Bippidy-Boppidy-Boo

This is one of numerous “think-fast” games, but it is quite silly and fun. There are many variations. Here’s the one we play.

Players form a circle. One player in the centre of the circle is the leader.

In the first stage, the leader points at a player in the circle and says either “Bippidy-Bippidy” or “Bippidy-Boppidy-Boo.” If the phrase is “Bippidy-Bippidy” the player must remain silent. If they speak, they lose. If the phrase is “Bippidy-Boppidy-Boo,” the player must say “Boo” before the leader says it. If they don’t say “Boo” first, they lose. If a player loses, they switch places with the leader. Otherwise the leader challenges a different player.

Once players have gone the hang of these two conditions, new rules are added, one at a time. The leader can say other phrases, and the player must respond with an action.

“Elevator one… two… three…”: The player and the players on the left and right must touch the floor before the number three is spoken.

“Elephant one… two… three…”: The player must raise an arm as a trunk and make a trumpeting noise. The player’s two neighbours form their arms into the elephant’s ears. (Because elephant sounds like elevator, players will often get it wrong.)

“Toaster one… two… three…”: The player crouches down to become a piece of toast, and the neighbours form their arms in a square box to be the toaster. The player jumps up and says “Ding!”

“Tree one… two… three…”: The player becomes a tree, and the players on each side crouch down and put their arms in a circle to make a plant pot.

If a player (either the one pointed to, or the neighbours) does the wrong thing, or moves when they shouldn’t, they are called to the centre to become the new leader.

Strategies that work in games like Simon Says also work here. A string of calls of “Elephant one… two… three” can be followed by an unexpected “Bippidy-Boppidy-Boo.”