
Statues, also known as Red Light, Green Light in North America, and Grandma's/Grandmother's Footsteps or Fairy Footsteps in the United Kingdom is a popular children's game, often played in different countries. There are variations of play throughout different regions of the world.
General rules
# A person starts out as the "
curator
A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...
" (It, Granny, Pooh, etc.) and stands at the end of a field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end (distance depends upon playing area selected). The objective of the game is for a "statue" to tag the curator, thereby becoming the curator and resetting the game.
# The curator turns their back to the field, and the "statues" attempt to race across and tag the curator.
# Whenever the curator turns around, the statues must freeze in position and hold that for as long as the curator looks at them. The curator may even be allowed to walk around the statues, examining them. The curator needs to be careful – whenever the curator's back is turned, statues are allowed to move.
# If a statue is caught moving they are sent back to the starting line to begin again, or eliminated.
Variations
Red Light, Green Light
Red Light, Green Light is a variation of Statues played throughout North America. The title of the game refers to the colors of a
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...
.
* Like Statues, Red Light, Green Light is played in a field or another long space.
* One player, the Caller, stands at one end of the field and calls out to the rest of the players who line up at the other end.
* The Caller turns around, looking away from the rest of the players and calls out "green light!"
* While the Caller is looking away, the other players are permitted to move, and they attempt to advance on the Caller. The objective is to get close enough to the Caller to tag them.
* At any point while the Caller is turned away, they can call "red light!" and turn back around to face the players. When this is called, the players must freeze in place. If the Caller observes any player moving, they send them back to the start.
* This repeats until another player tags the Caller.
* The caller may recite "red light!" and "green light!" as fast or slow as they would like in order to catch the other players while they are still moving.
* The first player to tag the Caller without being caught becomes the new Caller, and all other players return to the start to begin another round.
There are different levels of stringency in regard to how much movement the Caller may observe to send a player back to the start. Some allow general movement as long as the players are not moving their feet from the ground, while others restrict any large bodily movements, such as swaying of the arms or even smiling. Blinking and breathing are generally permitted.
In the Dutch version, the Caller shouts "Annemaria Koekoek!" ("Ann Maria Cuckoo!") when they turn around (like "red light!") which is slightly similar to the Dutch name of a
Peekaboo game played with babies, where the parents hide their face with their hands, then reveal themselves whilst saying "Peek-a-boo!" (also known in Dutch as "Kiekeboe!").
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh is a variation of Statues where the person playing "Pooh" (the Curator) usually leans against a wall and has to shout "1, 2, 3, Winnie the Pooh, stop!" (so it is long enough for the players to reach some distance and because of the rhyme it provides in Bulgarian, where this version comes from) before turning to face the players. Whenever a player tags Pooh they have to run so it doesn't catch them. If they manage to go back to the wall where Pooh was leaning before it catches them, they become Pooh and the game starts over. In this variation the role of Pooh is more desirable.
Team building exercise
Another variation of the game was altered as a
team building
Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by a combination of busin ...
exercise. It follows the Red Light, Green Light rules with exception that if anybody moves after the red light the whole team must return to the starting line. Also, the object of the game is for the players to "steal" an "object" positioned near the "it" person and return with it to the other side of the field. Once the "object" is moved it has to stay hidden from "it", who has several chances to guess who has it at the moment. If guessed successfully then the whole team must return to the starting line.
Hemlock Overlook - Red light Green light - 03.jpg, Red light
Hemlock Overlook - Red light Green light - 04.jpg, Green light
Hemlock Overlook - Red light Green light - 05.jpg, Guessing who is hiding the "object"
Other names
;
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
: "Uno, dos, tres, cigarrillo cuarenta y tres" (tr. "One, two, three, cigarette forty three")
;
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
: "Hot Chocolate"
: "Giant Steps"
;
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
: "Donner, Wetter, Blitz!" (tr. "Thunder, weather, lightning!")
: "Zimmer, Küche, Kabinett, hinterm Ofen steht ein Bett!" (tr. "Room, kitchen, cabinet, behind the oven there is a bed!")
;
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
: "Statue!"
: "এলন্ডি লন্ডন, ঘড়ি বাজে টনটন, এক, দুই, তিন!" (Ēlanḍi lanḍana, ghaṛi bājē ṭanaṭana, ēka, du'i, tina! tr. "L-O-N-D London, bells ring ton-ton, 1 2 3!")
;
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
: "Eén, twee, drie, piano!" (tr. "One, two, three, piano!") (Dutch/Flemish)
: "Un, deux, trois, piano!" (tr. "One, two, three, piano!") or "Un, deux, trois, soleil!" (tr. "One, two, three, sun!") (French)
;
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
: "Batatinha frita, um, dois, três!" (tr. "Little french fry, one, two, three!")
