Stella Ella Ola
"Stella Ella Ola" (Stella Stella Ola) is a clapping game where players stand or sit in a circle placing one hand over her or his neighbour's closer hand and sing the song. On every beat, a person claps their higher hand onto the touching person's palm. The cycle continues until the song ends at which point if the person's hand is slapped, they are considered "out" and must stand or sit in the center of the circle, or leave the circle and watch from the edges.
If the player to be slapped pulls her or his hand away fast enough, the person who attempted to slap the hand is out.
Lyrics
Stella Ella Ola
Clap Clap Clap
Mommy Is A Flamingo
Daddy Is A Duck
I'm A Monkey Counting
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, YOU'RE OUT!!!
Regional versions
Saskatchewan, Canada:
Stella Ella Ola
Clap clap clap
Singing yes chicco chicco
Chicco chicco clap
I said hello, hello
I want to blow your nose
Fire 1, 2, 3, 4! And where the fifth count would be, the player's hand is (hopefully) slapped.
Alberta, Canada:
Stella Ella Ola
Clap clap clap
Singing yes chicco chicco
Chicco chicco cracker jacker
Yes chicco chicco
Baloney, baloney
With cheesy macaronie
Singin' 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Kawartha Lakes, Ontario:
Stella Ella ola
clap clap clap
say es chigo chigo
chigo chigo chip chip
Es chino chigo Velo Velo
The toilet over flowed say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!
OR
Stella Ella ola
clap clap clap
sayin es chigo chigo
chigo chigo chap chap
es chigo chigo go blow go blow
go blow your dirty nose so 1-2-3-4-5!
Ontario:
Stella Ella ola
clap clap clap
say es chigo chigo
chigo chigo chip chip
Es chino chigo Velo Velo
The toilet over flowed say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!
“Guelph, Ontario”
Es tégo tégo
Tégo tégo CHOP, say
Es tégo tégo
Tégo tégo Chop, say
Vélo
Vélo
Vélo-vélo-vélo, say:
one, two, three, four , FIVE!
Vancouver, British Columbia:
Stella Stella ola clap clap clap
say yes chigga chigga chigga chigga chap,
say yes chigga chigga baloney, baloney, with cheese and macaroni fire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Winnipeg, Manitoba:
Stella Ella Ola
clap clap clap
singing ess chiko chik-o
chiko chiko cracker jacker
ess chiko chik-o
baloney, baloney
with cheese and macaroni!
so 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Brandon, Manitoba:
Stella stella Ola
clap clap clap
singing ess chiko chik-o
chiko chiko cracker jacker
ess chiko chik-o
flow, flow
gotta blow my nose!
so 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Massachusetts:
Crocadilly oh my, croc croc croc
Say cinco cinco, cinco cinco sockalocka
Follow, follow, stick your head in jello
Your face is turning yellow
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Massachusetts:
Quackadilly oh my, quack quack quack
To say cinco cinco, cinco cinco sack
Follow, follow, stick your hand in jello
‘Till your face turns yellow
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
A variant common in the tri-state area:
Dilly dally duck goes quack, quack, quack
From San Marina, rina, rina, rina
Four up, four up
1, 2, 3, 4, quack!
Western New York:
Quack a dilly oh my
quack quack quack
Dancing Katrina
Trickle, trickle, track
fellow, fellow, stick your hand in jello
J-E-L-L-O
Eastern New York:
Quack a dilly oh so
quack quack quack
Senorita your mama smells like pizza
Galore Galore
Potatoes on the kitchen floor
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Northern New Jersey: Quack Diddlyack goes Quack Quack Quack Senorita, rita, rita, rita Galore Galore I threw up on the kitchen floor 1, 2, 3, 4!
Southern New York:
Quack dilly oh so
quack quack quack
Senorita rita rita rita
Delora delora
The cat peed on the floor
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
New York City:
Quackdiddlioso
Quack quack quack
Señorita
Your mama smells like pizza
Felor, felor, felor, felor, felor, felor
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Alaska:
Quack diddly oh so
Quack, quack, quack
Sam, or Rico
Rico, Rico, Rico
Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora
1, 2, 3, 4
Florida:
Quack diddly oso
quack quack quack;
Señorita, rita rita rita;
Valor, valor, valor-valor-valor! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Maine:
Quack diddly oso
quack quack quack;
From San Francisco,
do a little disco;
Galore, galore, galore-galore-galore, galore!
1, 2, 3, 4
Downeast Maine:
Clap diddly oso
Clap clap clap
Sing señorita,
Rita rita rita
Galore, galore, galore-galore-galore, galore!
1, 2, 3, 4!
Washington State:
Quack dilly oh so
Quack, quack, quack
Singing Sam, or Rico
Rico, Rico, Rico
Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora
1, 2, 3, 4
Wisconsin:
Crocodile moray, croc croc croc
Say cinco cinco, cinco cinco socka
Ay cinco sino
Malow, malow,
Malow malow malow
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Rural Ontario (Canada): variant from the early 1980s could be sung in French or English. The French version usually counted to five, and the younger children's English version was similar. For elder children, in both language versions, the game required four steps: The player who shall begin announces their count of how many players remain; the other players agree aloud to the count; the players recite the verse; once recited, then the players began clapping out the count as quickly as possible. This made it much harder to anticipate the outcome. The basic verse follows in French and English, respectively.
