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 their 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 their hand away fast enough, the person who attempted to slap the hand is out.
Lyrics
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es, chico, chico
Chico, chico, clap, clap
Es chico, chico
Baloney, baloney
Cheese and macaroni
Fire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Another common version is:
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es, chico, chico
Chico, chico, clap, clap
Say es chico, chico
Below, below
The toilet overflowed
Say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Canadian Regional Versions
Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada:
Stella Stella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es, chiga, chiga
Chiga, chiga, clap
Singing’ es chiga, chiga
Fa low, fa low, fa low
Fa low, Fa low
Fire 1,2,3,4,5
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es, chico, chico
Chico, chico, clap
I said hello, hello
I want to blow your nose
Fire 1, 2, 3, 4!
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es, chico, chico
Chico, chico, cracker jacker
Es chico, chico
Baloney, baloney, with
Cheese and macaroni
Singin' 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Or
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es, chiga, chiga
chiga, chiga, clap clap
Es chiga, chiga
Baloney, baloney, with
Cheese and macaroni
Singin' 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Toronto, Ontario (versions differ):
Stella Ella Ola,
Quack, quack, quack
Say es, chico, chico
Chico, chico, chat, chat
Es chico, chico
Fa low, fa low
The toilet overflowed
Say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Or
Stella Ella Ola
Clap, Clap, Clap
Say yes, Chico, Chico
Chico, Chico, Chat
Say yes, Chico, Chico
Hell-o, Hell-o
Hello, Hello, Hello
Go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Stella Stella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Say yes, chico, chico
Chico, chico, chumba
Blow, blow,
Blow your dirty nose
Say 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10
Vancouver, British Columbia (versions differ):
Stella, Stella, Ola
Clap, clap, clap
Sayin’ es, chico, chico
Chico, chico, chap
Sayin’ es, chico, chico
Baloney, baloney,
Cheese and macaroni
Fire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Singing es, chico, chico
Chiko, chico, clap, clap
Es chico, chico
Flow, flow,
Flow flow flow
So, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Sayin' yes, chiga chiga,
Chiga chiga chap,
Sayin' yes, chiga chiga
Flow, flow,
Flow flow flow
Sayin' 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Northwest Territories, Canada:
Stella Ella Ola,
Clap, clap, clap
Sayin' S, tiga tiga,
tiga tiga clap clap,
Baloney, baloney,
Cheese and macaroni
Sayin' 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
United Kingdom (versions differ):
Stella Ella Ola
Clap, clap, clap
Say es chico, chico
Chico, chico, chap
Say es chio, chico
Alo, alo
1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
American Regional Versions
Aroe macaroni ti ter-ra, Aroe macaroni ti ter-ra, Terra terra ti ti ti, Terra terra ti ti ti, One, two, THREE!
"Crocodilly old man croc croc croc Said to my cheetah chicky chicky choc Fellow, fellow, fellow fellow fellow"
Northern California and Delaware
“Quack-diddly-oso, quack quack quack, Say senorita, rita rita rita, Delores, Delores, delore delore delore! Da-lore! One, two, three, four!”
"Quackadillyoso quack quack quack Senorita, your mama smells like pizza Delora, delora, I'll kick you out the door - ah Screaming, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, ,7 , 8, 9..... 10!"
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.
- Players hold hands, with one players arms crossed, and swing their hands side to side so that the player with crossed arms changes. Whoever ends with there arms crossed (or doesn't, depending on where you are) wins. Sometimes you are allowed to pull each other's arms crossed at the end to see who wins.
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.
- 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.