, although mine is from Travis Heights Elementary and then Pease Elementary:

Crocadilly oomp bop
croc croc croc.
Dance to the chigger
chigger chigger rock.
Fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow, fallow, Fal-LOW
Hopscotch chigger mush!