;
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
: "
Winnie the Pooh" (Мечо Пух; Mecho Pukh, lit. "Pooh Bear")
: "Indian Eye" (Индианско Око; Indiansko Oko, lit. "Native American Eye")
;
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
: "Go, go, stop!" (British Columbia)
: "Un, deux trois, soleil" (tr. "One, two, three, sun") (Quebec)
: "Bleu, blanc, rouge!" (tr. "Blue, white, red!") (Quebec)
: "Un, deux trois, statue!" (tr. "One, two, three, statue!") (Quebec)
;
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
: "Un, dos, tres, momia es" (tr. "One, two, three, it's a mummy")
;
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
: "红灯绿灯小白灯" (Hóng dēng lǜ dēng xiǎo bái dēng. tr. "Red light, green light, little white light")
: "一,二,三,我们都是木头人!" (Yī, èr, sān, wǒ mēn dōu shì mù tóu rén. tr. "One, two, three, we are all wooden men!")
;
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
: "Un, dos, tres, pollito inglés!" (tr. "One, two, three, little English chicken!")
: "Uno, dos, tres, toca pared" (tr. "One, two, three, touch the wall")
;
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
: "Un, dos, tres, quesito, ¡stop!" (tr. "One, two, three, little cheese, stop!")
;
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
: "Crna kraljica, jedan, dva, tri" (tr. "
Black Queen, one, two, three")
;
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
: “ένα, δύο, τρία, έτοιμη η φωτογραφία!” (“one, two, three, picture’s ready!”)
;
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
: "Cukr, káva, limonáda... čaj, rum, bum!" (tr. "Sugar, coffee, lemonade... tea, rum, boom!") – The words rhyme, and the latter are easier to say quickly.
;
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
: "rød gul grøn stop" ("red yellow green stop")
;
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
: تماثيل إسكندرية Statues of Alexandria. One will stand in front of the wall and cover his/her face and sing "تماثيل اسكندرية، تماثيل مبتتحركش" (Tamaseel Iskenderiah, Tamaseel mabtetharaksh) (tr. "Statues of Alexandria, they are a statues that don't move") and while he/she is singing the rest is moving and when he/she stops singing they freeze like the statues.
;
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
: "Heeringas, heeringas, üks, kaks, kolm" (tr. "Herring, herring, one, two, three")
;
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
: "Peili" (tr. "Mirror")
;
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
: "Un, deux trois, soleil" (tr. "One, two, three, sun")
;
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
: "Eins, zwei, drei, vier, Ochs am Berg" (tr. "One, two, three, four ox at the mountain")
: “Grünes licht, rotes licht” (tr. ”Green light, red light”)
;
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
: "Αγαλματάκια ακούνητα, αμίλητα, αγέλαστα... Μέρα ή νύχτα;" (Agalmatákia akoúnita, amílita, agélasta... Méra í nýchta? tr. "Statues that don't move, don't speak, don't laugh... Day or night?
;
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
: "一二三,紅綠燈,過馬路,要小心" (Yāt yih sāam, hùhng luhk dāng, gwo máh louh, yiu síu sām. tr. "One Two Three, Red light green light, careful when you cross the road")
;
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
: "Einn, tveir, þrír, fjórir, fimm, dimmalimm" (tr. "One, two, three, four, five, 'dimmalimm)
;
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
: " S-T-O-P Stop!!"
: "Statue!"
: "Apple, Apple, Banana"
;
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
: "Patung" (tr. "Statue")
;
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
: "Sly Fox"
;
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
: "Dag Maluah" (דג מלוח, lit. "Salted fish", tr.
Pickled herring
Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring as food by pickling or Curing (food preservation), curing.
Most cured herring uses a two-step curing (food preservation), curing process: it is first cured with salt to extract water; th ...
; "Ahat shtayim shalosh
ne two threedag maluah!")
;
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
: "Un, due, tre, stella!" (tr. "One, two, three, star!")
;
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
: Instead of calling out the phrase, "Daruma-san ga koronda", you may count down from 10 to 1.
;
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
: "Mugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnida" (무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다/無窮花 꽃이 피었습니다, lit. "The
Rose of Sharon has bloomed")
;
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
: "Lēnāk iesi, tālāk tiksi!" (tr. "The slower you go, the further you'll get!")
: "Lēnāk brauksi, tālāk tiksi!" (tr. "The slower you drive, the further you'll get!")
;
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
: "Pukul Berapa Datuk Harimau?" (tr. "What time is it Grandpa Tiger?")
;
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
: "Un, dos, tres, calabaza" (tr. "One, two, three, pumpkin")
;
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
: "L-O-N-D-O-N London, S-T-O-P Stop!!" or just "L-O-N-D-O-N London!"
;
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
: "Annemaria Koekoek!"
;
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
: "Sneak up Granny"
;
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
: "En, to, tre, Rødt lys!" (tr. "One, two, three, Red light!")
;
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
: "P-O-L-O S-T-O-P stop, Polo Stop!"
: "L-O-N-D-O-N London Stop!"
;
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
: "Un, dos, tres, pan con queso!" (tr. "One, two, three, grilled cheese!")
;
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
: "
Pepsi
Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
,
7-Up!"
