Mary Mack, who tragically went down with the Titanic. The theory identifies Miss Mary Mack as the Merrimack, a Union ship that fought Confederate forces during the Civil War. The ship was black with silver rivets, code for the black dress with silver buttons Miss Mary Mack wears in the chant.

“Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can.” Patty Cake is the most classic and simple clapping game out there. Played with two people, hands are clapped in the standard criss-cross motion.

If you are not familiar with hand clapping games, here are some easy Directions for any basic handclapping game: Sit across from your clapping partner. Choose your handclapping rhyme. Begin by clapping your hands together at the same time, then reach out with your right hand to clap your partner’s right hand.

Clapping games include:

• “A Sailor Went to Sea”
• “Down Down Baby” (also known as “Roller Coaster”)
• “Down by the Banks”
• “Mary Mack”
• “Miss Susie”
• “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man”
• “Pease Porridge Hot”
• “Pretty Little Dutch Girl”

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack. All dressed in black, black, black. With silver buttons, buttons, buttons. All down her back, back, back (or “Up and down her back, back, back”)

“Concentration 64” may have been the earliest phrase that was used for these handclap games. However, because of folk processing, children (and people of other ages) playing this game started using other names for this game such as “Concentration One Eighty Five”, or “Hands Down Vanilla Five”, or “Nintendo 64”.

One player calls odd or even and says, “One, two, three, shoot.” Players simultaneously put out their hands with one or two fingers extended. Add the fingers together to see who wins. For example, if both kids throw one finger, then the sum is two and even wins.