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{{Short description|Children's counting-out rhyme}}
{{for|the 1964 film|One Potato, Two Potato (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox poem
|name = One potato, two potato
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|subtitle =
|author = Traditional
|language = English
|genre = [[Counting-out rhyme]]
|form =
}}

"'''One potato, two potato'''" (sometimes "'''One potato, two potatoes'''") is a traditional children's [[counting-out rhyme]] with accompanying hand actions. It has a [[Roud Folk Song Index|Roud number]] of 19230.<ref name="Roud">{{Cite web|title=Roud Folksong Index: "One potato, two potato" and variants|url=https://www.vwml.org/roudnumber/19230|access-date=8 August 2021|website=English Folk; Vaughan Williams Memorial Library}}</ref>

== Text ==
The rhyme has been recorded in a large number of variants, but often consists of or starts with these lines:<ref name="Abrahams&Rankin">{{Cite book |last1=Abrahams |first1=Roger D |title=Counting-Out Rhymes: A Dictionary |last2=Rankin |first2=Lois |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1980 |location=Austin |page=164 |id={{ASIN|0292739761|country=uk}} }}</ref>

{{Poem quote|text=One potato, two potato, three potato, four
Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more.}}

''The Dictionary of English Folklore'' (2000) lists the rhyme as "common all over Britain, USA, Canada, and Australia".<ref name="Simpson&Roud">{{Cite book |title=A Dictionary of English Folklore | last1=Simpson |first1=Jacqueline | last2=Roud |first2=Steve |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |year=2000|page=81 |isbn=0-19-969104-5}}</ref> Its origins are unknown, but there seems to be no record earlier than 1885, when it was noted in [[Nova Scotia]], Canada.<ref name="Abrahams&Rankin" /><ref name="Simpson&Roud"/>

== Variants ==
There are many recorded variants of the rhyme, some of which prefer the plural "One potato, two potatoes",<ref name="Taunton C">{{Cite news |title=Children's Games |page=2 |work=Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser |publication-date=22 November 1922 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000527/19221122/052/0002}},</ref> and others which substitute "spud", "tate" or "apple" for "potato".<ref name="Roud" /><ref name="Abrahams&Rankin" /> One collected variant ends "[...] seven potato, raw".<ref name="Abrahams&Rankin" /> Multiple continuations also exist, including "[...] Eight potato, nine potato, ten potato all / One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten"<ref name="Dovells" /> and "One bad spud!" (collected by [[Steve Roud]]).<ref name="Simpson&Roud"/>

== Actions ==
In one version, on the command "spuds up!" the children to be counted out extend clenched fists. One child recites the rhyme while using their own fist to tap each of the others in turn. The child whose fist is tapped on the final word "more" puts that fist behind their back. The whole process is repeated several times until only one fist remains. That child then becomes "it".<ref name="Opie1969" /><ref name="SBT">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021|title=One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four|url=https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/songs-and-rhymes/one-potato-two-potato-three-potato-four|access-date=9 August 2021|website=Scottish Book Trust}}</ref> The rhyme can also be used to accompany a variety of actions, including [[Skipping-rope rhyme|skipping]].<ref name="Abrahams&Rankin" />

Fist counting with similar actions has also been associated with other, quite different, rhymes, both in the UK and in other European countries.<ref name="Opie1969">{{Cite book|title=Children's Games in Street and Playground|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1969|isbn=978-0198272106|pages=54–55|author-last1=Opie|author-first1=Iona|author-link=Iona and Peter Opie|location=Oxford|author-last2=Opie|author-first2=Peter}}</ref>

== Developments ==
The popularity of particular counting-out rhyme wordings has varied over the years. In 1969 [[Iona and Peter Opie]] found "One potato, two potato" to be "in constant use" both in the UK and the USA during the 20th century<ref name="Opie1969" /> but by 2010, although still very well known, [[Steve Roud]] found that it was no longer British children's first choice for counting out.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Roud|first=Stephen|author-link=Steve Roud|title=The Lore of the Playground : One hundred years of children's games, rhymes and traditions|date=2010|publisher=Random House Books|isbn=978-1-905211-51-7|location=London|pages=348|oclc=610824586}}</ref>

One 2010 report stated that the wording had been surpassed in popularity by similar games such as "Coca Cola", a development in which children recite "Coca Cola / Pepsi Cola / Coca Cola / Split."<ref name="BL">{{Cite web |title=An animation: Counting out rhymes |url=https://www.bl.uk/playtimes/videos/counting-out-rhymes-animation |access-date=8 August 2021 |date=2010 |website=British Library}}</ref> The action for "Coca Cola" is a lengthened version of that for "One potato, two potato". Each participant initially holds out their hands clasped together, with fingers intertwined. When the counter's fist taps them on the final word "Split", the hands are separated into individual clenched fists and play continues as before.<ref name="BL2">{{Cite web |title=Coca Cola |url=https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/coca-cola |access-date=8 August 2021 |website=British Library}}</ref>

== Recording ==
In 1964 [[The Dovells]] recorded "One Potato – Two Potato – Three Potato – Four", an extended nonsense riff on the rhyme.<ref name="Dovells">{{Cite web |title=#1255: One Potato – Two Potato – Three Potato – Four by The Dovells |url=https://vancouversignaturesounds.com/hits/one-potato-two-potato-three-potato-four-by-the-dovells/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |website=Vancouver pop Music|date=24 August 2019 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Counting-out rhymes]]
[[Category:Traditional children's songs]]
[[Category:Works of unknown authorship]]
[[Category:Potatoes]]

One potato, two potato - Revision history

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