;
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
: "Raz, dwa, trzy, Baba Jaga patrzy!" (tr. "One, two, three,
Baba Yaga is looking!")
;
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
: "Um, dois, três, macaquinho do chinês!" (tr. "One, two, three, little monkey of the Chinese!")
;
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
: "Unu, doi, trei, la perete stai" (tr. "One, two, three, you're staying at the wall")
;
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
: "Море волнуется — раз!" (More volnuyetsya — raz! lit. "Sea has waves — one!")
: "Тише едешь — дальше будешь!" (Tishe yedesh' — dal'she budesh'! lit. "The quieter you go, the further you'll get!")
;
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
: "Лукава лисица, СТОП!" (Lukava lisica, STOP! tr. "Sneaky fox, stop!")
;
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
: "A, E, I, O, U"
;
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
: "Mati, koliko je ura?" (tr. "Mother, what time is it?")
: "Ljubljana – Zagreb – Beograd. Stop!"
;
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
: "Uno, dos, tres, toca la pared" (tr. "One, two, three, touch the wall")
: "Un, dos, tres, el escondite inglés" (tr. "One, two, three, English hide and seek")
: "Un, dos, tres, pollito inglés!" (tr. "One, two, three, little English chicken!")
: "Pica paret" or "Un, dos, tres, pica paret" (tr. "Knock the wall" or "One, two, three, knock the wall") (
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
)
;
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
: "Ett, Två, Tre, Ost!" (tr. "One, two, three, cheese!")
: "Ett, Två, Tre, Rött Ljus!" (tr. "One, Two, Three, Red Light!")
: "Röda, vita rosen, stopp!" (tr. "The red, the white rose, stop!)"
;
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
: "Ziitig läse" (tr. "Reading the Newspaper") (German side)
: "Un, deux trois, soleil" (tr. "One, two, three, sun") (French side)
: "Un, due, tre, stella!" (tr. "One, two, three, star!") (Italian side)
;
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
: "Yī, èr, sān, mù tou rén" (一, 二, 三, 木頭人, lit. "One, two, three, wooden man")
;
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
: "A E I O U"
;
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
: "Davul, Zurna, Bir, İki, Üç" (tr. "
Davul,
Zurna, one, two, three")
;
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
: "Hot chocolate"
: "Granny's Footsteps"
: "White Horses” (
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
)
;
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
: "Un, dos, tres, pescao" (tr. "One, two, three, fish") (
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
)
: "
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish"
;
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
: "Un, dos, tres, pollito inglés!" (tr. "One, two, three, little English chicken!")
;
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
: "Em bé tập đi" (lit. "The baby learns to walk")
: "Ngựa Gỗ" (tr. "Wooden Horse")
: "Một, Hai, Ba" (tr. "One two three")
: "Hổ đã quay lại làng" (lit. "A tiger has returned to our village")
In popular culture
* ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' writer
Russell T Davies said that the statue role in Grandmother's Footsteps was a concept for the
Weeping Angel, a recurring monster on the 2005–present show.
* In ''
The Railway Series
''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Sodor (fictional island), Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by Wi ...
'' story ''Percy and the Trousers'',
Percy tries to play Grandmother's Footsteps with the coaches, but instead hits a trolley of trousers.
* Folk music trio
Peter, Paul and Mary adapted this game into a song called "Rocky Road" on their 1963 album, ''
In the Wind''.
*
Hajime Syacho, the most popular
YouTuber
A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
in Japan and participants, 740 in all, played ''Daruma-san ga koronda'' at
Industrial Development Center in
Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama,
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
on 24 October 2015 which has been listed in the
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
.
* In the 1942 ''
Merrie Melodies'' short ''
The Case of the Missing Hare'', Bugs plays a statues game on the magician while Ala Bahma charges at Bugs to kill him.
* In the 1987 film ''
RoboCop
''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Dani ...
'', the titular character is seen playing the game with elementary school children in footage shown during an in-film news report.
* In the Japanese manga ''
As the Gods Will'' and its
2014 film adaptation, it is one of the games the students are forced to play with a
Daruma doll.
* The third chapter of the 2017 game ''
Faith: The Unholy Trinity'' features this game as a method to obtain the key to progress. The player must collect the key and return without being caught by the cultist and the gray demon. Failing to comply will result in death.
* In the 2021 dystopian
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series ''
Squid Game'', it was the first game of the competition. Contestants played the game with a large doll resembling Young-hee, a young girl from a Korean book series. The game played was a deadlier iteration, where anyone caught moving would be shot dead.
* ''
Crab Game'', a 2021 game based on the Netflix series ''Squid Game'', features the game as portrayed in the show—only in this version, players explode rather than being shot when they lose.
* In the 2022 game ''
Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 – Fly in a Web'', there is a section somewhat similar to this game where the player must navigate through an obstacle course while being chased by a large caterpillar toy. When a light comes on, they must stand still and cannot move until it goes off again.
See also
*
What's the time, Mr Wolf?
References
Further reading
*
{{Authority control
Children's games
Outdoor games
Japanese games