Est tika-tika
Tika-tika tan-tan
Est tika-tika
âllo âllo âllo âllo âllo-ah
Un deux trois quat-re cinq!
Ess tika-tika
Tika-tika tap-tap
Ess tika-tika
Hello hello hello-ello-ello and
1 2 3 4 good-bye!
Israel:
(Versions differ)
Qua qua de la oma (gibberish)
Qua qua qua. (quack, quack, quack)
Desi matriko / Be-simlat triko (gibberish / in a t-shirt)
Aba-sh'ha kofiko (your father is a small monkey)
Ima-sh'ha hipopotam (your mother is a hippo)
Ve ata hamor katan (and you are a small donkey)
Va lo, va ken (and no, and yes)
Tzolea oo-misken (limping and miserable)
Zaken (old man)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
United Kingdom: (Versions differ)
Stella Ella Ola
Clap clap clap
Say 'es chicco chicco
Chicco chicco chap
Say 'es chicco chicco
Alo, alo
1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Unspecified regional versions
Version 1:
Stella Ella Ola
Quack, quack, quack
say es chiggo, chiggo, chiggo, chiggo Chek;
say es chiggo, chiggo, vello, vello, vello, vello, vello, so 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Version 2:
Stella Ella Ola
clap, clap, clap;
Singing Es tigga, tigga; tigga, tigga Es, Es; Es tigga, tigga flow, flow; flow, flow, flow; 12345!
Version 3:
Stella ella ola, clap clap clap,
say es chico chico, chico chico clap,
say es chico chico, below, below,
the toilet over flows,
say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Version 4:
Stella Ella ola
tap tap tap
singing es tigga tigga
Tigga tigga tap tap
Baloney baloney
Cheese and macaroni
Fire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Version 5:
Stella Ella Ola snap crackle pop,
singing es tiga tiga tiga tiga snap snap
es tiga tiga balogna balogna
cheese and macaroni firing
one, two, three, four, five!
Version 6:
Stella Stella Ola,
Clap clap clap,
Singing es chigga chigga,
Chigga chigga clap,
Singing es chigga chigga,
Fello Fello
Fello Fello Fello,
Fire 1,2, 3, 4, 5.
Version 7:
Stella Ella ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es chiga chiga,
chiga chiga chat chat
Es chiga chiga,
Love, love, love, love, love, love,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Version 8:
Stella Ella ola,
Clap, clap, clap,
Saying es chiko chiko
Chiko chiko chap chap
Es chiko chiko
Blow blow
Blow your nose in Cheerios
Say: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Version 9:
Stella Ella Ola,
Chak Chak Chalk
say es chico chico
Chico Chico Chak Chak,
es chico chico,
falo falo,
the toilet over flow!
Say: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! (Continues until person's hand is slapped.)
Version 10:
Stella, ella, ola,
Slapjack Slapjack,
Es chica chica
Chica chica slapjack,
Go,slow,
Go slow, go slow,
1, 2, 3, 4!
Version 11:
Stella, Ella, Ola,
Clap clap clap
Singing es chika chico,
Chigga chigga clap clap!
Singing es chika chico,
Below, below,
The toilet overflowed.
Singing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Version 12:
Stella Ella Ola
clap clap clap
singing ess chiko chik-o
chiko chiko slapper jacker
ess chiko chik-o
baloney, baloney
with cheese and macaroni!
singing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Version 13:
Stella Ella Oga
clap, clap, clap;
Singing Es tigga, tigga;
tigga, tigga, clap, clap;
Es tigga, tigga,
balow, balow, balow, balow, baloga; 1 2 3 4 5!
Variations
Two players
- Players slap both hands up and down. In some variations, they continue to alternate until the final count, where the person whose hands are on the bottom is out.
- Players grab each other's right hand just by the fingers and then hold their left hands out to the side. They move their linked right hands from side to side, hitting a left hand on each count. If that child swings her or his hand away on the last count, the other loses.
- Players hold hands and on the last count, they try to pull the other person over a line.
Three players
- In one three-player version, one player will turn around and the other two players will hold hands and alternate positions. At the end, the person who is turned around will say either top or bottom. The hand who is in that position is champ. Last 2 people kiss.
- In another, which can be played with as many people as players wish, but has a minimum of three players, all participants sit in a circle. Their right hand rests on top of the left hand of the player on their right. One person starts, by lifting their right hand, and slapping the right hand of the player on their left. At the end, the person who has the last slap will either slap the hand of the person beside them, or that person will yank their hand away, causing the slapper to hit their own hand. The player that is hit is then out. If no one is hit, the player who was slapping is out.
Appearances in other media
- The lyrics sung in the game make an appearance in track 10 of Børns' album Blue Madonna "Supernatural".
- The game also makes an appearance in season 6 episode 3 of the CBC show Mr. D.